iOS 26, the next main iPhone update, not only brings a liquid glass overhaul, but also new features for popular applications like Apple Maps. The application had big changes last year, but there are more to come soon. Here are the new Apple Maps features arriving in iOS 26.
Apple cards in iOS 26 have liquid glass and new intelligence on your daily activity
Apple Maps benefits from the new liquid glass design on the scale of the iOS 26 system. This means that the buttons and other user interface elements have been updated with a new look.
You will notice the new most design during the visualization of the lists of places, navigation on your guides and in other small touches.
Aside from the liquid glass, Apple’s largest objective in the cards this year is on two new features:
- Favorite routes
- Places visited
Favorite routes
Cards can now learn from your daily activity what roads you tend to take, for example, as part of your work trip or other regular routines.
By understanding your favorite routes, cards in iOS 26 can alert you proactively to the potential delays you may meet.
These notifications should ensure that you do not unexpectedly find your journey to work or another important meeting.
You will also be able to see key information on the route in the “suggestions” widget of cards, so that you can get an overview of what to expect directly from the home screen of your iPhone.
Places visited
Separately but somewhat linked, Visit Place is the new functionality of Maps which stores a recording of the places where you have been. Cards can automatically detect a restaurant or store you visit, and save them – without any required action on your part – in the application for future reference.
You can find your full story of places saved in the new “Visit” menu in your library.
Certainly, these two new features could arouse confidentiality problems.
Apple says The preferred road function is entirely fueled by “intelligence on devices”, so your journey habits remain on your iPhone. Likewise, the places visited are “protected by end -to -end encryption, are not accessible by Apple and can be easily removed with a simple sweep”.
iOS 26 is currently in beta test and will be available for all users this fall.
What do you think of the new features of Apple Maps in iOS 26? Let us know in the comments.
