Apple Maps on the Web Gets First (Almost Insignificant) Update

Apple is increasingly committed to creating a more effective alternative to Google Maps and is working on several fronts to improve its offering.

Apple Maps has received several noteworthy updates in recent years, starting with the detailed city experience, which was announced in 2022 but is still slowly rolling out.

The latest major update is the release of Apple Maps on the web, which is Apple's first attempt to make its platform available outside of the Apple ecosystem. With this release, the mapping service goes live on non-Apple devices, as anyone with a PC, whether Windows or Mac, can access the maps.

Apple Maps on the web will launch with support exclusively for Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge (which is based on Chromium, Google Chrome’s engine, so Apple Maps technically only supports two browsers).

However, Apple is working to expand Apple Maps support on the web, and this week added Firefox to the list.

If you're a tech-savvy person, you've probably heard of Firefox. Often considered the only powerful alternative to the Chromium-based browser invasion (like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, and Opera), Firefox still holds a significant market share in the browser industry.

Apple allows Firefox users to access Apple Maps on the web on Windows, Mac, and iPad. Of course, while Firefox is also available on iPhone, Apple does not offer support for Apple Maps on the web because the service has a dedicated app on the smartphone.

This is the first update for Apple Maps on the web, and it's almost insignificant, not least because Firefox's market share isn't that great and users could still access the service by changing their user agent. In other words, no matter what browser you use, you should still be able to access Apple Maps on the web by changing your user agent, although official support means you're less likely to encounter bugs and other performance issues.

In the meantime, the service still lacks essential features, such as support for signing in with an Apple ID. While users can set up routes on the web, they can’t transfer the data to their smartphones or CarPlay because they can’t sign in with an Apple account. Apple will likely expand the feature set with more options, and I’m sure next month’s iPhone event will see the unveiling of a more significant update for the web.

Apple has yet to announce an Android version of Apple Maps, but I wouldn't be surprised if the company explored this space. Apple Maps needs more users, as keeping the app limited to the Apple ecosystem hampers its attempt to become a cross-platform alternative to Google Maps.