Apple Maps could be getting a new custom route feature when iOS 18 ships, report says

If you're an Apple Maps user on the iPhone you might be about to get a whole new feature for choosing the route that you take when using driving directions, according to a new report. It's said that Apple is working on a new custom route feature and that Apple Maps users will be able to choose different routes rather than the one that Apple picks out.

Users are not currently allowed to change anything to do with the route that they take and are instead left to follow the route that Apple Maps chooses for them. However, that could all change later this year with MacRumors noting that code reviewed by the website suggests the change is coming when iOS 18 arrives.

While Google Maps does offer a similar feature to edit the route chosen for drivers, that feature is only available via the Google Maps website and has not yet made its way to the iPhone app.

The iOS 18 update is expected to be announced at the WWDC 2024 event on June 10 before entering a developer beta period that will run for months. The update is then expected to be released to the public in September, likely alongside the arrival of the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models. That same September window is when we expect Apple to announce the new Apple Watch Series X and newly refreshed Apple Watch Ultra, too.

Alongside the iOS 18 update we also expect Apple to announce new software for the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vison Pro during WWDC.