Top 3 Key Points:
- Apple Maps is gearing up to expand its “Look Around” feature beyond major cities.
- The update will cover more U.S. areas and introduce new countries like China and Turkey.
- The expansion aligns with recent sightings of Apple’s mapping vehicles.
Apple is planning a major expansion of its “Look Around” feature in the Maps app, aiming to challenge Google’s Street View more directly. The “Look Around” feature provides users with high-resolution, street-level views, but until now, its availability has been limited mostly to large cities and select regions worldwide.
A recent discovery by a user named Ryan Fae on X (formerly Twitter) and shared with MacRumors has revealed that Apple Maps’ vector tile format in the beta version of its web-based platform includes details about future Look Around coverage areas. This data, hidden within the app’s code, suggests that Apple has ambitious plans to broaden the reach of this feature.
In the United States, the expansion will extend Look Around beyond major urban areas, reaching highways, smaller cities, and even rural regions. Additionally, the update hints at the introduction of Look Around in several new countries, such as Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, China, Belarus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Slovakia.
This move aligns with recent sightings of Apple mapping vehicles in 2023, and for many of these regions, it will be the first time they have access to high-quality street-level imagery, particularly in areas where Google Street View has limited or low-quality coverage.
This expansion underscores Apple’s commitment to improving its Maps app and competing more effectively in the global mapping landscape.
