Apple Maps will now show COVID-19 testing sites in all 50 states and Puerto Rico (via TechCrunch). When you search using terms like “COVID-19 test” or “coronavirus test,” places that offer COVID-19 tests will be marked on your map. If you start typing COVID-19 into the search bar, you’ll also see the “COVID-19 Testing” search term appear at the top of your search bar, like what you’d see if you started typing something like “groceries” or “coffee shops.”
Apple’s information cards for the testing sites include the site’s hours, address, and phone number, as well as a warning that “COVID-19 testing may require a doctor’s referral and an appointment at the testing center” and a link to the website of the healthcare provider offering the test.
The new testing sites in Apple Maps follow Apple launching a web portal last week to let hospitals and healthcare providers submit their information to be shown on Apple Maps, which was spotted by 9to5Mac.
Google began listing COVID-19 test centers in search results for much of the US on April 17th, and as part of those results, you can see testing centers near you displayed on a map except if you live in Maine, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, or Pennsylvania. But it appears the search company doesn’t show nearly as many test centers when you search for them directly in Google Maps as Apple does on Apple Maps.
Apple’s app shows a number of test centers in Arizona, for example, while searching for a test center on Google Maps for the state doesn’t show a testing center there. However, if you do a Google search for COVID-19 testing in Arizona, Google will surface a map with some test centers in the state. Google tells The Verge that it’s working to bring testing center information to Google Maps in addition to search results.
Apple has also made some updates to its mobility trends site, including adding more cities such as Las Vegas, New Orleans, Portland, Salt Lake City, and San Diego.
Apple and Google have also teamed up on a coronavirus tracking system that will be built into iOS and Android.
Update April 28th, 9:08PM ET: Clarified that Google does show testing centers in maps in search results, but does not show as many centers when searching for them in Google Maps.
Correction: We stated in the latest update to this story that Google search results for COVID-19 testing in New York City surfaces testing centers in the city on a map. It does not. We regret the error. We have changed the example used in this story to Arizona to provide a more accurate comparison of data shown across Apple Maps, Google Maps, and the map surfaced in Google search results.
