Longtime Apple Maps Bug in Australia Erroneously Lists Businesses in Residential Areas - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Longtime Apple Maps Bug in Australia Erroneously Lists Businesses in Residential Areas

There's a curious bug in the Apple Maps app that's affecting Australians, which appears to be caused by a bad data set. Multiple complaints on Twitter suggest that ‌Apple Maps‌ is listing certain businesses incorrectly, directing Australians to residential areas rather than the actual business location.

apple maps hospital error

An erroneous hospital listing located near Twitter user Russell Ivanovic

‌Apple Maps‌ appears to be pulling in data from where business owners live, rather than where their businesses are located.


There are a long list of complaints on Twitter about the errors that Australians have experienced, with restaurants, hospitals, pharmacies, and more listed in the wrong place.


Twitter users John Cleary and Russell Ivanovic suggest that Apple has imported an Australian business database that lists the places that businesses are registered to, which is typically the business owner's home address.


The long list of Twitter complaints suggest that this problem has existed in Australia for quite some time, and at least one person confirmed that he had a business listed as located at his home address.

Some of the Twitter users have reported the errors, but Apple has yet to address the problem for Australians who are being misdirected.


Apple has had issues with the ‌Apple Maps‌ app in the past, but has worked hard to introduce improvements through acquisitions and its own mapping efforts with map vehicles. ‌Apple Maps‌ has gained multiple new features over the years like the street-level Look Around feature, but there are clearly still issues that need to be fixed.

Popular Stories

iOS App Store General Feature Black

Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:41 pm PDT by
Australia's Federal Court today ordered Apple to allow competing app stores, direct app downloads, and alternative payment services for Australian users from March 1, 2027. The orders follow the court's August 2025 finding that Apple misused its market power by restricting app distribution and payment options. They cover users whose Apple Account region is Australia, with Apple Developer...
fortnite apple logo 2

Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling

Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:55 pm PDT by
Fortnite will return to Australia's App Store today, Epic Games told Reuters, after a federal court ordered Apple to allow eligible Epic apps back onto the store. Australia was the only country excluded when Fortnite returned to the App Store worldwide in May. Epic held off while seeking further court orders addressing Apple's payment terms. The requirement to process Epic's compliant...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products Today

Thursday November 5, 2026 12:59 am PST by
Apple is launching five new products on Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from today: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...

Top Rated Comments

GeoStructural Avatar
73 months ago
Privacy focused company discloses business owner’s home addresses.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago
It has serious privacy & safety implications. I’m a doctor and I have to have a ‘company’ but it’s just me in it... and it has no physical address nor any direct public interaction. It is a requirement for a business to have an address though (not a PO Box) so everyone uses their home address.

This has always been public domain data but it required someone knowing your actual business name and searching for it online. With Apple Maps using this data, people can simply bump into it scrolling on the map. If your business name isn’t cryptic, then everyone will know WHO lives in that house. Great for thieves to work out if a house is worth burgling...

I complained to Apple when I first saw this YEARS ago and they deleted my company name on Apple Maps immediately - so they WILL act, but I think it’s better if they didn’t use that dataset in the first place as it's not helpful.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago
Folks, I just finished talking to a Senior Advisor and they assured me that this is most certainly not a problem, because if it was, they would have heard about it long before any customer noticed, because Apple support talks to millions of Apple Maps users an hour. The Senior Advisor assured me they were taking ownership of this case and would work to find a resolution that satisfies both of us. The first step in troubleshooting is to erase the MapOS and set it up as new. Now, the important thing is that you DON'T erase your entire device, just the MapOS. To do this, you need to go to Settings and then Maps. You'll scroll to the bottom and click the "Erase MapOS." Once you click "Erase MapsOS," it will ask you to confirm and once you click "Ok," it will begin the erasure. Once it is erased, it will download a fresh copy of MapsOS from Apple's servers.

If you don't see the "Erase MapOS" option, there is no further troubleshooting Apple can provide. Instead, the issue will need to be RTA'd to Engineering. To do that, you will need to download Capture Data onto your iOS device, run the data capture, with Mail Logging enabled of course, and submit the logs to Apple. Because Capture Data is a Mac app, you will not be able to run Capture Data on your iOS device. Instead, the Senior Advisor will submit the RTA to Engineering and Engineering will reply within 48 hours, to ask for screenshots of the bug. Engineering will provide no support if you don't cooperate with providing screenshots. Once you provide screenshots, Engineering will again reply in 48 hours, to determine if you are using Apple Maps or a third-party map app. Once you confirm that you are using Apple Maps, they will issue Apple's Official Position on the matter: No further support will be provided because you need to keep your device up to date.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macyourdayy Avatar
73 months ago
Finally an explanation why our suburbs are littered with small businesses that shouldn’t be there. What a dumb ass cock up. It’s been like this since 2012.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago

i add the fact macos maps APP still dont allows to navigate from a manually selected point on the map to another. but who cares! shareholders dont use gps. they have a chauffeur!
Yes it does. On the iPad, drop a pin on the map and press Directions. In the direction details window, by default “my location“ is selected as the starting point. Click on it to change the route. Next, choose your desired starting point on the map. It will appear in the list underneath the start and stop points. Select it to set it as your start point (Or first press the up down button to swap them and set the end point).

You have now directions from and to manually selected points on the map.

(On the iPhone, it seems you need to enter the address of at least the start or destination as the map is covered by the direction details pop-up window.)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago
POI and businesses are definitely the weakest spot of Apple Maps. Also in Europe. Many missing businesses, outdated info, no opening hours, wrong locations, etc.

We also have businesses popping up in residential areas, but I don’t think it’s as widespread as in Australia.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
10 hours ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
10 hours ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
17 hours ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
1 day ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
1 day ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
1 day ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
1 day ago
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
2 days ago
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
2 days ago
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
2 days ago
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
2 days ago
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
2 days ago
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
2 days ago
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
2 days ago
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
2 days ago
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
2 days ago
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
2 days ago
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
2 days ago
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
2 days ago
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
2 days ago
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
2 days ago
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
2 days ago
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
2 days ago
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
3 days ago
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
3 days ago
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
3 days ago
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
3 days ago
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
3 days ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
3 days ago