Apple maps biggest flaw/gripe

[trifid]

We've had Apple maps on iOS for a long time, they got a lot worse in iOS6, but there is a flaw which seems to escape reviewers and it just seems mind boggling to me because it's been an issue since the introduction of Apple maps.

The issue is, and I'd love feedback from others on this gauging how bad it is: when you enter an address and suppose you misspell or don't enter it perfectly or even if it's entered fine: Apple maps does something that none of the alternatives do as far as I know, it will attempt to guess the best approximation and it won't ask you if you meant something else.

My experience with both Google maps and Mapquest is that they both prompt you with a list of possible matches. Apple maps doesn't (well, it does but in rare cases).

I've been lead to the wrong places several times simply because Apple maps just 'approximated' and did a best guess of the address I input. The question is: why didn't it show me a list of possible addresses that I could review and confirm instead of trying to guess it?

Here's something to test: input the same address in both apple maps and google or mapquest and check which of them ask you to choose from the list of possible matches instead of guessing.

I've had to learn the hard way, I now use a combination of google maps, mapquest and rarely apple maps, but I just wonder why Apple won't fix this seemingly trivial design.

 

[balamw]

This is actually a bit of a common problem for me as my home address is on a ZIP code boundary within my town, and many databases have us in the wrong ZIP and they simply will not accept that our proper ZIP is correct. (Addresses on my street and to the North have one ZIP code, but on the South it's another ZIP code).

If I enter the ZIP in Apple Maps it sometimes picks the neighboring town about 4 miles to the East, I suspect because it doesn't think the ZIP matches.

This was most frustrating when my Bank couldn't verify an account using my ZIP despite having the right ZIP for my mailing address it kept pulling up the other ZIP.

B

 

[cynics]

I've noticed this but I always verify it's directing me to what I input.

I think I noticed this immediately the first time I used it and since then I've just known to double check. The address does pop up on the screen.

 

[C DM]

Usually as I'm entering a location/venue or an address Apple Maps (similar to Google Maps) will pop up with various suggestions that it thinks are matching what I'm entering, so that I could usually select one before I'm even done typing everything.

 

[DoctorFedora]

My biggest gripe with Apple Maps is that Google Maps is differently wrong enough of the time where I live (fairly rural Japan) that I can't simply rely on one or the other.

 

[CEmajr]

Google maps just seems to have more location data. Sometimes I'm looking for a business or place and I usually go to Apple Maps first because I like it's navigation better. If it doesn't show up when I search, then I switch over to Google Maps and it's in there. I then have to copy the address back to Apple Maps and begin navigation.

 

[jabingla2810]

In the UK Apple Maps never comes back with the right result, but I much prefer its Sat Nav interface over Google Maps.

My method is, find my location in Google Maps, then go to Apple Maps and drop a pin where Google Maps says the location is, and navigate to it.

It's stupid, but Apple Maps doesn't seem to have any data.