Wow. Apple Maps is a disaster.

I used Apple Maps last night to drive to my cousins house for dinner. He recently moved so I didn't know how to get there. From inside his house, he dropped a pin on his current location and then sent it to be by SMS.

I opened up the pin and selected 'directions to here', and set off. All was well until the last mile or so. "You have arrived at your destination". What a bunch of crap. I was 2 miles away at the wrong house on t e wrong road. Called cousin and he gave me directions while I was driving so I got there in the end.

At the end of the night, I used google maps to get me home again. It was flawless. Apple Maps is still pathetic.

throAU said:

So yeah, apple maps failed me again today.

tried to get to a furniture shop. Apple maps located the shop in search, set me up directions to it, with "location is approximate" warning.

Fair enough, i'll probably see it if i get near enough, right?

It directed me to the centre of town, said "the destination is on your left" and that was that.

It wasn't.

Fired up google maps, google sent me back the way I came and down a slightly different route, directly to the shop in question. About 4km away.


See, the problem is - it looked up the shop fine. It claimed to know the address of the shop when i clicked on the search result. All initial indications were good. But the navigation just didn't work.

If it didn't find the shop initially, fair enough i wouldn't have wasted my time (and fuel). But it made me expect a successful outcome. And it just isn't good enough - there was no indication of failure until i ended up 4km away from where i was supposed to be. Good thing I wasn't walking it!

Google got me all the way to the shop's carpark.

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So why didn't you just use the Google map first since you had problems with Apple in the first place?

declandio said:

I used Apple Maps last night to drive to my cousins house for dinner. He recently moved so I didn't know how to get there. From inside his house, he dropped a pin on his current location and then sent it to be by SMS.

I opened up the pin and selected 'directions to here', and set off. All was well until the last mile or so. "You have arrived at your destination". What a bunch of crap. I was 2 miles away at the wrong house on t e wrong road. Called cousin and he gave me directions while I was driving so I got there in the end.

At the end of the night, I used google maps to get me home again. It was flawless. Apple Maps is still pathetic.

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Wait, did you tell Siri why you wanted to go to your cousins house? You have to do that now.

declandio said:

I used Apple Maps last night to drive to my cousins house for dinner. He recently moved so I didn't know how to get there. From inside his house, he dropped a pin on his current location and then sent it to be by SMS.

I opened up the pin and selected 'directions to here', and set off. All was well until the last mile or so. "You have arrived at your destination". What a bunch of crap. I was 2 miles away at the wrong house on t e wrong road. Called cousin and he gave me directions while I was driving so I got there in the end.

At the end of the night, I used google maps to get me home again. It was flawless. Apple Maps is still pathetic.

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Same question goes for you as well? Why didn't you just use the map that works if where you were going was important? Honestly it's not hot news anymore that Apple has issues with their mapping system, yet you some people here keep using it, knowing they had issues before with it and allow themselves to get off-routed, then come here just to complain when in the end they state they ended up using proven technology to get home which is Google maps.

sireShonBohn said:

Wait, did you tell Siri why you wanted to go to your cousins house? You have to do that now.

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Siri is crap too.

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HenryDJP said:

Same question goes for you as well? Why didn't you just use the map that works if where you were going was important? Honestly it's not hot news anymore that Apple has issues with their mapping system, yet you some people here keep using it, knowing they had issues before with it and allow themselves to get off-routed, then come here just to complain when in the end they state they ended up using proven technology to get home which is Google maps.

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It's not hot news anymore but like it or not, this thread is still alive.

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HenryDJP said:

Same question goes for you as well? Why didn't you just use the map that works if where you were going was important? Honestly it's not hot news anymore that Apple has issues with their mapping system, yet you some people here keep using it, knowing they had issues before with it and allow themselves to get off-routed, then come here just to complain when in the end they state they ended up using proven technology to get home which is Google maps.

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If you can tell me how to open a pin in Google Maps that was generated in Apple Maps, I'm all ears.

Can't an address be just typed?

declandio said:

Siri is crap too.

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Sounds like you should try Windows. Since Apple already got your money I'm sure they won't mind. I hear Microsoft is perfect as well, so you should be much happier. Enjoy your new platform!

sireShonBohn said:

Sounds like you should try Windows. Since Apple already got your money I'm sure they won't mind. I hear Microsoft is perfect as well, so you should be much happier. Enjoy your new platform!

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No comment

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giancarlo007 said:

Can't an address be just typed?

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House has a name not a number, so that didn't work. You'd think the dropped pin would actually contain GPS information (lat/lon) but apparently not!

Edit- I just checked the URL of the pin and it does contain lat/lon

declandio said:

No comment

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Well you know the fact that Apple fired the guy responsible should be a clue as to their intentions.

Oh, and they issued a public apology...

AND the CEO signed a letter publicly apologizing.

For anything else you need you'll have to consult the pharmacist.

sireShonBohn said:

Well you know the fact that Apple fired the guy responsible should be a clue as to their intentions.

Oh, and they issued a public apology...

AND the CEO signed a letter publicly apologizing.

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...and yet, months later, there still aren't any solutions outside of, "our engineers are working to make the maps better, please be patient."

Apologies are meaningless.

cyks said:

...and yet, months later, there still aren't any solutions outside of, "our engineers are working to make the maps better, please be patient."

Apologies are meaningless.

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Are you one of those nihilists?

sireShonBohn said:

Are you one of those nihilists?

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No, I'm a paying customer who continues to be upset that features I once used no longer work thanks to the new maps and iOS 6.

If you don't care about the map issues, want to offer helpful advice, or wish to hear people complain about how Apple lied to their customers and failed to offer a proper solution, you probably shouldn't be in this thread.

heyyoudvd said:

It seems to me like there are two possibilities:

1. Apple has been slowly and steadily making improvements all along, but the rate of improvement is so slow, that it's hardly even noticeable.

2. Apple has been collecting all the corrections and hasn't actually pushed them out to the public yet because it wants to save them all up for a major re-release of the Maps app.


If it's #1, then things are hopeless. If Apple hasn't been holding things back and is really just this genuinely slow about improving the app, then I can't see Apple Maps ever improving to the point that it can compete with Google.

If it's #2, then I have more hope for the app, but it's still not great. If there's a big re-release planned that showcases the improvements, then that's great, but on the same note, the fact that Apple has held off for so long has caused many people to be disillusioned. The fact that users can't actually see any of the problems being fixed causes them to stop reporting any problems because the whole thing seems futile. People have switched to Google and they may never switch back.

#2 is definitely far preferable to #1, so I hope #2 is the correct one, but even if it is, Apple still has a steep mountain to climb if it wishes to be on the same level as Google Maps.

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If it's #2, I hope they don't use it as one of the tentpole features of iOS 7 as well. For me, I'm already using Google maps, perfect for my area. But I also want to go back to Apple maps, but I think I'll have to wait a few years for it to be on the same scale despite Apple being a company with the most resources and cash on the planet.

HenryDJP said:

So why didn't you just use the Google map first since you had problems with Apple in the first place?

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Because last time i tried it, Apple Maps worked.

I'm curious to see if it is improving, so i give it a go every now and then.

throAU said:

Because last time i tried it, Apple Maps worked.

I'm curious to see if it is improving, so i give it a go every now and then.

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Understandable, but how it can it work then stop working? Certainly it's possible for Apple to apply a fix then continue with modifications to the applied area but it shouldn't work and then not work. I like the Apple maps too but I use my GPS on the iPhone for work and I need a more solid solution. Not to knock people here but my daily work involves driving to my client's homes and I don't trust any of the freebees which is why I pay yearly for the Garmin Street Pilot on demand. It stays updated far more often than most and it's been issue free.
From my view, some of the people here who are hellbent on using only the freebees don't use the GPS on the iPhone/Android for anything outside of personal use.

HenryDJP said:

Understandable, but how it can it work then stop working? Certainly it's possible for Apple to apply a fix then continue with modifications to the applied area but it shouldn't work and then not work. I like the Apple maps too but I use my GPS on the iPhone for work and I need a more solid solution. Not to knock people here but my daily work involves driving to my client's homes and I don't trust any of the freebees which is why I pay yearly for the Garmin Street Pilot on demand. It stays updated far more often than most and it's been issue free.
From my view, some of the people here who are hellbent on using only the freebees don't use the GPS on the iPhone/Android for anything outside of personal use.

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I use Navigon most of the time. Just wanted to give apple maps a try for a change, particularly because that was the source of the 'pin' that was sent to me. Like you, I'd never use it for anything 'mission critical'. But then again, I travel by rail for work so GPS apps on the phone are only ever used for personal journeys, very rarely are they 'critical'. You can't knock people for wanting to try it out once in a while. The app itself is nice (interface etc) but its real world abilities are still very hit & miss by the looks of it. The only way you'll know when it's more reliable is by trying it out for yourself once in a while!

I've been using an iPhone 5 for the last month and have had a chance to compare both Apple and Google map apps.

Since I relied heavily on the Google maps app found on iOS 5, I was pretty upset hearing about the troubles with Apple's new in-house map app. This was close to a deal-breaker for me and I wondered if I should buy another iPhone as much as I love their functionality. As soon as I heard a Google Map app was imminent, I went ahead and purchased a 32GB iPhone 5 and literally gave it a test drive.

Overall, the Apple Maps App seems to be less smart than the Google Map App. Apple maps seem to get the job done but has difficulty in recognizing common variations of addresses. Its turn-by-turn voice is nice, maybe even nicer than Google's, but Google clearly has a much more robust database along with a better "traffic" display. Apple maps frequently misunderstands addresses and locates the wrong area. This seems to happen often.

It seems like I must make more corrections (and more steps) to get it to correctly locate the address. This is time-consuming and inconvenient. Google is more intuitive and seems to have a more vast database of locations to deduce from.

What is nice about Apple Maps is the integrated contact feature, allowing you to pull up a contacts address and obtain vehicle routing. I believe with Google, you must save this data and log into your Google account to access this. Hopefully, a future revision will allow G-maps to access your Apple contacts.

Right now, I am still switching between the two apps to see how they calculate their routing, but as of now, I am much more in favor of Google's version. It is more precise and understands nuances much better. Apple maps is still displaying a large learning curve.

Another issue with Apple Maps is that it is missing data and the map layout seems very scant. A lot of POI's are just plain missing.

I do hope Apple can fix all of this, or better yet, leave the Map
App to Google. They do a terrific job and can only improve upon it.

A really annoying feature of Apple Maps is the inability to quickly switch between different modes of transportation (driving, walking, etc), whether it be because you want to know different modes of transportation or if you selected the wrong one by accident. Let me recap the steps on the two apps for how to go about changing the mode of transportation. This is after you have already chosen an initial route with a mode of transportation (let's say car in this case).

Google Maps
1) Tap the car icon in the top left of the screen
2) Tap the icon of the transportation method you want (i.e. Walking)
3) Tap the route you want to use

Apple Maps
1) Tap the clear button
2) Tap the directions button
3) Tap the mode of transportation you want
4) Retype the Starting and Ending location, or tap the route from the list of recently used routes

I don't know, but to me it just seems very unintuitive and a lot of extra steps. I don't understand why you have to basically start from scratch in order to change the mode of transportation, it makes no sense. Apple's maps aren't just inferior, the app itself is as well.

HenryDJP said:

Understandable, but how it can it work then stop working?

Click to expand...

Different destinations.

Well it has improved - sort of!

I have just checked Apple maps for my home location for the first time in a few months. I was apparently previously living in the middle of a featureless green blur when I last looked around October. Things have now improved. I actually have a semi-decent satellite picture. However, it is a surprisingly old image. It is showing a huge Cupressus hedge we cut down around 9 years ago and a car I sold in 2005. We have had two updates of our satellite imagery on Google since this. I would have thought that, when Apple was bringing out their "all singing; all dancing" version of Maps, at least when they finally did purchase satellite imagery, they would have bought up to date but it seems not. Is this down to incompetence or penny pinching?

wilsonlaidlaw said:

I have just checked Apple maps for my home location for the first time in a few months. I was apparently previously living in the middle of a featureless green blur when I last looked around October. Things have now improved. I actually have a semi-decent satellite picture. However, it is a surprisingly old image. It is showing a huge Cupressus hedge we cut down around 9 years ago and a car I sold in 2005. We have had two updates of our satellite imagery on Google since this. I would have thought that, when Apple was bringing out their "all singing; all dancing" version of Maps, at least when they finally did purchase satellite imagery, they would have bought up to date but it seems not. Is this down to incompetence or penny pinching?

Click to expand...

Probably incompetence and complacency of a company sleeping on a S120 billion cash mattress. And this still happens despite the CEO issuing a letter of apology.

I know it may take some time to make corrections, but we should at least see some improvements by now. Apparently I don't see any in my area...

Today, Apple Maps succeeded where Google Maps failed.

Searching for a local business, Apple Maps had the correct phone number, Google Maps had an outdated one.

cyks said:

No, I'm a paying customer who continues to be upset that features I once used no longer work thanks to the new maps and iOS 6.

If you don't care about the map issues, want to offer helpful advice, or wish to hear people complain about how Apple lied to their customers and failed to offer a proper solution, you probably shouldn't be in this thread.

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I think the problem is that you haven't given up on Apple Maps. I have. It's basically in the same category as the stocks app to me. Something I hide away and forget about.

DaffyDuck said:

I think the problem is that you haven't given up on Apple Maps. I have. It's basically in the same category as the stocks app to me. Something I hide away and forget about.

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When I gave up on Stocks, it was because there are other apps that do everything (and plenty more) that it does.

That is not the case with Maps. Until they update with Google's Map API, there are plenty of third party apps that no longer work properly for me and core features, such as the 'Find My __' and location based reminders which are completely useless now.

Using another app for navigation only solves a small part of the problems I have.

DaffyDuck said:

I think the problem is that you haven't given up on Apple Maps. I have. It's basically in the same category as the stocks app to me. Something I hide away and forget about.

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But the stocks app actually works very well and has correct, updated information. The fact that it isn't something you use because you don't track stocks is beside the point.

The stocks app also does not tie into Facebook, twitter, my cycling apps, etc. that's his problem.

I'm lucky...maps has and continues to work for me in my area and where I have travelled.