Apple Maps has a few tricks up its sleeve that you might not have realized, including the ability to show detailed traffic info with incident reports and construction data. We show you how to access it in just a few easy steps.
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How to get traffic info using Apple Maps [iOS 101]

Aug 19th 2013 by

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Apple Maps didn’t exactly receive the warmest reception at launch, but the service is slowly improving over time (and it looks to get even better in iOS 7). Though at first glance it might not seem as full-featured as Google Maps, which had quite the head start, you can still access a trove of helpful travel information

One such gem is traffic data, which Apple not only serves in terms of congestion, but also with icons indicating the source of potential backups, such as roadwork. Accessing traffic data is actually quite simple, even if it isn’t at the forefront of the app. Here’s how to do it:

Make sure you have enabled traffic in settings

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In order to access traffic information, you must first make sure the feature is enabled under the settings menu. Tap Privacy, then tap Location Services. Scroll to the bottom and tap System Services, then find the item labeled Traffic and toggle it on.

Zoom in on the roads you wish to get traffic info for

Traffic data will only be served at a certain level of zoom, so there is no point in trying to see it while looking at a bird’s eye view of the United States. The specifics of relevant traffic icons, like any other sort of icon on Apple Maps, will only become clear when taking a closer look.

Tap the page curl in the lower right hand corner (iOS 6) or the info icon (iOS 7)

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For iOS 6 users, finding the traffic toggle isn’t exactly obvious. It’s tucked away behind the skeuomoprhic page curl in the lower right-hand corner of the app. iOS 7 does away with such “real world” accents in favor of a more straightforward approach. Look for the info button (a circle with an ‘i’ in it). It’s still located in the lower right-hand corner.

Simply tap the page curl or info button to access a menu with more Maps options.

Enable traffic info

Look for “Show Traffic” in the menu that opened behind the page curl or info button, and tap to enable. Returning the map screen you should now see a colored overlay on roads experiencing traffic congestion. [Pro tip: Red = congestion]

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To get more updates on traffic issues, look for icons indicating road work or other snarls and tap for more info, including specifics on construction, etc..

And that’s pretty much it. Get instant feedback on traffic conditions and plan your travels accordingly. Super easy!

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