Apple is enhancing the user experience with Apple Maps with the release of iOS 26, refining its incident reporting system to better resemble features long available on Waze. Since iOS 14.5 in 2021, Apple Maps users on iPhone and CarPlay have been able to flag limited hazards such as accidents, speed traps, and generic issues. With iOS 26, the functionality is expanding to six categories, adding roadworks, road closures, and traffic while retaining the general hazard option. This update aims to make Apple Maps more competitive by providing drivers with timely, user-generated information about conditions on the road.
Users can now categorize the incident reports on Apple Maps in the iOS 26
Incident reporting has been a key differentiator for Waze, which built its popularity on real-time, community-powered alerts. This approach requires a massive active user base, since accuracy relies on frequent reporting of hazards. While competitors like Google Maps have adopted Waze-like features, including importing Waze data directly into their platform, Apple Maps has struggled to replicate similar success. Its limited adoption outside the United States is a major barrier, compounded by outdated or incomplete map data in many regions.
Although Apple is making incremental progress, Apple Maps adoption remains low globally, especially compared to Google Maps and Waze. The slow rollout of its detailed city experience (DCE) has left many international users frustrated. Without real-time data from a broad user community, the effectiveness of incident reporting remains limited. This contrasts with Waze, which continues to thrive largely because of its active crowdsourcing model.
The challenge for Apple lies not only in expanding features, but also in convincing users to switch from established alternatives. Apple has yet to share its long-term plans for accelerating DCE and expanding coverage, leaving uncertainty about how the app will scale up its traffic reporting capabilities.
Beyond the expanded reporting system, iOS 26 introduces additional features to Apple Maps. These include a history of visited places and automatic suggestions for preferred routes to commonly visited destinations, further aligning Apple Maps with features already available on Google Maps.
The update is available with iOS 26, already available for iPhone 11 and newer models, leaving older devices without access to the expanded incident reporting system.
Overall, while not groundbreaking, Apple’s continued investment in incident reporting signals an effort to make Apple Maps a more reliable navigation tool, though it still faces an uphill battle against its more established rivals.