Maps on iPhone - questions...

[DaveWT]

Having used a couple of supurb Garmin GPS units for years, and a slightly less than suburb built in GPS system in our Mazda 3, I decided to give Apple's Maps app a try on my fairly recent iPhone SE. (iOS 10). It raised a number of questions.

1. Leaving our neighbourhood, it tried to get me to turn left onto the Pat Bay highway at intersections where left turns are not allowed. I believe I can send Apple feedback so they improve their map data but is that done via the app or should I just used the normal Apple web site method?

2. On the way into town following the route set before we set off, we decided to make a side trip to another location first. We drove a block west off Blanchard and then 2 blocks south before it even detected this change and said "relocating...". Is such a delay in detecting a route variation normal for Apple Maps? (Our Mazda GPS detects such a deviation from the planned route in about 100 feet.)

3. At a second stop where my wife went into a shop and I sat in the car after going off route again, it sat for maybe 5 minutes saying "relocating..." before just giving up and assuming I had made its previously suggested turn and was back on route. Unacceptable.
Another 5 minutes or so went by and then it changed its mind, asked me to make a U-turn (on Douglas Street no less) and go back to where it had wanted me to turn before. All this rather than suggesting a proper corrected route. Has anyone else seen such behaviour?

4. Finally I cancelled the route, and tried to restart it from the present location. It said "locating..." but never proceeded farther like it wasn't getting a signal. Of course there was no wifi where I was, but I had cellular data available, and the GPS circuitry to work with.
Is this normal or usual?

 

[tfindlay]

I have found the Google Maps app to be very reliable. You might want to give it a try.

 

[DaveWT]

Thanks Terry, but I would like to master Apple's Maps.

I had another chance to try it today and found it more responsive. I am wondering if my previous issues had to do with poor satellite reception. I know tree cover and tall buildings can block their signals, and I am thinking about the places where I encountered problems yesterday.

 

[chas_m]

Are you absolutely certain you were actually using Apple Maps and not Google Maps or some other program? I've never ever heard it say "relocating ..." under any circumstances. We're the directions given in the familiar Siri voice?

Assuming it was Apple Maps, it sounds like the cellular radio and/or GPS radio "lost signal" at some point. I've seen this happen IF the phone's settings allow for it to join any open network it detects as one drives along. The iPhone prefers Wi-Fi for computations when available, so it's best to turn off that "join any available network" function. Perhaps that was the problem (just a theory, though).

 

[DaveWT]

Yes, absolutely certain I was in Apple's Maps.

And the "Relocating..." message was not spoken by Siri (if I recall) but written at the top of the screen.

I will try to think to do a screen grab if I see it again, and make good note of where and when to see if it is an environmental factor that brings it on (heavy tree cover, tall building "canyon" etc.)