updates to mapkit

Here are the main MapKit updates covered in the WWDC sessions:

WWDC 2025: Go further with MapKit

This is the newest session in the context and has the latest updates.

Finding places

• Place Descriptor: a new way to find and reference places, even when you don’t already have a place identifier.
• Place identifiers remain valid over time and can be persisted/shared.
• MapKit geocoding has moved from Core Location to MapKit:
  • CLGeocoder is being deprecated
  • CLPlacemark is being soft deprecated
• MK Address Representations give more flexible ways to display addresses, such as:
  • full address
  • short address
  • city with context
  • full address without region

Displaying places

• Place cards can show rich, up-to-date place info.
• Place cards in MapKit JS now include a universal link to Apple Maps:
  • opens in Maps if installed
  • otherwise opens maps.apple.com

Getting around

• Cycling directions are now supported in MapKit and MapKit JS.
• Look Around is now available in MapKit JS.
• Directions on watchOS are now supported, with over 20 MapKit APIs available on Apple Watch.

WWDC 2024: Unlock the power of places with MapKit

This session introduced a number of the place-focused features that the 2025 session builds on.

• Place IDs for referencing places
• Place cards / place detail APIs for showing rich place information
• Improvements to search APIs
• MapKit JS embeds for quickly adding maps to websites
• Better search filtering and region-based search behavior

Summary

The biggest recent MapKit updates are:

• Place Descriptor
• MapKit geocoding
• More flexible address representations
• Cycling directions
• Look Around in MapKit JS
• WatchOS support for directions and other APIs
• Improved Apple Maps linking and place cards

If you want, I can also give you a “what’s new by year” breakdown for MapKit.