Explore Beijing and Explore Guangzhou have also been updated to version 7, they are now available on the App Store! Version 7 includes step-by-step routeplanning. Check out some screenshots from the latest versions, then download Explore Beijing or Explore Guangzhou today!

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Step-by-step routeplanning is coming soon for our other apps. Get in touch if you have feedback or suggestions on how to make the apps better!

Since we launched our apps for Android on Google Play they've been available free, in order to reach as many people as possible! To help support the costs of development, we included an ad banner at the bottom of the screen.

Lots of people sent us feedback to let us know they wouldn't mind paying a few dollars to remove the ads. So we've launched Explore Metro VIP for Android! It's really simple to use:

1. Update any existing ExploreMetro map map apps you have already downloaded from Google Play to the latest version, that's version 1.1

2. Visit http://exploremetro.com/vip or go to Help > Remove ads to download our VIP app. 3. Now you're a VIP!

One purchase means you can enjoy all seven of our metro maps ad-free (Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore) for one low price!

How do I become a VIP?

Download the app from Google Play at exploremetro.com/vip

Once I've installed the VIP app, what do I do?

Bask in your awesomeness. You can then download and install any of our Android apps, and the ad banner will be gone! Please leave the VIP app installed so we know you're a VIP!

I can't download the VIP app from Google Play?

The VIP app is a paid app, and Google restricts which countries are allowed to download paid apps. For example, the United States and Singapore are OK, but China doesn't currently allow paid apps.

I installed the app, but there are still ads?

Make sure you have version 1.1 installed of the metro map apps (Help>Version to check). If you uninstall the ExploreMetro VIP app, we won't be able to detect that you are a VIP. You'll need to download it again.

Explore Shanghai 7.0 is now available on the App Store! Version 7 includes step-by-step routeplanning. Check out some screenshots from the latest version, then download Explore Shanghai today!

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Step-by-step routeplanning is coming soon for our other apps. Get in touch if you have feedback or suggestions on how to make the apps better!

Shanghai Daily reports that the National Development and Reform Commission has approved funding for 25 new subway projects in China, including 5 in Shanghai:

Metro Line 11 will be extended from its Luoshan Road to Disneyland, a 9.15 kilometer stretch costing 4.37 billion yuan.

Metro Line 8 will go beyond its Shanghai Aerospace Museum stop to Huizhen Road with a 6.6 kilometer extension costing 2.24 billion yuan.

Metro Line 10 will be made 10 kilometers longer with a new route from New Jiangwan City to Gangchen Road at a cost of 5.94 billion yuan.

Metro Line 2 will extend 2 kilometers eastward, from Xujingdong to Panlong Road, with an investment of 1.35 billion yuan.

Metro Line 3 and Line 4, which currently share part of their route, will go their separate ways in a rerouting project which will involve 2.6 kilometers of track and cost 2.89 billion yuan.

Explore Singapore 7.0 is now available on the App Store! Version 7 includes routeplanning for the LRT for the first time. We've also added step-by-step routeplanning and sharing. Check out some screenshots from the latest version, then download Explore Singapore today!

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Step-by-step routeplanning is coming soon for our other apps. Get in touch if you have feedback or suggestions on how to make the apps better!

We've just pushed an update to our Explore Singapore map, which adds route-planning for the LRT (Light Rail Transit) system in Singapore. There are currently three LRT lines: Bukit Panjang LRT, Sengkang LRT and Punggol LRT. You can plan a route between two LRT stations, or from an MRT to an LRT station. The map will show the fastest route, and the total journey cost.

The updated routeplanner is now live on Explore Singapore online at exploresg.com and our Explore Singapore Android app (v1.0.5). An update for our Explore Singapore iPhone app will be available in the next couple of weeks.

We've been busy this summer preparing a new version of our awesome metro maps for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Version 7 will be available soon - but here's a sneak preview, as well as information on how to get the new version first by joining our beta-testing program.

Route-planning is a really useful part of our apps: in fact over 15,000 routes are planned every day using our iPhone apps! In the current version, the fastest route is shown directly on the map like this:

In version 7, we're adding written step-by-step directions, like this:

Every step of the way, you have clear instructions of which line to take, and which direction. What's more, you can easily share the route instructions, by email, SMS/iMessage, Twitter or copying to clipboard:

We even automatically shorten the route directions to fit more easily into an SMS message.

If you'd like to try out the new routeplanning features, sign up to our beta-testing program.

And there's more! Once iOS6 is launched later this year we'll be adding more great features, including:

• Point-to-point directions integrated into the built-in Maps app
• Sharing via Sina Weibo

We've switched over to make the new beta metro maps the default version when you visit one of our sites in a modern browser. If you're using Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8 you'll be automatically redirected to the old Flash version. And don't worry, our Flash maps are not going away - you can switch back to the old version at any time by choosing "don't use beta".

Thanks for everyone who submitted feedback for the beta versions, we plan to actively develop the new versions of the maps to make them even better! If you have any suggestions, get in touch via our support site.

For each of our online metro maps, we provide an accompanying "Metropedia" with a webpage for every metro station and metro line (for example People's Square in Shanghai, Kowloon in Hong Kong). We've just designed all the Metropedia pages to match the style of our new beta metro maps. Highlights of the new pages include:

• New stylish header with a snapshot photo of the location
• Fast facts including the name of the station in multiple languages and audio pronounciation
• Location map from Google Maps
• Tips contributed by the users of our iPhone apps
• Photos from the area around each station
• Nearby places from Wikipedia and Skimbl
• Works well on phones and tablets as well as desktop browsers

Check out the Metropedia homepages for for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei, and do let us know if you have any suggestions on how to improve the Metropedia pages!

Sample page:

Sample page on iPhone:

We've just launched some more incremental improvements to our beta metro maps for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei

• By popular demand, you can now drag between two stations to plan a route (this is how route-planning works in the classic version). You can also use the new method of clicking on the first station, choosing "Plan route" and clicking on the second station.
• It's also now quicker to plan a new route after planning your first route - no need to dismiss the route-planning bar
• Finally, we've improved the caching of the map tiles, so the map should load much faster on repeat visits

We'll continue to work on fixing bugs and making improvements in the beta version until they surpass the classic versions :) If you spot any errors, or have any feedback on how to improve the beta versions, do let me know in the comments, or via our support page.