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beneficial Apple Maps functions for the iOS 26 update that can enhance the overall navigation experience. Preferred routes allow the iPhone to understand your favored paths to a destination, instead of the standard recommendation. Visited Places enables Apple Maps to recall the locations you’ve visited, facilitating quick access to the information. This feature requires tracking your location and maintaining a location history for future reference. Preferred routes and Visited Places function only if the user activates both features and they are accessible in their region.
iPhone users concerned about Apple monitoring their location should be aware that they can disable Visited Places in Apple Maps anytime. Furthermore, they can erase any saved locations within the app. Apple addressed privacy issues during its WWDC event, clarifying that the Visited Places feature is optional, that location data can be cleared from the device, and that Visited Places is secured by end-to-end encryption, ensuring it remains inaccessible to anyone except the user. Not even Apple can access the Visited Places information stored on a device.
An Apple support resource also emphasizes the privacy component of Visited Places in Apple Maps. The company states that “Visited Places are secured with end-to-end encryption, cannot be accessed by Apple, and are visible on all your synced devices.” The same resource details how to enable and disable Visited Places, as well as how to retrieve and erase saved location data.
Apple indicates that Apple Maps may prompt you to enable Visited Places when launching the app in iOS 26. Otherwise, users might need to activate it manually. If you have not activated the feature on your iPhone, it may not be turned on.
