When Apple released firmware 1.1.3 for the first-generation iPhone, it added a major new feature: location awareness. The phone can now tell to within a few hundred feet, where it — and you — are located.
One of the major benefits of this feature is that the iPhone can now be used to give you driving directions, a bit like a GPS. Here’s how to use the phone to figure out where you are and how to get where you’re going.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 1-3 Minutes
Here's How:
- First, you’ll need to find out where you are. Do this by tapping the target in the lower right-hand corner of the Maps widget. It will turn blue and show a progress wheel, then display a target over a map of your location.
- For a more accurate reading, or to get directions from where you are, drop a pin. Do this by tapping the eye icon on the bottom right. When the page “peels” up, tap the “drop pin” box. You’ll see a pin drop on your location. The location is not exact, but it’s close enough for walking or driving directions in almost every case.
- If you tap the arrow above the pin, you can get directions either to or from the location of the pin. After you tap the arrow, you’ll be offered the chance to get directions to or from the location, bookmark the location (a great shortcut for directions from home or work), or remove the pin.
- If you choose directions, your next screen will allow you to enter the other location that’s part of your trip. You can type this in using the onscreen keyboard or tap the address book icon on the right to choose one of your contacts.
- When this is done, tap the “route” button in the bottom right corner to get your turn-by-turn directions.
Once the route has been mapped, tap the “start” button in the top-right corner to begin your trip. Each time you’ve made one of the suggested turns, tap the forward arrow in the top right to get your next direction.
You can also view your directions in other formats.
