Among the many Apple Maps updates confirmed in iOS 14, it appears that Cupertino is adding internal notes and photos for points of interest. Currently, when someone taps a pin in Maps, they receive a review from a third-party platform such as Foursquare, Yelp, or TripAdvisor; Click here to read the review and you will be directed to download the partner app. However, that may change with the upcoming release of iOS 14, which is currently in developer beta.
Twitter user @BeauGiles alerted 9To5Mac about the redesign, now in beta 6. I was just looking at a random location on Apple Maps and I noticed a new ‘Rate & Add Photo’ button at the bottom, he wrote. From there I can now recommend/add photos of places (e.g. cafes and other landmarks).
Using built-in machine learning, the app can recognize when someone has visited a place a certain number of times and then give them a chance to rate it, 9To5Mac reports. The new user interface allows people to recommend (or not) points of interest with a thumbs up or down, and rate store products and services separately.
Beau’s tweet didn’t garner much attention (it was retweeted twice at press time). But one person curiously answered, suggesting that the original rating system “might be enough to get me back to using Apple Maps by default.” Apple launched iOS 14 in June, promising simpler app organization, a more personalized messaging platform, and a variety of additions to maps, from cycling and EV route information to traffic jams and area data.
Apple last year with iOS 14 introduced a new classification and photosystem for points of interest in Apple Maps, which was developed entirely by the company without relying on third-party services. These features are now available for US users.
Apple Maps has always relied on third-party platforms such as Foursquare, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to display reviews of places on the map. While this has the benefit of having thousands of reviews from this partner database, users will have to download another app to submit their reviews.
With the release of iOS 14 in 2020, Apple introduced its own ranking solution in the Apple Maps app. However, the company surprisingly started testing it in a few countries in Europe and then expanded to other countries in Asia and Latin America.
Apple’s POI classification system on Apple Maps is finally available in the United States, according to MacRumors. Apple uses a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” system for these reviews, asking users if they would recommend its place, products, and services.
Apple also offers the option to upload a photo of the store location, which will appear alongside reviews from Yelp or other platforms. Unfortunately, there is still no way to write text reviews using Apple’s new system. To access Apple Maps’ new rating system, users must have a device running iOS 14 or later.
As these new features continue to evolve, it’s not hard to imagine Apple considering leaving its partners in the future to keep its scoring solution in the Apple Map’s app. A list of countries that already support Apple’s rating system in Apple Maps is available on the company’s website.
Apple Maps has expanded its ratings and photo features to Canada, meaning users can now rate their favorite restaurants, cafes, and more. When you open Apple Maps on iOS 14, a new “Intro to Notes and Photos” home screen appears.
Apple says you can now “enhance maps” because you can “rate places you visit and share photos to help others.” The feature also takes advantage of Siri suggestions, as Apple states: “Maps uses the device’s location history and photo library to suggest posts.”
This native ranking feature means Apple Maps no longer relies on third-party services like Yelp for POI ratings. Yelp reviews are generally terrible and outdated.
When searching for a point of interest, you’ll now see an option to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. For the new Grey’s Cafe (Toast Cafe owners have returned) in Sydney, BC. For example, scoring categories include General, Food and Beverage, Customer Service, and Ambience. You can upload photos if you wish and once the review is complete, points of interest will be displayed with a “Recommended by you” tag.
