Apple Maps inches closer to Google Maps, rolls out ‘Nearby’ feature in India

Apple seems to have expanded its ‘Nearby’ feature to all those who are using the company’s Apple Maps app in India. There’s no public announcement but a mere mention of it in the ‘Nearby’ feature page for Maps in the ‘iOS and ipadOS feature availability’ website. The inclusion of this feature essentially means that Apple Maps users will now be able to see nearby grocery shops, food delivery locations, petrol pumps, ATMs and more, a feature that has been there in Google Maps since years. The introduction of this feature in India also brings the app somewhere close to Google Maps, however, the latter is far more feature-rich at this point.

To see nearby malls, medical shops, petrol pumps and more, users would simply have to tap on the search field and search for locations that are operational around you.

This expansion comes in addition to Apple making its ‘Real-time transit’ available to several more countries.The list of new countries include Canada, England, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden and Wales along with some areas in Australia, China, and the United States.

Also read: BOE fails to deliver iPhone 12 OLED shipments: Report

As for the ‘Nearby’ feature, besides India it has been expanded to 30 more countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Macau, Mexico, Montserrat, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Turn-by-turn navigation, which is already available in India, has also reached to Aland Islands, Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Greece, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Palestinian Territories, St. Barth, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands and Uruguay.