Since Apple Intelligence was announced in 2024, we’ve only seen the rollout of a few basic features, including writing tools and Genmoji, while more advanced features, such as the new Siri with deeper integration with apps, have been delayed without a clear timeline. Still, Apple is working to expand support for Apple Intelligence, and Apple Maps could be the next app to get some AI features.
Following the release of the first beta version of iOS 26.2 on Tuesday, Macworld has found evidence of Apple’s plans to integrate its AI tools with Apple Maps. Specifically, the company aims to make searching in Maps more natural and accurate.
The update reveals a new framework called “MapsIntelligence”, already referenced in iOS 26.1. But the code added with iOS 26.2 reveals a little more about what Apple has planned and what we can expect from this AI integration.
Smart maps could be on the way
Essentially, Apple appears to be laying the groundwork to make the search experience in the Maps app much smarter with a new “SearchPersonalization” pack, deeply integrated with AI models. The company uses AI internally in the Maps app to enable things like faster autocomplete in search, better directions, and review summaries for businesses.
AI models appear to analyze different aspects to provide smarter results, such as user location, real-time traffic, and specific details about a business, such as current menus. These AI models should also integrate with Siri and Spotlight, so users can find places on the map using natural language in their search.
Apple added a feature in iOS 26 to see recently visited places, but Apple Intelligence could improve the experience further.
Apple
Interestingly, the set also contains references to “Gemini,” which could indicate that Apple is exploring other extended language model options beyond its own to power Apple Intelligence. It has also been reported that Apple has partnered with Google to “build on” Gemini in the new Siri coming out next year.
The feature appears to be quite early in development, as code snippets reveal an internal system that tests and scores different machine learning models so engineers can decide which ML model performs best. This likely means that Apple engineers are still deciding what works best for this feature.
Once implemented, smarter search in the Maps app should make it much easier to explore maps and find new places to go.
Interestingly, the code also refers to a “Spatial Search” feature. The term “Spatial” in Apple’s code usually refers to Vision Pro, so perhaps the company is also working on a more immersive Maps app for its headset. Currently, visionOS uses the iPad version of Apple Maps without any immersive features.
iOS 26.2 is expected to be released to the public by the end of the year.
