The latest iOS 18 beta shows off a slew of upgrades to your iPhone’s essential apps that will be available to everyone later this year – and Apple Maps is no exception, with a handful of new features on the way.
The noticeable improvement for most people is a new “Search Here” button (via Reddit). Currently, Apple Maps is a bit frustrating when it comes to finding places like restaurants outside your current location. Search for restaurant options in another part of town, and Apple Maps will often return to your current location, requiring you to scroll all the way back.
This new “Search Here” button eliminates that annoyance by forcing the app to look in the area currently shown on the screen, even if that’s not where you are right now.
New “Search Here” button finally implemented in iOS 18 by r/applecards
Yes, it’s a somewhat minor tweak, but for frequent Apple Maps users, we expect it will save them a lot of hassle and frustration when using the search function in the future. However, that’s not all that iOS 18 has to offer.
A hiker’s best friend?
If you like walking, iOS 18 will make Apple Maps a lot more useful if you live in the US. Hikers can take advantage of new topographic maps for U.S. National Parks that provide more accurate details about trails you want to explore. You can also download route maps so you can access them even if your internet connection is lost.
There are also tools to customize your walks. You can create custom walks and walking routes that you can use in place of Apple Maps recommendations. Perhaps you prefer a more scenic route, or want to trek to avoid certain areas. Whether it’s a custom or pre-made route, you can also make notes on your saved routes to help you navigate in the future.
Combine these tools with the iPhone’s satellite phone capabilities — at least for iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, or iPhone 15 Pro models — and Apple’s smartphone becomes increasingly useful for hikers and outdoorsmen.
We’ll have to see if the full release of iOS 18 brings any more upgrades to Apple Maps or other iPhone features to continue this trend, but it certainly looks promising so far.