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iOS 9 Maps to include public transport info for only 6 cities at launch, more to come
Following a report last week that Apple is preparing to debut its Transit feature for Maps in iOS 9 next month, details have emerged regarding the actual rollout of the service. Sources familiar with Apple’s plans for Maps have told 9to5Mac that the Transit feature will only cover six cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe and China at launch.
Transit info for these six cities in iOS 9
San Francisco and New York will make up the U.S. cities to gain public transport information on Maps in iOS 9 at launch while Toronto will be the only Canadian city to gain transit information for now. Three European cities will be included at launch, namely London, Berlin and Paris.
In China, Apple is relying on its partner AutoNavi to collect transit data in that country. According to the sources, Apple is prohibited by “pre-existing agreements” from collecting its own map data in China as it does in North America and Europe. The report is not clear on whether or not any Chinese cities will be included at the launch of the Transit feature or come at a later date.
More cities to come
In the U.S., Apple has pegged Boston, Massachusetts as the next city for which public transit info will be added to Maps.
Tokyo, Japan is also earmarked to gain Apple’s Transit feature, although the enormity and complexity of the city’s public transport system may delay its inclusion.
Notably, car-loving Los Angeles is not high on Apple’s priority list of cities to include, according to the sources.
Over-the-air Maps updates as more cities are added
As and when Apple adds public transport details for more cities to the Maps app for iOS, users will be able to update the app over-the-air. This, as noted by 9to5Mac, means there is no need for a full iOS update. Apple will reportedly also notify users via push notifications when public transport information becomes available in their home city.
Apple’s built-in Maps app for iOS has lacked public transit information ever since the iPhone maker dropped Google as its provider for map data in 2012.
Apple is set to introduce iOS 9 – with the Transit feature in Maps as one of the next-generation OS’s new features – at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference scheduled to start on June 8.
