Apple has announced that Apple Maps is now available for web browsers. This will allow users to access the service on multiple platforms.

While it is nowhere nearly as good as Google Maps, Apple's navigation app has evolved into an impressive experience over the past few years. Head to https://beta.maps.apple.com/to get started. You don't need to sign in to your Apple account to use the website.

Use the options on the sidebar to search for a location. The map displays important places like Hospitals, Train Stations, Stores, Gas Stations, Pharmacies, Restaurants, etc. Interacting with a card on the map provides additional information such as hours, ratings, photos and reviews. The reviews are sourced from other services like Yelp, Zomato, etc. You can click on the phone number button on a card to call the place, or visit the website to learn more about it. Click on the Directions tab on the sidebar to get driving and walking directions from location A to B. It does not provide turn-by-turn guidance. And yes, you can zoom in using the mouse scroll-wheel, this is something that Apple Maps app on macOS does not support.

The announcement on the Cupertino company's website says that the web version of Apple Maps will help discover places using the Guides section, which highlights noteworthy places around you that you can visit. That is a pretty good start for a beta version. So, the only thing that users will miss on the web version is voice-guided navigation. But the Cupertino company says additional features, such as Look Around, will be available in the coming months. Developers can link to Maps on the web, to help provide driving directions and other details. These features are also available via the MapKit JS framework.

How to access Apple Maps on Firefox

Apple Maps is compatible with Safari and Google Chrome on Mac and iPad. The navigation service also supports Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on Windows PCs. Disappointingly, Apple Maps on the doesn't work with Firefox at the moment. An issue has already been filed on the WebCompat GitHub, so a proper solution could arrive in the future.

But, if you really need to access Apple Maps on Firefox right now, just install an add-on like User-Agent Switcher and Manager. Use the extension to set the browser agent to Chrome (or Safari), and it works like a charm. Or just use DuckDuckGo's Maps, which is powered by Apple Maps. Unsurprisingly, Apple Maps does not work with Android devices, even if you use a Chromium based browser. Then again, you can't even open it on Safari on iOS.

Apple Maps on the web is only available in English, but a support page says that it will be available for other languages soon. As for alternatives, you can access OpenStreetMap on any web browser. If you want similar privacy-friendly navigation apps for your phone, you can take a look at Organic Maps (iOS/Android), OSMand (iOS/Android/Web), or HERE WeGo (iOS/Android). All three apps offer turn-by-turn navigation, and offline maps that you can download, which can be helpful when you are not connected to the internet.

Do you use Apple Maps? Which is your favorite navigation service?