- This spring with the release of iOS 14.5, iPhone users will be able to use Siri and Apple Maps to report road incidents at precise locations using their voice.
- The feature is currently rolling out to iOS beta users.
- It will work both in the Apple Maps app on the iPhone and with Apple CarPlay in a vehicle.
Coming this spring in iOS 14.5 and rolling out to beta users of iOS right now is a new feature in Apple Maps that allows drivers to tell Siri about road conditions without taking their hands or eyes off the road. Once the report has been logged, the information will be shared with other drivers along that same stretch of road. After an incident has been cleared, Siri can also be used to inform Apple Maps that it's no longer an issue.
The new feature will work in both the Apple Maps application on the phone and via CarPlay. Drivers can say "Hey Siri" and share incidents using any of the following phrases:
Report an accident / hazard / speed check / speed trap / incident
There's an accident / hazard / speed check / speed trap / incident
There’s a crash up ahead
There’s something on the road
There’s a speed trap here
Clear the accident / hazard / incident
The hazard is gone
The incident is no longer here
There's an accident that's still here
For users of the Waze navigation app, these types of alerts along their routes are old hat. What Apple is doing is integrating it directly into its own app so that the incidents can be shared via Siri without the need to interact with the application with anything beyond their voice.