A few days ago we informed you that Apple Maps was receiving small modifications remotely. In the search bar of the application itself, preference was given to the most important supermarkets and establishments in this public health crisis over other categories. However, Apple has wanted to go further and has launched a tool to see the changes in the mobility of the inhabitants of each country, based on search logs from your own mapping application. Thanks to this tool we can see the effect of confinement measures in each country based on searches on Apple Maps.
Spaniards reduce their mobility by around 90%
This data is generated by counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions in selected countries / regions and cities. The data that is sent from users' devices to the Maps service is associated with random rotating identifiers, so Apple does not have a profile of their movements and searches. Data availability in a particular country / region or city is subject to a number of factors, including minimum thresholds for address requests made per day.
The mechanism of the new Apple platform is simple and has been baptized under the name of mobility trend reports. Thanks to these reports we are able to see the mobility trends of each of the more than 60 countries indexed on the platform. This helps us to quickly observe how have been the effects of the different measures taken by the governments of each country. The movements have been differentiated on foot, by car or by public transport.
The data is collected counting the aggregate number of searches on Apple Maps. But Apple has already confirmed that this data is not connected to any Apple ID. Nor is there a record of the places that each user has visited. In addition, they have ensured that each search request is related to a random identifier to avoid privacy problems.
The tool is free and you can consult the independent graphs of each country from the Apple's official website. In the case of Spain, the measures taken by the Government have meant that mobility with respect to walking and going by public transport has decreased by 90%. However, driving with your own car has been reduced by 81%.