Following the release of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple announced that cycling directions would be made available within Apple Maps. The functionality officially began rolling out in April of this year, but it was not available across the entire country and was limited to certain regions. Thanks to an interactive map provided by Justin O’Beirne, we now know those iPhone users can now use cycling directions in all 50 U.S. states, with Hawaii being the final piece to the puzzle that was added.
There are a couple of different ways to view cycling directions in Apple Maps on iPhone. The first, and arguably easiest, way to do so is to just say “Hey Siri, give me cycling directions home.” From there, just tap your destination and begin following the directions. However, if you aren’t keen on using Hey Siri functionality, you can manually view cycling directions in Apple Maps:
Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone or iPad.
Search for a location that you want to travel to.
Select the location once you’ve found it.
Tap the Directions button.
Tap the button that says Drive.
From the pop-up menu, tap Cycle.
Tap the green GO button next to the route that you want to take.
Depending on your destination and current location, you might be presented with several different options. Just select the one that you feel most comfortable with, and tap the green GO button next to it.
Set Cycling As Default Mode
By default, Apple Maps uses Driving Directions on your iPhone. But if you’re someone who primarily rides a bike to work, or just doesn’t drive, you can actually change the default mode within Apple Maps.
Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone.
In the bottom menu, tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
Tap Preferences.
Under the Directions section, tap Cycling.
Going forward, any time that you use Apple Maps to find directions, you’ll be presented with the correct form of transportation. Of course, you can always tap within the pop-up menu to see results for other modes of transportation, but Cycling will remain the default.
Avoid Hills Or Busy Roads
Apple Maps has really come a long way since the first release of the app. Gone are the days when you would be taken the wrong way down a one-way road, or just wouldn’t be able to find proper directions to a location. Apple’s implementation of cycling for Apple Maps also brings the ability to avoid things like hills or busy roads while traveling. Here’s how to enable those toggles:
Open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone.
In the bottom menu, tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
Tap Preferences.
Under the Cycling section, tap the toggles next to Avoid Hills and Avoid Busy Roads.
Tap the X button in the top right corner to save your changes.
It’s also important to note that depending on your location and the destination, it might be impossible to provide proper directions that avoid hills and busy roads. In which case, you’ll be notified as such when trying to search for and view cycling directions in Apple Maps.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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