Apple Maps Just Launched in Public Beta on the Web: Here’s What You Need to Know
While Apple Maps has long been available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac, it’s not yet available on the web. Google Maps had that head start, but Apple now appears to be trying to compete with it now that it’s in public beta on the web.
By visiting the newly launched site, you can now get directions — on foot or by car — to locations around the world, switch between three map styles, learn about businesses, and even view guides curated by the team behind Apple Maps.
Notably, this public beta launches as Apple expands its guides for the 2024 Paris Olympics and MLS Leagues Cup, which will be streamed on MLS Season Pass. While the core functionality of Apple Maps is present, some of the more unique elements, like 3D buildings and flyovers, are not.
In an accompanying release, Apple noted that “Look Around” and other additional features would be rolling out in the coming months. During this public beta for Apple Maps on the web, it is available only in English, and browser support varies by operating system. On a Mac or iPad, it is compatible with Safari and Chrome, while Windows PCs can use it in Edge or Chrome. Apple also expects to add more languages and compatibility to the web experience in the coming months.
Much of the core Apple Maps experience is here, though, and many of the company’s investments in its mapping offering are visible. For example, underneath a location, you can easily see its hours, place a call, or even visit a site. You can also easily order food from a restaurant using Maps, as you’ll have the option to open in a new tab.
Guides are perhaps the most fun experience on the web, as they’re well-curated around locations, such as venues or neighborhoods within a city, as well as major events. It’ll be interesting to see which specific experiences that currently exist on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or watchOS eventually make it to the web.
It’s certainly been a long time coming, even though Apple Maps originally launched in 2012. The company has invested heavily in improving the experience over the past few years, expanding it to a richer feature set. One of the more unique features is 3D-modeled digital recreations of iconic buildings from the Eiffel Tower to the White House, with Apple Stores, iconic music venues, and even small details of city landmarks all beautifully recreated.
If you’d like to check out the Apple Maps on the web experience, you can go here or by typing “beta.maps.apple.com” into your browser. It’s also worth noting that this new experience integrates with MapKit JS, so you can link to this new experience as well as the app experiences.
Ultimately, Apple Maps on the web makes it accessible to more people than just as an application on Apple devices. That could lead to some customers dropping off Google Maps.
It will be interesting to see whether Apple rolls out entirely new experiences for the web version to better compete with Google Maps, or sticks to the route of porting over the core features that people who use Apple Maps are already familiar with. Only time will tell.