Using IOS 6 MAPS With Voiceover

By Charlie, 21 September, 2012

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
I have installed IOS6 on my iPhone 4S and everything is working well. I understand that the revised MAPS application has Turn By Turn directions and I understand too that Voiceover should be able to interact with it. I tried setting up a location to go to from my current location and tapped Start. Walking my route, I heard no directions. In the iPhone Settings, under MAPS, I ensured that Loud Volume was set. What am I doing wrong here? Could someone give me step by step instructions for setting up MAPS to work with Voiceover? When I check my screen, Voiceover is locating me correctly and giving me correct instructions on where to make the next turn, however, when out on the road, I thought that, on approaching a turning point, Voiceover would tell me what next to do. This does not happen. I noticed as well that, if I select either Driving Instructions or Walking Instructions within MAPS, the app proceeds to generate me a route, however, if I select the Public Transport option, it merely directs me to the App Store, where I can buy Navagon etc. Is this a bug? Why is this happening? For your information, I am in the United Kingdom.

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Comments

By sockhopsinger on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

I don't know about that, unfortunately, but you are not the only person having problems with the maps. A sighted friend of mine who also lives in Atlanta, like me, says that his maps application keeps showing him somewhere in Louisiana, I believe. Good luck with the turn by turn directions. I still haven't found a satisfactory GPS app for that.

By alex wallis on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

I believe that a lot of people have been having problems with IOS 6 and maps. I read several pages of posts where people complained about a range of things, such as bad graphics, cities that had clouds over views of them, missing details, businesses shown that were no longer in business. I have also read of maps showing people roots that it would be physically impossible to travel, and also many reports of people being shown wrong locations, in some cases wrong cities in there countries, but in others cities with the right name but in a different country. Needless to say it sounds like the maps app has a lot of issues, so it wouldn't surprise me if maps is the main focus of the next IOS update. Either way, based on what I have read, I certainly wouldn't want to try and trust it at the moment. Much as I guess Apple hates google, I just don't think there is any way they can catch up with them in a short time and provide the same quality of information as there maps did before. Just google ios6 maps and you will find a lot of dissatisfied posts from people.

By Karl on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

If you have the iPhone 4 or earlier, audible turn-by-turn directions are not available. From what I've heard, they only work on the iPhone 4s, 5, and the new iPad and iPod touch 5.

By Dave Nason on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
That is correct. Turn by turn, at least with voice directions, only works on devices that have Siri. Haven't really figured out maps yet. If anyone has please feel free to write a blog or do a podcast! :)

I concur with the other posts about the troubles with the maps application. According to what I have heard, The reviews of the app are not favorable at all. I was compelled to install my Other turn by turn application (MapQuest). a friend of mine also uses Motion GPS as his source. Hope this helps.

Is anyone aware that you can get guided voice directions with the yellow pages app? You ccccan also speak a location you are searching for without serie.

By Katrine on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

I have the exact same problem as described in this post, and like you I am running iPhone 4s. I can get the route, but I have no idea how you are supposed to turn on the spoken instructions. I have checked the settings and found nothing. I was hoping for an Applevis podcast on maps since it's the only thing that is giving me problems in this new release, but I guess if it doesn't work, you can't do a podcast. I just don't understand why Apple would release something like that.

By Robin Christopherson on Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:22

I must say that turn by turn instructions are spoken fine for me. I'm using a 4S and am in the UK. I ask Siri to take me to X (where X is an address or a POI or 'Home' etc) and up comes the maps app and I just start walking without pressing a single other button. For info I haven't changed any of the default settings. From memory you should hear 'Proceed North along Percy Rd', for example, and then 'In 20 yards turn right onto Peel Rd' etc. I didn't turn VoiceOver off and I didn't have focus on any specific screen item (although if you have focus on the yards counting down then it actually echoes those as they count down). On the topic of the maps app, I have been playing with the map views and really like the way you can track along roads with your finger by keeping to the lowest bump, bump tone (when it goes to a higher pitch bump, bump sound you are straying off, and when it goes dink, dink which is the usual sound when you are roaming the screen without hitting any objects, then you know you've strayed right off the road). It even tells you when you are approaching intersections and which road is coming up etc. Also doing a three finger single tap on the screen gives you the current street you are tracking and even the house number nearest to where your finger was at that point. Also the rota now has settings for zoom level (it announces 10X, 11X, 12 X etc as you flick up and down and even the streets that are now visible at each new zoom level) and also a new setting for POIs so you can switch your focus between all POIs that are currently visible on-screen. Lastly you can scroll the map up/down or left/right with a three finger swipe in the opposite direction to the direction of scroll. I hope someone does a podcast on exactly how to use the maps app to the full as I feel I'm still feeling my way with it. First impressions, however, are that it is a significant advance on the original maps app (notwithstanding all the issues with the maps data). Thanks, Robin.

I went out for a walk today and tried out the Maps app, but I could not get turn by turn directions to work either. It did have my location and gave me the list of directions correctly though.