Dr Denise M Robinson

Drop Pins and Navigate with Maps: iPhone and VoiceOver Skills for the Blind

Written by

Dr Denise

in

Tech Lessons & Stories

navigation with drop a Pin
Drop Pins and Navigate with Apple Maps

Goal:

  • Mark and label the location
  • Walk to the bus stop or another destination
  • Drop a second pin
  • Create a reusable walking route
  • Reuse that same route when returning home

VoiceOver + Siri Navigation Workflow: Drop Pins, Mark Locations, Save Routes, Reuse Them

PART 1 — Drop a Pin at Home (Using Siri or VoiceOver)

Option A: Using Siri

  1. Say: “Hey Siri, drop a pin.”
  2. Siri will place a pin at your exact GPS location.
  3. Say: “Hey Siri, mark my location as Home.”
    • This saves it permanently in Maps.

Option B: Using VoiceOver

  1. Open Maps.
  2. Touch the screen until you hear “Current Location.”
  3. One‑finger double‑tap to select it.
  4. Swipe right until you hear “More” or “Actions available.”
  5. Use the Actions Rotor → choose “Drop Pin.”
  6. Double‑tap to confirm.
  7. Swipe to “Add to Favorites” → double‑tap.
  8. Type or dictate: “Home.”

PART 2 — Walk to the Bus Stop and Drop a Pin There

  1. Walk to the bus stop.
  2. Once standing at the exact spot, say:
    “Hey Siri, drop a pin.”
  3. Or use the VoiceOver method again:
    • Current Location → Actions Rotor → Drop Pin.
  4. Add it to Favorites and label it “Bus Stop.”

PART 3 — Create a Walking Route Between Home and Bus Stop

From Home to Bus Stop

  1. Open Maps.
  2. In Favorites, choose “Bus Stop.”
  3. Swipe to “Directions.”
  4. Choose “Walking.”
  5. Double‑tap “Go.”
  6. Maps now has a reusable route from Home → Bus Stop.

Save the Route

Apple Maps doesn’t have a “Save Route” button, but you can save it by:

  • Keeping Home and Bus Stop in Favorites
  • Maps will always generate the same walking route between two saved points
  • You can also add both to a Guide (optional)

PART 4 — Reuse the Route When Returning Home After Getting Off the Bus

When you get off the bus:

Option A: Siri

Say:
“Hey Siri, give me walking directions to Home.”

Option B: VoiceOver

  1. Open Maps.
  2. Go to Favorites.
  3. Select Home.
  4. Swipe to Directions → choose Walking → Go.

This automatically recreates the same route you used earlier.

Easy Summary Script

Here’s a simple version you can teach directly:

  1. At home: “Hey Siri, drop a pin. Mark this as Home.”
  2. Walk to bus stop: “Hey Siri, drop a pin. Mark this as Bus Stop.”
  3. To go to the bus stop: Open Maps → Favorites → Bus Stop → Directions → Walking → Go.
  4. To go home after the bus: “Hey Siri, walking directions to Home.”

Other iPhone Lessons

Accessibility by WAH