How do I inspect the map and change driving preferences?
Tap a route map to inspect the outing, and use Home’s Settings to choose Avoid highways or Avoid tolls. Apple’s available routes and advisories determine what can be shown or avoided.
In this article
Explore the route map
- Tap the route-map preview on Home or in route details.
- Pan, pinch to zoom, or rotate the expanded map. Tap 3D to tilt it or 2D to flatten it. Their accessibility labels are Tilt map and Flatten map.
- Tap Fit route to frame the route again.
- Use Traffic to show or hide current Apple traffic.
- Use the control labeled Close map to return.
Traffic starts on in the expanded map. It shows current traffic, not a forecast for a later outing. The compact map preview has no matching Traffic toggle.
Choose driving preferences
- On Home, open Settings.
- Under Route planning, enable Avoid highways and/or Avoid tolls. Both start off.
- Read the preference notice in route details.
- For an active route, use Update Driving Times to refresh estimates, or Re-optimize Remaining Stops if you want to reconsider stop order.
The preferences apply to new calculations, optimization, map geometry, along-route search, and ordinary Apple Maps handoff. They can add driving time. Maps may also apply its own driving settings; replacing active Maps guidance uses Maps’ settings.
Read road notices and avoidance exceptions
Apple road advisories appear beside relevant remaining legs and the active destination, including a separate finish leg. They are informational and do not form a complete road-closure database.
Avoidance is a preference, not a guarantee of exclusion. Read messages such as Includes tolls despite Avoid Tolls. or Includes highways despite Avoid Highways. A missing advisory when road details have not loaded does not establish that there are no restrictions.
If pins appear without roads or live location
Pins can appear before road lines. Wait while Drawing route… is shown. A stops-only preview is also possible before calculation. If road details fail, use Retry road details when offered; the itinerary may remain usable.
For very large routes, only the first 24 legs are drawn and the app explains that all stops remain listed. The return leg uses the same route color. A live location marker appears only with a valid current tracking fix; the saved starting point is not a live marker.