Apple Updates Maps, Wallet Ahead of the Paris Olympics
New features make it easier to get around the city with nothing but your iPhone.
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Apple Maps will now show detailed landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.
Apple shared a handful of updates to Maps and Wallet ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris, including real-time transit information and detailed landmarks, to make getting around the city more seamless.
Starting this week, Apple Maps will now show real-time updates for the Paris Metro, RER, Paris tramway, RATP buses and more. Riders will see detailed transit schedules, live departure and arrival times, as well as system connections to make getting around more painless. Real-time transit information is also available in dozens of cities like New York City; Berlin; and Sydney, Australia.
See also: Apple Is Bringing Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, Music Haptics to the iPhone
In that same vein, people can now add a Navigo card to Apple Wallet to buy transit passes and get around Paris. They'll no longer need to stop by vending machines or reload their Navigo card. Instead, they can buy passes from the Île-de-France Mobilités iOS app or Apple Wallet, then tap their iPhone or Apple Watch and ride.
Apple Maps also has more detail across everything from road markings to trees to public transit routes. There are also new custom-designed 3D landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Arc De Triomphe. In addition, all Olympic venues in Paris get colorful 3D renderings.
The Summer Games also calls for several event pop-ups, like temporary arenas and shops, which will also show up in Maps. And starting in July, Maps will display special icons for all venues, pop-ups and temporary arenas.
For anyone headed to Paris this summer (or anywhere else, really), other Apple features across Maps and Wallet could come in handy. Look Around, for instance, lets you virtually check out a location via 3D street-level imagery (similar to Google's Street View). Offline Maps lets you navigate even without an internet connection (also similar to a feature from Google). And you can load boarding passes in Apple Wallet to easily access them during your trip (which you can also do in Google Wallet).
The Paris Summer Olympics takes place from July 26 to Aug. 11.
