Roundup of Features in Google Maps for iOS: Better Design than Android Version, iPad Version Coming

[rantzzz]

Noticed that google maps checks location every once in awhile.. Occasionally I will see the location services arrow at the top right hand corner even though I did not use the app (although it is in my app background list)

Never had that with apple maps though.. Any idea how to stop goolge maps from auto checking location?

[Aidyn's X]

Originally Posted by BuckusToothnuts

This Google Maps app ALONE is worth the price of admission of the iPhone 5.

Apple should really be kicking back some of the profits they make off iOS now back to Google.

If Google acted like Apple, they would have kept Google Maps exclusive to Android. Instead, they allowed iOS users have it for FREE.

Google supports customer choice whereas Apple believes in creating a monopoly.

Google believes in offering the best user experience despite jeopardizing potential revenues whereas Apple believes in protecting potential revenues despite jeopardizing the user experience.

Bravo Google! Thanks for making our iPhones complete again.

Is that why google wouldn't provide all these features to begin with?

[Aidyn's X]

Did anyone notice that the user interface is identical to apple's (which is a new interface to iOS 6)? I am not saying that google copied apple's UI, I just find the whole corner tap into 3-d mode and the compass in the upper right that appears once you rotate the maps to be exactly the same. Is there something behind this?

[valkata]

Search function in Google maps is way better than in Apple maps. Google maps thrashes Apple maps here.

However I didn't manage to get turn by turn navigation working. iOS 6 and iPhone 4s here... Maybe they've made UI too smart for me?

[PhoneandPad]

Testing apple maps now I have iOS 6 - poi's really grim in London. Apple maps goes to parked apps folder, google maps to first screen. GM finds my poi's almost instinctively.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by qwimjim

this app was supposed to be out in 2013, they rushed it out for us.. you don't think contacts access will come? geez. report a problem? shake your phone. ui is fantastic.

Contacts access isn't some big difficult thing. it's in the SDK.

Folks are yelling at Apple for releasing their Maps before it was ready (in their opinion). Well I say what's good for the goose . . . Google should not have released their app until all useful features, including contacts access and a native iPad UI were ready.

[briankeith513]

Originally Posted by rantzzz

Noticed that google maps checks location every once in awhile.. Occasionally I will see the location services arrow at the top right hand corner even though I did not use the app (although it is in my app background list)

Never had that with apple maps though.. Any idea how to stop goolge maps from auto checking location?

I've had this with Apple Maps as well.

[rantzzz]

Originally Posted by briankeith513

I've had this with Apple Maps as well.

Oh? I must have missed this one then.. Thanks

[haruhiko]

Originally Posted by Aidyn's X

Did anyone notice that the user interface is identical to apple's (which is a new interface to iOS 6)? I am not saying that google copied apple's UI, I just find the whole corner tap into 3-d mode and the compass in the upper right that appears once you rotate the maps to be exactly the same. Is there something behind this?

So for the sake of change Google should put the 'arrow button' on the right so that your thumb cannot press the button when you are holding the phone with your right hand and the search bar at the bottom so that the keyboard will block it when you search for something?

My complaint with Google Maps is about the data use, not privacy data, but bandwidth! It's a huge data hog and I'm watching my data usage expanding crazily, it used tens of MBs in my test of turn by turn navigation for about 15 minutes.

[saotomefirst]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

- Google's blog post on the app notes that Google Maps for iOS supports iOS 5.1 and higher, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Apple's turn-by-turn voice navigation does not support iOS 5 and those two iPhone models.

I'm not sure anyone mentioned this before, but turn-by-turn navigation DOES WORK on iPhone 4 with iOS6. I have an iPhone 4 8GB made in Brazil running iOS 6.0.1 and I just used this feature to go from Rio de Janeiro to Petropolis and then back. And the voice was in perfect PORTUGUESE!! Awsome

[sumsingwong]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned but Siri and Contacts can be used with Google Maps. The magic word is "Transit".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbgvJAnh5gg

[Phrygian]

Originally Posted by RevolvingSheep

Does anyone else feel like this is a really bad sign? Google handles the maps on the iPhone while being their main competition in the mobile market, Apple drops Google's map and integrates their own and then fails in the effort, Google makes a better version of a map app than even on their own platform and everyone on the iPhone jumps ship.

This just seems like a very horrible thing for Apple.

And why exactly should we care? The apple products i use are because at my time of purchased, they appealed to me the most for either functionality, price, or some other need/desire.

You sound as if you are apple are on the same team. No no my friend, you are not on apples team. You are just a sales number.

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Originally Posted by agentjonny

useless for me. here's the message i get when trying to get transit directions here in canada: "Public transit information not available in this region." sorry guys, apple version smokes this.

I'm sorry, you really think that google maps doesn't have transit info in canada? The app was clearly rushed for the benefit of iphone users.

You seem to have no problem waiting for years for apple maps to function properly... but apparently more than a day and google maps, that servered you needs for however long you owned an iphone before... just got "smoked"???

fanboisgonnafanboi

[Phrygian]

Originally Posted by coolbreeze

"Google admits iOS app is superior than Android app" (design).

WTF is Google smoking? I'm a total Android fanboy (own a Nexus 4 and Note 2) and just cannot understand why Google is handing over their amazing app to iOS.

Yes, ad revenue, blablabla, but all these elated iPhone fans are the same people who probably were disgruntled with maps for iOS6 and probably weighed a switch to Android.

Now, Google has locked them into iOS...they are all like "wow, google! thanks for giving us the best map and navigation app ever!"

Translation - never getting an Android phone - lost conversion opportunity.

Again, I get market share and all that jazz, but google is just giving away the farm. Strange, really. (again, I understand search revenue, etc).

But at the end of the day, my Note 2 (primary) and Nexus 4 (spare, weekend and stuff) smokes my iPhone. No contest.

No troll.

yea but its one hell of a PR move. Eventually Apple maps would have caught up by the way. With less people using apple maps because they aren't opening the app, it gets less data, and it stays inferior longer...

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Originally Posted by epmatsw

Do people really think that Google Maps will hit above 50%? I'm genuinely curious. I'd assume that Apple Maps being pre-installed and hooked into the OS will give it a pretty solid edge with the non-technical crowd.

apparently 10 million downloads in the first two days... just saying

[pirateyarrr]

Originally Posted by golfgrouch

This doesn't work with people.

No direct access to the addresses in your contacts is a huge deficiency.

There's an easy way to fix that, which I plan to do upon contract expiration.

Android phone, here I come!

[Aidyn's X]

Originally Posted by haruhiko

So for the sake of change Google should put the 'arrow button' on the right so that your thumb cannot press the button when you are holding the phone with your right hand and the search bar at the bottom so that the keyboard will block it when you search for something?

My complaint with Google Maps is about the data use, not privacy data, but bandwidth! It's a huge data hog and I'm watching my data usage expanding crazily, it used tens of MBs in my test of turn by turn navigation for about 15 minutes.

Google Maps on iOS did not used to look this way is all I am saying. Now it does.