Attention cycling enthusiasts: from today you can ‘finally’ create tailor-made cycling routes in the Netherlands in Apple’s Maps app. You could already choose a cycling route in the app, but in this version you can also immediately see the height difference on the route and where you will find sanitary stops and bicycle repair shops.
Just like Google Maps, Apple has also had a route app for years, Maps, with which you can plan routes for the car, public transport, bicycle or on foot. But now, after twelve years, there is good news for fans of Apple Maps: Apple has updated the app, allowing you to map out detailed cycling routes throughout the Netherlands. Something that was possible much earlier in other countries. According to Apple itself, it is ‘a solution in the cycling country of the Netherlands’.
This way, cyclists can plan routes that (as much as possible) use cycle paths, cycle lanes and cycle-friendly roads. Maps now also shows the altitude for a trip or the busyness of a road, so that you as a user can choose alternative routes to avoid busy roads and hills.
According to tech journalist Bastiaan Vroegop, it is not a groundbreaking innovation. “Apple is simply twelve years behind. It is useful for Apple users, but it is no more extensive than Google Maps. Apple’s routes were also not always correct, sometimes people were sent in the wrong direction. But that’s probably resolved now.”
With voice guidance
As you cycle, you will receive detailed and step-by-step cycling directions along your route. In addition, the voice guidance – available on both your iPhone and Apple Watch – offers the opportunity for cyclists to concentrate on the road, without having to constantly look at your screen.
There are also notifications that remind you to get off or walk a bit when you approach specific intersections. There are even more functions that are useful for cycling enthusiasts: along your cycling route you can see at a glance where there is a public toilet, a stop or a bicycle repair shop.
Since 2020, it has been possible to navigate with Maps while cycling in various countries, but the Netherlands was not yet one of them. That has now changed.
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Tags: Attention cycling enthusiasts Apple finally offers tailormade cycling routes Netherlands Tech
