Our algorithm now adds more labels in more places to make every view clear. Labels can’t just look good. They also need to react instantly to every pinch and rotation. Performance optimizations will make our maps feel faster and more responsive. All of these rendering improvements will be available later this week in Mapbox Mobile.
before and after
We’re working hard to find the best balance between label appearance, smoothness and performance for mobile maps. Label placement is hard. Both point and line labels, styled with many different properties, need to be placed instantly at any zoom and any rotation.
Our approach places labels in three dimensions with zoom as the third dimension. By placing labels for many fractional zoom levels at the same time we reduce the number of labels that pop in and out with each interaction. Minimizing these distracting changes makes zooming smoother and more continuous.
before and after
Take some first steps with Mapbox GL for iOS or follow our open development on Github.