Initially pronounced the best mobile mapping solution on the planet, the reimagined iOS 6 Maps has become a PR disaster for Apple, leading CEO Tim Cook to publicly apologize for the debacle. Google heard the frustrated cries of iOS users and, like a knight in shining armor, now comes riding back onto the iPhone with its own Google Maps app, a mere three months after being banished from the castle.
The free Google Maps isn’t exactly the same app iOS users have loved since its debut in 2007. This version has to be manually installed from the App Store, and because Apple saved its UI spit and polish for its own offering, this one has an entirely new look and feel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: Rather than simply port its cluttered Maps app from Android, Google has followed design cues from recent updates to its Gmail and Google Search apps for iOS. It takes a few moments to adjust to, but overall, the new UI works well and it’s a big step in the right direction (pun intended).
I still prefer the more classic Maps UI present in iOS 6, and despite problems with its map data, Apple’s offering actually feels like the more mature of the two. Content-wise, Google Maps looks largely the same as it always has – only the user interface has changed. Rather than tap on a familiar page curl to access map settings, Google gets a little swipe-crazy here. Traffic, public transit, and satellite views are tucked into a tray that slides from the right edge, accessible by tapping three tiny vertical dots or a less-than-intuitive two-finger swipe.
The biggest news is the inclusion of voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions – a feature sorely lacking in the original Apple-Google mashup. It works well and looks great, with a large green banner up top that users can swipe across to see upcoming turns while waiting at traffic lights. When arriving at the destination, a card slides up offering Street View (where available) and other details, which is a nice touch. However, we noticed a couple of quirks while using navigation with a SYNC-enabled Ford. Occasionally, voice prompts would completely pause music playing from our iPhone 5 instead of lowering the volume; the guidance would sometimes pause in mid-sentence, almost as if the female voice were trying to decide what to say next.
Google may be the gold standard of mobile map data, but it’s still not perfect: A trip to the nearby post office routed me to a location that’s been abandoned for almost a decade, instead of the bigger, swankier digs up the street. The app also found its way to the local Chase branch, but incorrectly claimed it was on the opposite side of the street. Not quite as dangerous as being lost in the Australian wilderness, but annoying nonetheless. Our biggest gripe is the app’s inability to look up addresses from the iOS address book, a task it also fails to perform with Google Contacts. Thankfully, signing in with a Google account at least remembers home and work addresses, as well as saved destinations synced from the cloud, which can then be called up by typing the first few letters of their names.
The bottom line. So is Google Maps the savior everyone was hoping for? For city dwellers, public transit and walking directions alone will be enough to give a resounding yes. For everyone else, Google’s more extensive database and Street View make it worthy of a space on your home screen – at least until presumably Apple comes back for round two with iOS 7.
iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 5.1 or later
Fast, fluid, swipe-loving user interface. Built-in voice navigation with turn-by-turn directions. Recent destinations can be saved and synced to Google account.
No access to device contacts. No native iPad support. Occasional quirks with voice navigation while playing music at the same time.
chirpity
March 03, 2013 at 9:00pm
Apple Maps isn't the only one with direction problems. I downloaded Google Maps to try it out. I live in Michigan and it told me to take a right turn on a street that I shouldn't have been turning right on. I ended up have to go in a circle to get back to where I was and then continue to get to the street I was supposed to.
In the end, I went back to using MotionX GPS, which is waaay better than Apple or Google Maps. Plus, it has music integration.
Timothy McSwain
February 28, 2013 at 9:04pm
The UI of Google Maps for iOS is hideous. It looks like Android... obviously as iOS users we aren't fans of Android. It feels so out of place among the beautiful look and feel of the rest of iOS.
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:54am
whats up with this multiple post thing? one post repeats like 3 times?
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:54am
whats up with this multiple post thing? one post repeats like 3 times
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:54am
whats up with this multiple post thing? one post repeats like 3 times
itoderry
December 18, 2012 at 3:50am
I used four times apple maps app and it failed every time! the best job bring me 500 m away on the wrong side of a highway and the worst one gave me for an address in Montreal Canada a location in France. I had to go in google map find the location pin manually the point in apple app to use the turn by turn function and get lost. That was before google came back. I am not going to use the apple joke anymore. Once I wend to a friend house on the border of a nice big lake (few kms in diameter just aside of a highway in a populated area) which was inexistent on apple map. (the satellite view it's a bit cloudy there but you still can see clear the damn lake) I suppose all of you live in Cupertino since you got such good experience with this amateur work!
Yeah, maybe google app it's not perfect (the first thing the tell you is to pay attention since this is a beta app -if you get a ticket because you followed any gps device you don't need gps navigation... you need a pair of glasses and retake your driver licence) but it's in the largest part of the cases incomparable better than apple app. At the end nobody stops you using the new fancy toy from Apple but you have to agree this google app was really wanted back 10mils and counting downloads tells something (i wish they made apple app not included in the system to see how many downloads they will get)
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:48am
Your lying! of all places you choose Canada? you know google does not support directions in most of Canada right? go back to using your Windows phone oops that would be a compliment...
Also can you get better grammar? your post makes you look like a 12 year old fanboy...
Tenchi211
December 18, 2012 at 12:51am
Is there a Night Mode, similar to the one in my Tom Tom App? I know Apple's turn by turn doesn't yet have this feature. Hopefully in the next update it will be included.
brandonwalkermedia
December 17, 2012 at 4:08pm
The AppleMaps app Review: Yelp integration, Location information, REAL turn by turn navigation by TomTom, better map arrangement (Colors and such), Vector-based, Offline maps, Live Traffic/closed-exits/roads, Gets you to the destination faster then other GPS systems, and more.
GoogleMaps app Review: Outdated business information (i would always get directions to closed or moved business), no yelp integration (or service like it), poor navigation, ugly map, no offline support, no information of closed roads/Exits or live traffic, no 3d mode, not vector based, Waists data usage like crazy (read why above) , and it gets worse...
itoderry
December 18, 2012 at 4:01am
true... apple app is vector base... at the end they just started in this field and they had to luxury to choose the best available option... but.. the navigation for me and it's far from being fast or reliable (don't trust me search online other people experience -use bing to be sure google is not tempering withe the results :p) as usually in the last few years the only issue with apple app is the release date... it should be like 2-3years in the future.
I don' give a s... about yelp integration and other fancy options as long as I am in the real danger to get lost in the wildness going to the mall!
Google app it might be outdated for some areas but for sure it's not dangerous like Apple's one!
itoderry
December 18, 2012 at 4:01am
true... apple app is vector base... at the end they just started in this field and they had to luxury to choose the best available option... but.. the navigation for me and it's far from being fast or reliable (don't trust me search online other people experience -use bing to be sure google is not tempering withe the results :p) as usually in the last few years the only issue with apple app is the release date... it should be like 2-3years in the future.
I don' give a s... about yelp integration and other fancy options as long as I am in the real danger to get lost in the wildness going to the mall!
Google app it might be outdated for some areas but for sure it's not dangerous like Apple's one!
itoderry
December 18, 2012 at 4:01am
true... apple app is vector base... at the end they just started in this field and they had to luxury to choose the best available option... but.. the navigation for me and it's far from being fast or reliable (don't trust me search online other people experience -use bing to be sure google is not tempering withe the results :p) as usually in the last few years the only issue with apple app is the release date... it should be like 2-3years in the future.
I don' give a s... about yelp integration and other fancy options as long as I am in the real danger to get lost in the wildness going to the mall!
Google app it might be outdated for some areas but for sure it's not dangerous like Apple's one!
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:06pm
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google gives directions to
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:06pm
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google gives directions to
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:05pm
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google gives directions to
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:52am
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google gives directions too
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:50am
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google always has
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 11:50am
the point of yelp integration is it gets you to an open business (the place you need to go) not a closed one like google always has
cenicerosj
December 17, 2012 at 2:18pm
Meh... Never really fond of google maps app before. I've been using Apple's map app and have not had any problems with directions at all. I started using google maps and it didn't recognize the "Michigan Left" turns we have to make-if I followed google's direction, I would have received a ticket for making an illegal left. That just cemented my use of Apple's Map app...
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:04pm
the point of using a REAL Navigation system! Tom-Tom!
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:01pm
the point of using a REAL Navigation system! Tom-Tom!
brandonwalkermedia
December 22, 2012 at 12:01pm
the point of using a REAL Navigation system! Tom-Tom!
worldsapart
December 17, 2012 at 1:16pm
I for one don't think it is necessary to use Google Maps. I am quite happy with Apple's Map application. Each application has its issues and I am confident that Apple will resolve the remaining issues.
