Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors.

apple maps 3d feature
‌Apple Maps‌ does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in ‌iOS 18‌. Apple has pushed an ‌iOS 18‌ file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed by the file except for the name, it does mention that this upcoming feature will be limited to the United States at launch.

Custom routes would allow users to set what specific roads they want to travel down, whether for scenic purposes or for the familiarity of a route. Route options beyond the default have been a highly requested ‌Apple Maps‌ feature for several years now, and other services like Google Maps allow users to create custom routes on a computer and then view them on an iOS device.

‌iOS 18‌ will be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 10. For more details about the update, check out our iOS 18 roundup.

(Thanks, Nicolás!)

Related Roundup: iOS 18

Top Rated Comments

coachgq Avatar
8 weeks ago

Another Apple app that has failed to gain any traction despite years of work and investment. It lags so far behind Google Maps it is embarrassing!

Add it to the ever growing bonfire of failures…. Fire is roaring now!
How does it lag behind? I put an address in and it tells me how to get there. Is there stuff I’m missing out on?
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
8 weeks ago
I wanna switch to Apple Maps so bad but I just can't stand the Yelp integration ?

Also: FIRST!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
8 weeks ago

Another Apple app that has failed to gain any traction despite years of work and investment. It lags so far behind Google Maps it is embarrassing!

Add it to the ever growing bonfire of failures…. Fire is roaring now!
This was true up until like 5 years ago. Now, even people on Android forums complain about how Google Maps has fallen behind.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
8 weeks ago
I’ve always wanted a feature since Sat Nav existed that would allow you to record a route. Many times I’ve had someone tell me they know a better route and they either guide me or I follow their car. Would be great if you could record the journey and then reference it as the preferred route for future journeys.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eric5h5 Avatar
8 weeks ago
Yeah, the only way Apple maps lags behind is not having street view in most areas. But where it does exist, it's much smoother and nicer than Google's. Otherwise, the idea of "lags so far behind it's embarrassing" is just...er...how to say..."special". Or mindless trolling.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iObama Avatar
8 weeks ago

Street view? Can’t just use Apple Maps have to keep another app around.
Look Around was launched a while ago (iOS 13, as a matter of fact! lol). Definitely not as pervasive as Street View yet, but I use it quite frequently in the Bay Area.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

General Apps Messages

iMessage Down for Some Users [Update: Service Restored]

Thursday May 16, 2024 3:00 pm PDT by
The iMessage service that Apple users to send messages to one another appears to be down for some users, and messages are failing to go out or are taking an extra long time to send. There are numerous reports about the issue on social networks and a spike of outage reports on Down Detector, but Apple's System Status page is not yet reporting an outage. Update: Apple's status page says...
iOS 17

Troubling iOS 17.5 Bug Reportedly Resurfacing Old Deleted Photos

Wednesday May 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
There are concerning reports on Reddit that Apple's latest iOS 17.5 update has introduced a bug that causes old photos that were deleted – in some cases years ago – to reappear in users' photo libraries. After updating their iPhone, one user said they were shocked to find old NSFW photos that they deleted in 2021 suddenly showing up in photos marked as recently uploaded to iCloud. Other...
iphone 15 pro max vs iphone 16 pro max

iPhone 16 Pro Max Looks This Much Bigger Beside iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday May 16, 2024 4:51 am PDT by
This year's upcoming iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to get a boost in overall size from 6.7-inches to 6.9-inches, and a new image gives us a good idea of how the current iPhone 15 Pro Max compares to what could be Apple's largest ever iPhone. The image above, posted on X by ZONEofTECH, shows a dummy model representing the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max alongside an actual iPhone 15 Pro Max. Dummy...
iOS 17

iOS 17.5 Bug May Also Resurface Deleted Photos on Wiped, Sold Devices

Friday May 17, 2024 12:24 pm PDT by
A bug in iOS 17.5 is apparently causing photos that have been deleted to reappear, and the issue seems to impact even iPhones and iPads that have been erased and sold off to other people. A Reddit user wiped an iPad following Apple's guidelines in September of 2023 before selling it off to a friend. That friend updated the iPad to iPadOS 17.5 this week, and began seeing the Reddit user's old ...
oled m4 ipad pro grainy display reports

OLED iPad Pro Users Report 'Grainy' Displays, But It May Not Be a Defect

Friday May 17, 2024 5:57 am PDT by
Some new M4 iPad Pro models are exhibiting a visible static grain pattern across the OLED display, according to several user reports on Reddit (1, 2, 3) and the MacRumors Forums. Image credit: MacRumors user bk215 Users who see the grain generally report that it is most noticeable in dark environments with the display set at a low to medium brightness while viewing content with gray or muted...
Delta Hands On Feature

iPhone Emulators on the App Store: Game Boy, N64, PS1, PSP, and More

Thursday May 16, 2024 12:45 pm PDT by
In April, Apple updated its guidelines to allow retro game emulators on the App Store, and several popular emulators have already been released. The emulators released so far allow iPhone users to play games released for older consoles from Nintendo, Sony, SEGA, Atari, and others. A list of some popular emulators available on the App Store so far follows. Released Delta Delta is...