Maps in macOS Monterey: Interactive Globe, Detailed Terrain, 3D Landmarks, Updated Driving Features and More

Apple in iOS 15 overhauled the Maps app to add a much more detailed design in select areas, an interactive globe, improved driving directions, better transit info, and more, and all of those same changes are available in macOS Monterey.

maps monterey globe view
If you zoom all the way out in the Maps app you can get to an interactive globe view, which is new to Maps. You can rotate the globe and drill down into different areas around the world, and Apple has greatly enhanced the details you see for mountain ranges, deserts, forests, and oceans.

maps monterey terrain
In cities that include San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London, Apple has added tons more detail for elevation, roads, trees, and buildings, with these features rendered in 3D. In San Francisco, for example, you can see notable landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower rendered in 3D.

maps monterey 3d view coit tower
Apple's own Infinite Loop and Apple Park campuses are also rendered in this new detailed 3D look so you can get a closer bird's eye view of the iconic ring-shaped building. It's likely Apple will add this more detailed view to additional cities in the coming months as it has done with other Maps features like Look Around.

maps 3d view apple park
An updated driving map provides additional detail on traffic and hazards that might affect your drive, and roads are much more detailed with clearly delineated turn lanes, bike lanes, bus lanes, medians, crosswalks, and more to give you a better overview of your route.

maps monterey road view
You can also plan trips in advance to see future estimated traffic conditions with Maps providing recommended Leave By times.

maps monterey estimated
For transit users, the transit map has been updated for the city experience and it displays key bus routes, plus there's one-click access to a list of all departures nearby and an option to pin favorite lines.

maps monterey transit
Place cards for businesses, landmarks, restaurants, and more have been updated with a new design, with Apple providing details about nearby places, other spots at the same location, Guide availability, and more. Apple is still using Yelp to pull in information like reviews.

maps monterey place cards
Other new features in macOS Monterey include a Guides Home for finding new editorially curated guides, improved search with filters that drill down into the results, and a new user profile where Maps users can manage their settings.

These features are available to developers who have macOS Monterey installed at the current time, with Apple planning to release a public beta in July. macOS Monterey will be available to the public this fall.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon as 'Apple Experience' Nears

Sunday February 22, 2026 5:29 pm PST by
Apple's software engineers are testing iOS 26.3.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.3.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, and it will likely be released within the next two weeks. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.2.1 with bug fixes and support for the second-generation...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

Apple is Testing These iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Colors

Sunday February 22, 2026 8:41 am PST by
The special new color that Apple is considering for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this year is red, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, he said that Apple is testing a "deep red" finish for the two devices. If this rumor materializes, it would be the first time that the Pro and Pro Max models ever come in red, and the iPhone 18 Pro models would be the first...
tim cook data privacy day

Tim Cook Warned by CIA That China Could Move on Taiwan by 2027

Tuesday February 24, 2026 4:03 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook was among a handful of top tech executives who attended a classified CIA briefing warning that China could attack Taiwan by 2027, according to a sweeping investigative report by The New York Times ($). The previously unreported briefing was apparently held in a secure room in Silicon Valley in July 2023. The meeting is said to have been arranged at the request of the...
airpods pro 3 design

Higher-End AirPods Pro Launching This Year

Monday February 23, 2026 2:31 pm PST by
While the AirPods Pro 3 launched less than six months ago, it has been rumored that Apple plans to unveil new AirPods Pro this year. Instead of AirPods Pro 4, it has been rumored that the new AirPods Pro will be a higher-end version of the AirPods Pro 3. This would be similar to the regular AirPods 4, which are available in two versions, with and without active noise cancellation....

Top Rated Comments

62 months ago
Those renderings are very nice. Detailed and realistic but without the noise of just being a photo.

Unfortunately Apple’s track record suggests that 3 years from now the list of supported cities will barely extend past the famous few they always use in PR.

Look Around is just taking panoramas with a GPS signal. Barely any effort required and Apple still can’t be bothered for most places. No chance they create these bespoke 3D buildings for a meaningful number of cities.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
62 months ago
Map Team deserves BIG kudos this year!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nvmls Avatar
62 months ago

Map Team deserves BIG kudos this year!
Which maps team, M1 or Intel?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
62 months ago
Man, you have some crazy roads in the US.😲
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
62 months ago
I really wish Apple would stop adding features to Maps and add all the features announced YEARS ago to all major cities.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bivalvegruff Avatar
62 months ago
Wow look at all these features I won't see in my northern European country 🥲
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)