Google Maps Returns To iOS As An App

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If you are an iPhone owner that doesn't want to be stranded in the outback or rescued by the police, you'll probably want to get this. It's for your own good. ;)

The official Google Maps app returned to Apple's App store this evening. As expected, the new free app includes turn-by-turn navigation, just like itsAndroid counterpart, as well as public transit directions, integrated Street View, and a 3D-like Google Earth view.
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The app kind of sucks, honestly :\ Very laggy/stiff feeling (although, not terribly surprising)

Still better than using the stock map app, but there are better alternatives out there.
 
dr.stevil said:
The app kind of sucks, honestly :\ Very laggy/stiff feeling (although, not terribly surprising)

Still better than using the stock map app, but there are better alternatives out there.
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okay, I take that back. Just figured out how to get to streetview(it was a lot different in iOS5 maps). Couldn't be happier. Just wish it would take commands from siri. Heres to hoping for a jailbreak sometime soon.
 
dr.stevil said:
The app kind of sucks, honestly :\ Very laggy/stiff feeling (although, not terribly surprising)

Still better than using the stock map app, but there are better alternatives out there.
Click to expand...

Haven't installed it yet, but i hope it's as fast as google maps on the TF300. It takes a lot longer to load a map section so it gets annoying trying to follow a route on the iPad3.
 
No google maps. Is it region locked? Are the guys in Australia able to download it?
 
Totally getting this. Although I didn't really mind the Apple Maps (yes, shun me). NOW I CAN BE A REAL BOY.
 
Pushed the site into the iPad via Chrome. Nothing happened. Copied the link and pasted it in Safari. App store opened up and told me it's US only :(
 
Sticking with the Apple Maps myself. Their database is a heck of a lot better almost a half year later. Still not as good as Google's, but the GMaps app isn't as smooth as the Apple one.
 
Sly said:
Pushed the site into the iPad via Chrome. Nothing happened. Copied the link and pasted it in Safari. App store opened up and told me it's US only :(
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:(

Have you tried asking Siri politely?
 
dr.stevil said:
okay, I take that back. Just figured out how to get to streetview(it was a lot different in iOS5 maps). Couldn't be happier. Just wish it would take commands from siri. Heres to hoping for a jailbreak sometime soon.
Click to expand...

well you can search using Siri from within. Hit the search field and the Siri mic icon shows up in the keyboard. But yeah I wish there's a setting on the iPhone that makes Google Maps the default map so when you ask Siri outside of the app where so and so is, it'll open google maps.
 
The map database is really the only thing wrong with apples maps app. I don't know of anyone remembered how terrible the google maps was before that. Google maps was so stupidly terrible on iOS before that anything IMHO is a vast improvement. The new google maps finally has turn by turn and basically they only bothered because apple kicked them out. However it's not as smooth and visually appealing as apples map but is a little more accurate. I live in a big city and haven't actually seen any weird things with apple maps yet fwiw.
 
Mchart said:
Sticking with the Apple Maps myself. Their database is a heck of a lot better almost a half year later. Still not as good as Google's, but the GMaps app isn't as smooth as the Apple one.
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Makes sense. Style > Functionality for most Apple fans.
 
I have used Apple Maps about 6 times to find a place I haven't been before. I live in Calgary, Canada. Not only are the maps out of date, but not once has Apple maps been correct. The closest I have gotten is 5 houses down on the other side of the street. I for one, welcome our Google Map overlords...
 
Google should have charged for this app instead of making it free.
 
Sly said:
Pushed the site into the iPad via Chrome. Nothing happened. Copied the link and pasted it in Safari. App store opened up and told me it's US only :(
Click to expand...

You must be downloading it wrong :)
 
I've been lucky enough that Apple maps has worked fine for me, but this one is certainly still better.
I wish you could full-on replace Apple's maps with it, or at least make it your default mapping program.
 
Domingo said:
I've been lucky enough that Apple maps has worked fine for me, but this one is certainly still better.
I wish you could full-on replace Apple's maps with it, or at least make it your default mapping program.
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I had a great way to replace Apple's maps: I don't use Apple devices.

May not work for everyone, but I'm happy with it.
 
I hope Apple is taking detailed notes for what to include with the iPhone 6...
 
Mchart said:
Sticking with the Apple Maps myself. Their database is a heck of a lot better almost a half year later. Still not as good as Google's, but the GMaps app isn't as smooth as the Apple one.
Click to expand...

Apple maps is chock full of things that don't exist, doesn't have things that do exist, will reroute you somewhere you don't want to go if you miss one turn, and oh yeah, that wonderful speed and scaling? They do that by not including tons of roads and features unless you zoom in. But how would you know to zoom in, if there's no god damn roads or features?

I like to get on my motorcycle and ride for hours to find new roads. With google maps, I'll ride somewhere, take the phone out, and see which squiggly lines near me look appealing. With Apple maps...nope, if you don't know where something is already, you don't get to see it.
 
installed it on my iphone5 that i have to use for work. i just dont get the fascination with iphones. i have a nexus4 and its leaps and bounds better than the iphone. wtf does apple have something against notification leds?
 
I couldn't even imagine having a smartphone without google maps :S, been using it since it first came out on blackberry and it was amazing then, have used it several times a week since.
 
Not to sound ungracious but unless I'm missing something there's still one thing they left out - Google Latitude. I used to have it on my Blackberry so my girlfriend knows where I am when I decide to ride my bike for 40+ miles on the weekend. But that was years ago. At least you can use Latitude in the Google app itself.
 
Aluisious said:
:confused:

It's not Angry Birds, it's a map. The database is sort of important.
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And its really dependent on where you live. I have yet to find a single thing incorrect in my city. It really dependent I guess. So the question is this, if where you live, and where you would use this given that apple maps is just as accurate as google maps what would you use? I would use apple maps because turn by turn and 3d view is far superior than what google has just released. Im not saying that apple maps isnt without fault, its just that for me and where I live its pretty much A LOT better at the current moment than google maps.
 
So why Apple fired Scott Forstall over failure Maps a month ago ?, Now Apple get Google Map back, He should get his job back because Apple dump their own map anyway.

SMH !!!
 
Aluisious said:
Apple maps is chock full of things that don't exist, doesn't have things that do exist, will reroute you somewhere you don't want to go if you miss one turn, and oh yeah, that wonderful speed and scaling? They do that by not including tons of roads and features unless you zoom in. But how would you know to zoom in, if there's no god damn roads or features?

I like to get on my motorcycle and ride for hours to find new roads. With google maps, I'll ride somewhere, take the phone out, and see which squiggly lines near me look appealing. With Apple maps...nope, if you don't know where something is already, you don't get to see it.
Click to expand...


What speed? When I'm trying to follow a route, it takes a lot longer for the map to load than the Android maps.
 
///AMG said:
And its really dependent on where you live. I have yet to find a single thing incorrect in my city. It really dependent I guess. So the question is this, if where you live, and where you would use this given that apple maps is just as accurate as google maps what would you use? I would use apple maps because turn by turn and 3d view is far superior than what google has just released. Im not saying that apple maps isnt without fault, its just that for me and where I live its pretty much A LOT better at the current moment than google maps.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but in my experience doing a lot of domestic travel, Google is more reliable in most places. If I'm somewhere I don't know, I prefer to have Google nav.
 
dr.stevil said:
The app kind of sucks, honestly :\ Very laggy/stiff feeling (although, not terribly surprising)
Click to expand...

What device do you have? A lot of the news sites have praised it for being excellent, and the 10 seconds I played with it on a coworkers iPhone 5 is was very fast and smooth.
 
kllrnohj said:
What device do you have? A lot of the news sites have praised it for being excellent, and the 10 seconds I played with it on a coworkers iPhone 5 is was very fast and smooth.
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iPad3. Do i need iPad4 to be smooth?
 
///AMG said:
The map database is really the only thing wrong with apples maps app. I don't know of anyone remembered how terrible the google maps was before that. Google maps was so stupidly terrible on iOS before that anything IMHO is a vast improvement. The new google maps finally has turn by turn and basically they only bothered because apple kicked them out. However it's not as smooth and visually appealing as apples map but is a little more accurate. I live in a big city and haven't actually seen any weird things with apple maps yet fwiw.
Click to expand...

I think people forget the old (Google) Maps application didn't have turn by turn or voice navigation. Google did not want to add that unless Apple took other stuff like Latitude with it. Plus the contract was expiring in a year, so Apple needed to either bend over a barrel for Google, or develop their own solution. Apple told Google to fuck off, and now the net result is Google had to turn around and stick turn by turn and voice navigation in their new app so people would actually use it. So in the end, the best thing that ever happened to Google Maps on iOS was Apple remove the app from the stock firmware.

I've had really good experiences with the routeing of Apple Maps, however Google has a better search. I think Apple Maps looks + runs better, and it easier to use for actual driving. If I could show the Google search into Apple Maps it would be damn near perfect.
 
Sly said:
iPad3. Do i need iPad4 to be smooth?
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/shrug

It's smooth on my iPad 2. The iPad 3 is slower per-pixel than the iPad 2 or iPad 4, but they also haven't made a tablet version yet.
 
ocellaris said:
I think people forget the old (Google) Maps application didn't have turn by turn or voice navigation. Google did not want to add that unless Apple took other stuff like Latitude with it. Plus the contract was expiring in a year, so Apple needed to either bend over a barrel for Google, or develop their own solution. Apple told Google to fuck off, and now the net result is Google had to turn around and stick turn by turn and voice navigation in their new app so people would actually use it. So in the end, the best thing that ever happened to Google Maps on iOS was Apple remove the app from the stock firmware.
Click to expand...

There is no old Google Maps. The app launched yesterday is the very first time that Google Maps has ever run on iOS. The old maps app was still Apple's maps app.
 
Sly said:
iPad3. Do i need iPad4 to be smooth?
Click to expand...

Maybe you have too much process running on your iPad 3?

Double tap the home button and hold down one of the bottom app and remove them all. There's a few apps out there that runs like hell on iDevices.
 
The new Google Maps app is nice and will be great for people who have a 3Gs or a 4 so they get turn-by-turn for free.

However, being on an iPhone 5 and iOS 6, after using it, I still prefer Apple Maps. It's smoother and faster, has better vector rendering, and has OS/Siri integration.

Personally I haven't had a problem with the maps database from Apple Maps yet so i'll keep using it. I'll take Google Maps though as a nice backup as the app is better than the mobile web version. Though the mobile web version has street view.
 
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