Google today announced new updates that are coming to the Google Maps app designed for the iPhone. The most notable new feature is dark mode, which Google Maps app users have long been wanting. Dark mode is an alternative to light mode and allows for a darker user interface to match other dark mode apps on iOS devices.
According to Google, dark mode is going to be rolling out "in the coming weeks," and once available to you, it can be enabled in the Settings section of Google Maps. Google says that dark mode in Google Maps will save battery and "give eyes a break."
Apple first introduced the Dark Mode feature with iOS 13, but it has taken Google some time to bring support to its apps. Google earlier this year began rolling out a true dark mode feature to Android users, and the iOS version of dark mode for Google Maps looks similar to the Android version.
Along with dark mode, Google today announced the launch of new Messages integration. With this feature, Google Maps users can share their real-time location with friends in an iMessage using the Google Maps button in the Messages app. Location is shared for one hour by default, but there is an option to extend access by up to three days or stop access at any time.
Google's blog post also highlights the recently introduced widgets feature, which allows iPhone users to add a Google Maps widget to the Home Screen or the Today View. Widgets can be used to check traffic conditions or find nearby places.
The Google Maps app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development.
Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag.
Timing
Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
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While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false.
The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
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AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence.
Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476
The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick.
"We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote.
If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by Juli Clover
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices.
With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
Why is Google always the last to adopt anything on the iOS platform? Out of spite or do they really just have two or three people working on this who don't have the time to implement these things?
I haven’t used Google Maps in years! Apple Maps got way better, occasionally I’d run into a problem, try it on Google Maps and it was EXACTLY the same. Finally let go of Google altogether, haven’t looked back.
I’d like to install Google Maps again, but even after iOS 14.5 and the privacy oriented features, like asking not to track me, I still wonder if Google Maps, even without logging in, is a safe option. In the past, Google syncronized all my activity from Safari, GMaps and YouTube, they did know it was me all the time. And I just want to use GMaps anonymously, without Google tracking me across all their apps and websites.
Maps and YouTube are from the same developer which means they're allowed to setup shared storage on your device and in iCloud, and google surely uses that to store a unique identifier. So there's nothing you can do to stop them being linked.
For safari, they do that by setting a cookie and comparing it with your IP address. Once you use a google service in safari from a few different IP addresses, and also use maps or youtube in those locations, they correlate the data and uniquely identify you from then on. Safari will block this technique on iOS 15 if iCloud Private Relay is enabled.
I’d like to install Google Maps again, but even after iOS 14.5 and the privacy oriented features, like asking not to track me, I still wonder if Google Maps, even without logging in, is a safe option. In the past, Google syncronized all my activity from Safari, GMaps and YouTube, they did know it was me all the time. And I just want to use GMaps anonymously, without Google tracking me across all their apps and websites.
