A screenshot of the brand new Surveyor app on an iPhone 15.
Apple seems to be increasing its pool of companion corporations supplying information for Apple Maps, because it has now launched an app particularly for corporations to contribute up to date data.
Simply because it did with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional Demo Match app — releasing it within the App Retailer however virtually hiding it, Apple now has one other new app. This one is known as Surveyor, and whereas it’s obtainable within the US App Retailer, it doesn’t look like meant for public use.
Moderately than the GPS monitoring, a number of cameras and LiDAR scanning that Apple’s fleet of Apple Maps vehicles use, Surveyor is meant to seize photos of road indicators. Whereas members of the general public can already ship sure updates to Apple Maps, this seems to be extra about getting the corporate in depth data with out its personal vehicles having to repeat routes.
As first noticed by MacRumors, the Surveyor app itself initially seems to do nothing however give the person a button known as “Open Accomplice App.” Whereas the phrasing recommend that there may very well be a number of companion apps, at current selecting the choice solely opens one known as Premise.
This app is a part of a service that rewards customers for endeavor sure duties, usually comparable to finishing surveys. Given the shortage of promotion within the App Retailer and the paucity of element in Apple’s Surveyor app itself, it appears almost certainly that the app is meant for use by workers of as-yet unknown corporations.
Nevertheless, based on code inside Surveyor, it seems that whoever makes use of the app will probably be instructed to mount their iPhone and drive whereas utilizing Apple’s app. It is going to then document and relay particulars together with road indicators.
Individually, it has just lately been rumored as soon as extra that Apple is contemplating including search advertisements to Apple Maps. This might imply corporations with the ability to pay to function extra prominently in Apple Maps search outcomes.
