Apple Maps launches on the web

Apple Maps is finally available on the web. Through a beta that
launched on Wednesday afternoon, you can now get driving and walking
directions as well as view ratings and reviews from the web version of
Apple Maps in a desktop or mobile browser.

Apple Maps is available through the beta.maps.apple.com site. You can
do most of what you can do in the iOS version of the app, including
view guides, order food directly from Maps, explore cities, and get
information about businesses. Apple says it’s going to launch
additional features, like Look Around, in the coming months.

The web-based version of Apple Maps is only available in English for
now and is compatible with Safari and Chrome on Mac and iPad, along
with Chrome and Edge on Windows PCs. Apple plans on rolling out support
for other languages, browsers, and platforms in the future. Apple notes
that all developers using its MapKit JS tool can link out to Maps on
the web.

Since the launch of Apple Maps on the iPhone in 2012, Apple has been
gradually adding new features to the service, including detailed city
maps, multi-stop routing, cycling directions, EV routing, and offline
navigation.

Previously, versions of Apple Maps were available on the web through
the work of developers, who used the API to create maps for sites like
DuckDuckGo. Its official availability on the web is a big expansion and
could help the app compete with Google, which has been available from
web browsers for years.

But other open-source alternatives are aiming to take on Google Maps
and Apple Maps as well. On Wednesday, the Overture Maps Foundation,
which is backed by Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, made its first mapping
dataset publicly available, allowing developers to freely use the
information in their apps.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/24/24205449/apple-maps-web-beta