While an Apple announcement does not make as many waves in the automotive community as it does in the tech community, there are a lot of people out there who have Macs, own iOS devices and drive cars. With the launch of Mavericks, the latest version of Mac OS X (and a free upgrade), Apple’s Maps app is now available on the desktop. With this desktop app and the updated Maps app in iOS 7, a person can now plan out a route on his or her computer, and send the directions to an iPhone or iPad for use in the car. Here is how to do it!
Upgrade or Purchase a New Mac with Mavericks
Obviously, purchasing a computer solely for this purpose might be a bit silly, but since Mavericks is a free update, anyone owning a Mac computer should take advantage of this upgrade.
Mavericks is the latest Mac OS X software release.
There is no point in re-inventing the wheel here. Josh Smith over at our sister publication, Gotta Be Mobile, has documented this process. Follow the steps on this page and the come back here when it is completed.
Plan a Route in Maps on the Mac
Launch the Maps app from either the dock or the Applications menu.
The Maps app in Mavericks, with a route planned out.
Click the Directions button at the top of the page, and a side panel opens allowing the user to type in both a start and ending destination. After completing that step, press enter to pull up the optional routes.
Optional locations to share the directions.
Click the icon with the arrow (also known as the Share button) to reveal a drop down menu of places where the directions can be shared. Select the iPhone configured with Find My iPhone that should receive the directions. That will send the route to the phone via push messaging.
Recall the Directions on the iPhone and Set Destination
The Maps notification immediately appears on the phone.
Wake up the iOS device, locate the Maps notification and swipe the notification to view inside the Maps app on the phone.
This should look familiar. It is the directions from the Mac.
The phone will then show the user a similar display to that on the computer, including the three available routes. From here, the user just needs to tap Start and the phone will start navigating to the destination.
Maps starting to navigate to the destination.
The phone is now guiding the user to the destination! This functionality is also available for Google Maps users and Android phones, and expect a how-to at some point in the future. Please remember to drive safely and use hands-free technologies to avoid distraction.