Since Apple Intelligence was introduced in 2024, we’ve solely seen the rollout of some fundamental options, together with Writing Instruments and Genmoji, whereas extra superior options, reminiscent of the brand new Siri with deeper integration with apps, have been delayed with no clear schedule. Nonetheless, Apple has been working to broaden help for Apple Intelligence, and Apple Maps will be the subsequent app to realize some AI options.
Following the discharge of the first beta of iOS 26.2 on Tuesday, Macworld discovered proof of Apple’s plans to carry its AI instruments to Apple Maps. Extra particularly, the corporate goals to make looking out inside Maps extra pure and correct.
The replace reveals a brand new framework known as “MapsIntelligence,” which was already referenced in iOS 26.1. However code added with iOS 26.2 reveals a bit extra about what Apple has been planning and what we are able to anticipate from this AI integration.
Sensible Maps could also be on the way in which
Basically, Apple seems to be laying the groundwork for making the search expertise within the Maps app a lot smarter by means of a brand new “SearchPersonalization” bundle, which is deeply built-in with AI fashions. The corporate has been utilizing AI internally within the Maps app to allow issues like sooner autocomplete in search, higher instructions, and overview summaries for companies.
The AI fashions appear to investigate totally different facets to offer smarter outcomes, reminiscent of consumer location, real-time site visitors, and particular particulars a couple of enterprise, reminiscent of present menus. These AI fashions are additionally anticipated to combine with Siri and Highlight, in order that customers can discover locations on the map utilizing pure language of their search.
Apple added a characteristic in iOS 26 to see just lately visited locations, however Apple Intelligence may improve the expertise much more.
Apple
Apparently, the bundle additionally incorporates references to “Gemini,” which might be a touch at Apple exploring different massive language mannequin choices past its personal to energy Apple Intelligence. It’s additionally been reported that Apple has partnered with Google to “lean on” Gemini within the new Siri coming subsequent yr.
The characteristic appears to be fairly early in improvement, as code snippets reveal an inside system that checks and scores totally different machine studying fashions so engineers can determine which ML mannequin performs finest. This doubtless signifies that Apple engineers are nonetheless deciding what works finest for this characteristic.
As soon as carried out, smarter search within the Maps app ought to make it a lot simpler to discover the maps and discover new locations to go.
Apparently, the code additionally references a “Spatial Lookup” characteristic. The time period “Spatial” in Apple’s code often refers to Imaginative and prescient Professional, so maybe the corporate can be engaged on a extra immersive Maps app for its headset. At the moment, visionOS makes use of the iPad model of Apple Maps with none immersive options.
iOS 26.2 is predicted to be launched to the general public by the top of the yr.