Apple's New iPhone Software Will Give You 3-D Guided Tours Of Famous Locations

Apple's new operating system for iPhones and iPads, iOS 8, might not be available to consumer until this fall, but developers with access to the beta have been busy dissecting it for any clues to future Apple features.

One such hidden feature is a new "Flyover City Tours" mode that works within the Maps app, giving users an aerial tour of city landmarks with a three-dimensional perspective.

MacRumors reports that the Flyover City Tours feature was discovered by developer Pierre Blasquez, who found a way to unlock the flyover mode nestled within the beta's code.

It looks like Apple is only testing the feature internally and with a select group of cities at the moment, including San Francisco, Rome, New York, Paris, Stockholm, Barcelona, Glasgow, Perth, Bordeaux, and Cape Town.

Flyover City Tours could make it into the official iOS 8 release, or Apple could choose to wait until the feature is more polished. There's also a chance it could scrap it entirely. This is proof, however, that Apple is at least testing the Maps addition.

Apple is actively trying to beef up its Maps app ever since it ditched Google Maps, and Flyover City Tours could prove to be a cool way to compete with Google and Google Earth.

You can check out what Flyover City Tour looks like visiting Paris below.