Apple iOS 14 Maps Guide
How to use Apple iOS 14 Maps Guide (Photo: CardMapr on Unsplash)

The new iOS 14 Apple Maps Guides can help you find your way through dense locations in any large city in the United States.

The iOS 14 update brought along several new apps and dozens of improvements to existing apps on your iPhone, including the Apple Maps Guides. In the past iOS version, users often get frustrated with Apple Maps due to its difficulty in plotting out multiple areas that users want to visit. An enhancement to the app called Collections resolved the issue by allowing users to create a grouped list of favorites.

Now, Apple's iOS 14 updates further improved the app through Guides, an enhancement that replaced Collections. It helps you curate a list of the best places to go in a particular place. Whether you wanted to go to the best bookstores in town or a travel blog's recommendations for the 10 best restaurants you should visit, Apple Maps Guides can help you get there.

When you visit a location in Apple Maps, particularly those found in large US cities, you can swipe up your iOS 14 device for a list of curated Guides. For instance, Apple Maps Guides curated lists from travel websites may feature recommendations for visitors to see, restaurants to go to, and many more.

It is also possible to create your own Apple Maps Guides, although it is not always clear how to begin or to add places to your curated list and what to do afterward with the Guide you created on your iOS 14 device. To find and use a curated Apple Maps Guide, open Apple Maps and look for a popular area, such as a big US city. On the panel that shows up, scroll down and tap on any of the two or three listed Guides. You can also tap on See More to show other options. Then choose from the long list of Apple Maps Guides available.

  When you tap on a curated list, Apple Maps will show you several highlighted spots around a location. These pins will display icons of what the Guide topic is all about, like ice cream or coffee shops. To use the Apple Maps Guides curated list on your iOS 14 device, scroll down to read everything it contains or you can tap the icon to get directions on how to go to that particular place. In many US cities, there is a Look Around option under the Directions button that you can use to familiarize yourself with the surroundings on the ground.

To get out of the Apple Maps Guides curated lists on your iOS 14 device, tap the "X" found at the top right corner of the main image of the Guide. Remember though that the "X" may come in a color that blends it with the background. Tapping it also closes the entire guide section and brings you back to the regular map. In case that happens, swipe down to see the recently listed locations and tap on any of those to go back to the Guides.