Apple Maps was first announced with the release of iOS 6 in 2012. Over the past decade, Apple has been updating its product to improve the user experience. However, until recently, the Apple Maps app was only available on Apple devices running iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
Yesterday, Apple announced the public beta version of Apple Maps on the web (Apple Maps on the web), allowing them to be used by anyone with access from a modern web browser, including Edge and Chrome (Firefox is not currently supported).
Apple Maps on the web is currently only available in English, and will work in Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad. Yes, it won't work on iPhone.
Apple Maps will be available from Chrome and Edge on Windows computers (not Linux) and will support additional languages, browsers and platforms in the future.
On supported devices, Apple Maps will let users get driving and walking directions, search for places and information, including photos, ratings and reviews, and browse Guides to discover places to eat, shop and explore. Features like Look Around will be available from the coming months.
This expansion of Apple Maps online marks an important step for the company, making its navigation services more accessible to a wider audience and offering increased support for developers who want to add the new service to their applications.
Although it's currently in beta with limited features and compatibility, the future looks promising with planned improvements and expanded platform support across more browsers.
This move could (?) challenge the dominance of Google Maps.
