The latest versions of the ExploreMetro apps for iOS add support for the iPhone X! We’ve taken the opportunity to give all the apps a fresh lick of paint and match the style of iOS 11 (the apps will still run on any devices running iOS 9 and higher).
Here’s a sneak peek of some of the updated screens for iPhone X!
Support for iPhone X will be included in version 15.0 of our iOS apps, which will be rolling out over the next few days!
I’m excited to announce that starting today, all our iPhone metro maps apps are free to download. Whether you need a metro map for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, or Taipei – both iPhone and Android apps can be downloaded free of charge. This is not a temporary promotion, all our apps are free, forever.
It’s been five years since I launched the first version of Explore Shanghai for iPhone, and a lot has changed in the app market. Most apps are now free to download, and people’s appetite for paid apps is declining. I’m still confident that the ExploreMetro apps are Asia’s best metro maps, and with your help they can be the most popular too!
If you download an app for the first time, you can use nearly all the features of the app for free, including search, route-planning and street maps. Certain features such as first/last train times, audio pronunciations of stations and offline street maps are now premium features. You can upgrade any app to VIP mode to get all premium features, and remove banner ads.
If you’ve ever downloaded a paid version of the app you are entitled to continue using all the premium features for free, forever. If you have any problems restoring your purchase, please contact us!
Tell your friends… tell the world… Asia’s best metro maps are now FREE!
The new Downtown Line in Singapore opens today! Rides on the new line are free until the end of the year. We’ve released updates to our online map at exploresg.com, as well as our Android app and iOS app. Go get it now!
We’ll be adding additional details, like first/last train times, and journey prices in an update soon.
It’s the ExploreMetro Christmas Sale! For the first time you can download any of our amazing iOS metro maps for just $0.99 each – that’s 50% off the usual price. The discounted price will be available until midnight on 31st December 2013. Planning a trip to any of our cities in mainland China? Grab a copy of Explore Shanghai, Explore Beijing and Explore Guangzhou. We also have apps for Explore Hong Kong, Explore Taipei, Explore Singapore and Explore Seoul.
All our maps come with lifetime free upgrades, for example this December we’ll be pushing out updates for Explore Shanghai with Line 12 and Line 16, and Explore Singapore with the new Downtown Line.
We’re pleased to announce that Explore Guangzhou Metro map is now available free on iPhone! Explore Guangzhou 9.0 includes an up to date metro map, route-planner with times and prices for journeys, integrated Apple/Google/Offline street maps and much more!
The app will now show occasional ads. If you’ve previously bought Explore Guangzhou you won’t see ads, and if you’re new to Explore Guangzhou you can try it out for free, or disable ads with a one-off payment of $0.99. We’ve written an FAQ about ads if you have any questions.
When Apple introduced iOS6 last year, the Google Maps on iPhones and iPads were replaced by Apple iOS Maps. There have been several well-documented issues with iOS Maps, as well as some China-specific issues which we’ve written about before.
The good news is that today we’re launching the latest version v9.0 of our Explore Shanghai Metro map, which now puts the choice back in your hands! Tap on a station, tap “Street” and then you’ll have a choice of three options:
It’s another little way we’re making our apps Asia’s best metro maps 🙂
We’ve just launched some great new updates for our Seoul Subway maps! Our Explore Seoul iOS app has been updated to version 9.0. It includes lots of great new updates like point-to-point directions and search for tips.
We’ve also added several new metro lines which have recently opened. The Suin Line connects Songdo and Oido, with connections to Seoul Metro Line 4 and Incheon Subway Line 1. There are also new extensions to the Bundang Line and Gyeongui Line.
You can also now view our Seoul Metro map on the web, at http://seoul.exploremetro.com/ – this includes many of the great features of our apps, like route-planning. You can also view the Seoul Subwaypedia, with pages for every station, for example check out the page for Euljiro 3(sam)-ga.
We’d love to hear your suggestions and improvements for Explore Seoul. Get in touch via our feedback portal!
The latest version of ExploreShanghai for iPhone and iPad is available now, and we’ve added a great new feature.
Previously, you could search for station names, now you can also search for tips! What’s great is that other Explore Shanghai users have already added over 1000 tips including points of interest, shops and restaurants. For example, want to know which metro stops are near the Bund? Just search “bund”:
Searching tips is available now for Explore Shanghai on iOS, and coming soon to our other apps!
We’re fast approaching the end of the year, and the Beijing Subway and Shanghai Metro are making final preparations for the new lines opening.
In Shanghai, Line 13 is undergoing testing, and three new stations on Line 9 should also open shortly, around December 28th. The Shanghai Metro company have announced that two stations (Daduhe Road and South Qilianshan Road) will not open in the initial phase of Line 13 however.
Meanwhile in Beijing, 4 new lines are getting ready: Line 6, plus extensions to Line 8, Line 9 and Line 10
. All are planned to open on the afternoon of December 30th. One caveat is that the interchange station between Line 1 and Line 9 at Military Museum is not open yet, so trains will not stop at this station on Line 9. Our maps will show Military Museum on Line 1 only for the time being.
We’ve just launched updates to our online interactive maps at ExploreShanghai.com and ExploreBJ.com to show you the latest lines. This includes station names in English and Chinese, and an updated route-planner. Do check out the Metropedia pages for the new construction like Cishousi and Songjiang South Railway Station.
Some information like first/last train times and prices for Shanghai are not yet available and will be added soon. If you see any missing information, please do contact us with links or data to fill in the gaps!
We’ve also updated our Android app for Beijing and Android app for Shanghai with the new lines. And iPhone users, we haven’t forgotten you! Due to the App Store approval process, it will take around 1-2 weeks to get the new versions of our iPhone apps approved. We hope to have them ready for you by early January!
We’re delighted to announce our new free app Taxi Crab which lets you rate and tag taxi drivers in Shanghai, China. It’s available today for iPhone and Android.
How to use the app
STEP 1 – Enter your taxi driver’s 6 digit code, which should be visible at the front of the taxi.
STEP 2 – give your taxi driver a rating out of five crabs, and add tags!
STEP 3 – see the results from other users, including average rating and popular tags. We’ll even tell you if you have driven with the same taxi driver before!
Available tags
ORDINARY ZHOU
Safely gets you from A to B
MR STINKY
Hold your nose, this driver smells
SPITTER
Extra points for distance
SCENIC ROUTE
Taking you the long way round
NEWBIE
Doesn’t know where anything is
ALL DRESSED UP
Uniform and white gloves
SCISSORHANDS
Those fingernails are scary
RACECAR DRIVER
Wants to be in Formula One
GRANDMA
Why is everyone overtaking?
CHATTERBOX
Can’t stop talking
KTV STAR
Can’t stop singing
CASANOVA
‘So, do you have a boyfriend?’
Taxi Crab is available now on the App Store (requires iOS6) and Google Play (requires Android 4).