Look Around (Apple)
 | |
 A street in New Jersey with a look at Look Around in the Apple Maps app on the iPad Pro | |
| Initial release | September 19, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Platform | iOS, iPadOS, macOS |
| Available in | Multiple languages |
Look Around is a technology featured in Apple Maps that provides interactive panoramas from positions along a number of streets in various countries. Look Around allows the user to view 360° street-level imagery, with smooth transitions as the scene is navigated. Look Around was introduced with iOS 13 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2019. It was publicly released as part of iOS 13 on September 19, 2019.[1]
Background[edit]
In early 2015, vehicles equipped with twelve cameras and lidar sensors were seen in a variety of locations in the United States. These vehicles were owned by Apple and were also seen in places like the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Sweden. In June 2015, Apple stated on its website that the vehicles were collecting data to improve Apple Maps. Also, Apple claimed to secure privacy by making faces and license plates unrecognizable. In 2018 Apple confirmed in an article that it was rebuilding Apple Maps, with the first results rolled out in California.[2]
In 2017, Apple had started mapping Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and Slovenia. A year later, in 2018, Apple had started collecting imagery in Japan.
In May 2019, Apple announced plans to begin collecting data for Apple Maps in Canada.[3] Overall in 2019, Apple had started collecting imagery in Andorra, Canada, San Marino, Germany and Australia.
During WWDC on June 22, 2020, Apple announced its new maps would be coming to Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Canada later in the year.[4] Overall in 2020, Apple had started collecting imagery in Monaco, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Israel, New Zealand and Singapore.
During WWDC 2021 on June 7, 2021, Apple announced that Spain and Portugal would receive the new maps that day, with both Australia and Italy getting them later in the year.[5] On September 10, 2021, Apple published new map data in Andorra, Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City.[6] Apple began testing its new maps in Australia on October 19, 2021, publishing the new data on December 9, 2021.[7] Overall in 2021, Apple started collecting imagery in Hungary, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, and Taiwan.
On March 7, 2022, Apple started collecting imagery in Greece. On March 4, 2022, Apple began testing its new map in Germany and Singapore. On April 21, 2022, Munich and most of Singapore received Look Around alongside the new maps.[8] On May 14, 2022, Apple started collecting imagery in Denmark. On May 29, 2022, Apple began testing its new map in France, Monaco, and New Zealand, with the maps launching on July 7, 2022.[9] On June 3, 2022, Apple announced a first round of imagery collection in Mexico, which began in August 2022. During Apple's WWDC event in June 2022, it was announced that eleven new countries would receive the new maps by the end of the year, including Belgium, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland.[10] The Look Around feature was enabled in all of Germany on July 25, 2022.[11]
Apple started testing its new map data in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Saudi Arabia on August 5, 2022. In September 2022, Apple announced the start of image collection in Thailand, which began in October 2022. On November 2, 2022, Apple started testing its new map data in Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The new data was released on December 15, 2022, alongside Israel, Palestinian Territories, and Saudi Arabia.[12]
Overall in 2022, Apple began collecting imagery in Greece, Denmark, Mexico, and Thailand.
On January 23, 2023, Apple began testing its new map data in Austria, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. On March 2, 2023, the new maps were launched in Finland, Norway, and Sweden.[13] On March 10, 2023, Apple began testing its new map data in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia.[14] The new maps were released on April 6, 2023.[15] On April 17, 2023, Apple began surveying the United Arab Emirates. On May 2, 2023, Apple began testing its new map in Hong Kong, Slovakia, and Taiwan.[16]
As of March 2023, Look Around covers roughly 56 areas, including parts of the United Kingdom (which includes the overseas territory of Gibraltar), Ireland, Canada, Japan, Andorra, Spain (including the Balearic and Canary Islands), Portugal, Italy (including Sardinia and Sicily), San Marino, Australia, Germany, Singapore, France, New Zealand, the United States, Israel, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.
Refine Location[edit]
In iOS 14, Apple released a new feature called Refine Location in Apple Maps: if the app cannot otherwise get precise location information, it prompts the user to scan the surrounding area. This uses Look Around data to improve the accuracy of the current location.[17] As of May 2021, The following areas have received the Refine Location feature:
AR Walking Directions[edit]
In iOS 15, Apple released a feature called AR Walking Directions in Apple Maps, where the user scans the surrounding area and will show directions. Much like Refine Location, this feature makes use of the surrounding area and improves the accuracy of directions. As of December 2022, The following areas have received AR Walking Directions:
| Country | Location |
|---|---|
 Andorra |
Andorra |
 Australia |
Melbourne, Sydney |
 Belgium |
Brussels |
 Canada |
Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver |
 France |
Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris |
 Germany |
Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich |
 Israel |
Tel Aviv |
 Italy |
Turin |
 Japan |
Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Shizuoka, Takamatsu, Tokyo, Yokohama |
 Liechtenstein |
Liechtenstein |
 Luxembourg |
Luxembourg City |
 Netherlands |
Amsterdam, Rotterdam |
 New Zealand |
Auckland, Wellington |
 San Marino |
City of San Marino |
 Singapore |
Singapore |
 Spain |
Barcelona |
 Switzerland |
Basel, Geneva, Zürich |
 United Kingdom |
Edinburgh, London |
 United States |
Anchorage, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Oahu, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, San Juan, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. |
Timeline of introductions[edit]
| # | Release date | Major locations added |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19, 2019[20] | Las Vegas, Oahu, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz
|
| 2 | September 30, 2019[21] | Los Angeles, New York City
|
| 3 | November 18, 2019 | Houston
|
| 4 | February 19, 2020[22] | Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
|
| 5 | April 20, 2020[23] | Chicago
|
| 6 | June 29, 2020[24] | Seattle
|
| 7 | August 4, 2020[25] | Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo
|
| 8 | October 1, 2020[26] | Edinburgh, London Dublin
|
| 9 | October 7, 2020[27] | Phoenix
|
| 10 | December 4, 2020 | Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu
|
| 11 | December 10, 2020[28] | Southern Canada
|
| 12 | December 16, 2020[29] | Denver, Detroit, Miami
|
| 13 | February 3, 2021[30] | San Diego, Portland
|
| 14 | May 12, 2021[31] | Atlanta
|
| 15 | May 17, 2021[31] | Kanazawa, Sendai
|
| 16 | June 7, 2021[5] | Spain Continental Portugal Gibraltar
|
| 17 | September 10, 2021[6] | Italy San Marino
|
| 18 | October 29, 2021 | Andorra
|
| 19 | December 9, 2021[7] | Australia
|
| 20 | April 21, 2022[8] | Munich Singapore
|
| 21 | May 18, 2022 | Frankfurt, Stuttgart
|
| 22 | May 27, 2022[32] | Niigata, Sapporo, Shizuoka
|
| 23 | June 16, 2022 | Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Essen
|
| 24 | June 30, 2022 | Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig
|
| 25 | July 7, 2022[9] | Metropolitan France New Zealand
|
| 26 | July 25, 2022[11] | Rest of Germany
|
| 27 | December 15, 2022[12] | Belgium Israel Liechtenstein Luxembourg Netherlands Switzerland
|
| 28 | March 2, 2023[13] |  Mainland Finland Norway Sweden
|
| 29 | April 7, 2023[15] |  Croatia Czechia Hungary Poland Slovenia
|
| 30 | May 20, 2023 | Himeji, Kitakyushu, Okayama
|
Coverage[edit]
Future coverage[edit]
According to the company, Apple's vehicles and pedestrians have visited, or are scheduled to visit, the following countries and territories:[33]
Note: While the new map covers Austria, Hong Kong, Monaco, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Taiwan and Vatican City, these countries lack the Look Around feature.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "iOS 13 Preview - Features". Apple. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Panzarino, Matthew (June 29, 2018). "Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ Dillet, Romain (27 May 2019). "Apple starts collecting data for Apple Maps in Canada". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ Keane, Sean. "WWDC 2020: Apple adds cycling directions to Maps for iOS 14". C-Net. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ a b McShan, Frank. "Redesigned Apple Maps Expanding to Spain and Portugal Today, Italy and Australia Later This Year". MacRumors. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Hardwick, Tim. "Revamped Apple Maps Rolls Out Across Italy". MacRumors. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Espósito, Filipe (10 December 2021). "Apple Maps expands detailed coverage, Look Around, and other features to Australia". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Hardwick, Tim. "Redesigned Apple Maps Expands to Germany and Singapore". MacRumors. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Fathi, Sami. "Apple Expands Revamped Apple Maps Experience to New Countries". MacRumors. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ Fathi, Sami. "Apple Maps Gaining Support for Multi-Stop Routing in iOS 16 and Expanding New Maps to 11 More Countries". MacRumors. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ a b ""Look Around" in Apple Karten in ganz Deutschland verfügbar". iPhone-Ticker.de (in German). 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Rossignol, Joe. "Apple Maps Redesign Expands to Netherlands and Six More Countries". MacRumors. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b Gallagher, William. "Apple Maps brings Look Around to Finland, Norway, and Sweden". AppleInsider. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Miller, Chance (12 March 2023). "Apple testing rebuilt Apple Maps in six new Central Europe countries". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ a b Hardwick, Tim. "Apple Maps Redesign Expands to Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia". MacRumors. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Clover, Juli. "Apple Maps Redesign Now Rolling Out in Taiwan". MacRumors. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Dillet, Romain (2020-06-25). "Apple Maps to tell you to refine location by scanning the skyline". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ^ "iOS Feature Availability". Apple. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "iOS and iPadOS - Feature Availability". Apple. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ "IOS 13 REVIEW: JOIN THE DARK SIDE". The Verge. September 19, 2019.
- ^ Lee, Tyler; PDT, on 10/01/2019 02:49. "Apple's Answer To Google's Street View Is Now Live In New York City, Los Angeles". Ubergizmo. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "Apple Maps' Look Around feature works in three more U.S. Cities".
- ^ Slivka, Eric. "Apple Maps 'Look Around' Feature Expands to Chicago". MacRumors. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Voorhees, John. "Apple Adds Look Around for Seattle, Washington in Maps". MacStories. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ Clover, Juli. "Apple Maps Gains Look Around in Some Japanese Cities". Mac Rumors. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Neely, Amber. "UK, Ireland get Apple Maps Look Around, cycling directions". Apple Insider. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ Clover, Juli. "Apple Maps 'Look Around' Feature Now Available in Phoenix, Arizona". MacRumors. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Apple Maps rolls out update for Canada packed with new features". AppleInsider. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "Apple Maps Look Around Feature Expands to Denver, Detroit, Miami and More". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ Clover, Juli. "Apple Maps 'Look Around' Feature Now Available in San Diego and Portland". MacRumors. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ a b Clover, Juli. "Apple Maps 'Look Around' Feature Expands to Atlanta, Georgia". MacRumors. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Warwick, Stephen (27 May 2022). "Apple Maps Japan receives cycling directions, Look Around expansions". iMore. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ "Apple: Apple Maps vehicles". Retrieved 2 November 2015.
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