Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Is Better?

[brofkand]

When it gives you a bad route, at the very bottom of the app, use the 'Report an Issue' feature and then tap the 'Report Route Issue' - while this may not be true for every Apple department, I can say that the Maps team is very, very receptive to feedback sent from the Report Issues feature in Maps. They will even e.mail you back if they have followup questions, and at the very least, you'll get a push notice when they've updated the database to give a better route. I know that doing the reporting is a lot of work, but if the route you want is consistently wonky, reporting it will definitely fix that issue.

I live in what is considered in the geography world as a 'super rural' area - so I've used the report feature a lot, as there's a lot of roads that are not maintained by the city/county/state, and as such, digital maps can often have significant inaccuracies. Apple has been very, very responsive in fixing the issues I've reported over the years. It almost feels like they wish to compete with OpenStreetMap vs. Google Maps!

Or you could just use Google Maps that gets the route right the first time every time. Why are you doing Apple's work for them for free?

 

[kkee]

As Google map is going downhill, Apple maps is improving a lot to the point I don’t miss Google map anymore and just use Apple map. I live in Australia.

 

[lartola]

No mapping service is going to be 100% accurate. Staying up-to-date with the real world is always a moving target.

True, but google is closer in most countries other than the US. Apple Maps is years out of date in some regions such as Latin America, where google maps is more up to date.

 

[ignatius345]

If you want accurate destination time: Maps. Google sometimes gets it way out, I went on a long journey recently where it gave me a predicted range of over 2 hours as destination time.

Apple Maps is spot on with arrival times, in my experience. Even way back in 2017, I had an experience on a long road trip where we got rerouted multiple times around stopped highway traffic and *still* wound up at our hotel super close to the original estimate. There are definitely times when traffic starts to pile up and an arrival time will keep slipping, but I don't think any map has a crystal ball that will keep that from happening 100% of the time.

 

[ignatius345]

Or you could just use Google Maps that gets the route right the first time every time. Why are you doing Apple's work for them for free?

Because I use it constantly, and I don't mind taking a minute to help out others who may be using the same route or destination? The Apple Maps support people generally get back to me within a day or two and the issue is fixed.

 

[ignatius345]

Can't even add simple stuff like road issues in Apple Maps (i.e. speed traps, accidents, delays, etc...)

Incorrect. These are easy to report in Apple Maps, and you can even do it with a quick voice command. I receive these alerts frequently, and get prompted to confirm if the crash is still there or has been cleared.

 

[sumo.do]

Apple Maps has been providing navigational guidance to Apple users for almost 13 and a half years now, and much has changed about the app in that time. However, according to data from Canalys, the overwhelming majority of iPhones in the U.S. still have Google Maps downloaded as an alternative to Apple Maps, which comes preinstalled on all iPhones. We want to hear from MacRumors readers. Which do you prefer to get you from A to B?

Launched in September 2012, Apple Maps was quickly criticized for having incomplete and inaccurate mapping data, which led some iPhone users on dangerous routes. Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a rare public apology for the frustration it caused customers, and iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted just one month later.

Since then, Apple has made significant improvements to Apple Maps, building in new features and correcting lingering errors. Real-time traffic information and navigation options for pedestrians were added to Maps in 2013, which is also the same year Maps was extended to OS X. In 2015, Maps was updated with "Nearby," a feature that offers up local points of interest and transit directions in a handful of cities.

In early 2020, Apple completed an overhaul of its maps in the United States, adding significantly greater detail including updated buildings, parks, sports fields, pools, and more. A Look Around feature in select cities is similar to Google's Street View, and the updated maps have been rolling out to more countries in the time since. In iOS 15, Apple introduced immersive walking directions shown in augmented reality, curated guides for select cities, real-time transit updates, and more road details for enhanced driving navigation. In iOS 16 it gained multi-stop routing. And in iOS 17, Apple made it possible to download maps for offline use – something Google Maps users have been able to do for quite some time.

Have Apple's incremental improvements been enough for it to be considered an equal to Google Maps in users' eyes? Of course, Google developers have not stood idly by watching Apple Maps' gradual evolution. Google has introduced several enhancements aimed at enriching the user experience through advanced AI technology and more immersive visualization tools, and has even taken a leaf or two out of Apple's book.

One notable recent update in this regard is the Immersive View for Routes, which provides a comprehensive preview of a user's journey, whether they are driving, walking, or cycling. Launched last year, the tool combines billions of Street View and aerial images to create an intricate digital representation of the world, allowing users to visually navigate through bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking spaces along their route. It also includes a dynamic time slider indicating how conditions such as air quality and weather change throughout the day, helping users plan their trips with more precision.

Another significant improvement is the integration of Lens in Maps, an evolution of the Search with Live View feature. Leveraging AI and augmented reality, Lens in Maps helps users get their bearings in a new location by providing information about nearby amenities like ATMs, transit stations, and dining options. The feature has since been expanded to over 50 cities.

Google Maps has also rolled out updates to make navigation maps more reflective of real-world conditions. These include more detailed and realistic representations of buildings and improved lane guidance on highways. For electric vehicle owners, Google Maps also offers information on charging stations, including compatibility details, charger speed, and the last usage time.

Despite these concurrent improvements to Google Maps, their combined effect hasn't stopped users coming away impressed by how far Apple's navigational guidance has come. Based on anecdotal reports, the app is increasingly recommended by users for its cleaner view versus the more cluttered design of Google Maps.

Likely thanks to its disastrous launch, Apple Maps still gets a bad rap among some users, but Apple's continued efforts to improve the app appear to have helped reverse some of those opinions. "Maps has come a long way, and people have noticed," Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software, said at WWDC 2023. Are you more or less likely to use Apple Maps these days? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Is Better?

Google Maps is better

 

[Frank Jones]

I wouldn't use Google Maps even if they were going to steer me to a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Google is Evil.

 

[vjl323]

Apple has, for several years now, had the same reporting features that Waze has - speed traps, construction zones, crashed vehicles.

To access it, while navigating, tap the ^ on the lower right corner of the app, then Report an Incident - then tap on Crash, Hazard, or Speed Check.

To access it when not navigating, scroll down to the bottom of the app and tap the Report an Issue and go from there. It allows you to give lots more details since you're not actively navigating so the app assumes you're not driving

 

[Colin2012]

I use the map in 'find my' to locate people then google maps for more information, as apple maps rarely has much detail or transit info here in Australia. It's about time there was a common map interface so the data from apple, openstreetmaps and google could be merged for one app.

 

[Christopher Kim]

Apple Maps will offer to take an alternate route if things change "enough". I've had it offer to send me on an alternate route to detour around accidents and other extensive "dynamic" traffic jams. It is an offer, you have to OK the change.

Good to know - I don't think I've ever come across that yet, but it's possible I did and didn't think anything of it / maybe thought I was on Waze....

 

[Lakeguy]

Timely article! We were just in Japan and used public transportation and Japan Rail exclusively. Time after time Google Maps were 1000% better. It would tell us which platforms, station entrances and exits, which cars to board for faster connection times, and so on. After 20,000 steps sometimes you want an escalator/elevator and Google Maps would guide you there. It also gave you fare information. Absolutely invaluable in a place like Tokyo.

Apple Maps gave us lame train options, undesirable double connections that weren’t faster, and was utterly silent on the platform, car, exit, and fare information.

i’m all in with the Apple ecosystem but use Google Maps everywhere, even in my car with CarPlay. I so want Apple Maps to be competitive, but even after all this time it’s a distant second for me.

 

[brofkand]

Because I use it constantly, and I don't mind taking a minute to help out others who may be using the same route or destination? The Apple Maps support people generally get back to me within a day or two and the issue is fixed.

Good for you. I do things like this with open source projects but Apple has had a decade plus to work on their Maps product and it's still sub-par, so I don't waste any effort on it anymore.

 

[lartola]

Good for you. I do things like this with open source projects but Apple has had a decade plus to work on their Maps product and it's still sub-par, so I don't waste any effort on it anymore.

It’s not subpar in the US, the only place that really interests Apple (they are extremely US-centric). It is subpar everywhere else because they don’t care too much about the rest of the world.

 

[Nahaz]

I suppose it also depends on the country you live in on what map app is supported better. Apple Maps and Google Maps have great support in the USA. The coverage is far greater in those countries compared to the rest of the world. I also find the turn by turn options somewhat lagging or too early with both of these apps.

I mainly use Waze because it's crowd sourced. Even in small countries and towns I find it to be more useful than the other 2 major competitors. I get better police updates and general road conditions updated a lot more and the turn by turn feature is more accurate.

If I was travelling overseas though I would default to Google Maps. In places like Japan you just cannot do without it on the JR Rail System.

 

[ignatius345]

Good for you. I do things like this with open source projects but Apple has had a decade plus to work on their Maps product and it's still sub-par, so I don't waste any effort on it anymore.

Strongly disagree. With the exception of business/POI data, Apple Maps is superior. Looks better, better turn by turn directions. Not encrusted with ads, and not siphoning off my every move to Google. The only other advantage Google has is street view, which is impressive and not (yet) rivalled by Apple's street view database.

 

[hudsonam]

Apple Maps has been providing navigational guidance to Apple users for almost 13 and a half years now, and much has changed about the app in that time. However, according to data from Canalys, the overwhelming majority of iPhones in the U.S. still have Google Maps downloaded as an alternative to Apple Maps, which comes preinstalled on all iPhones. We want to hear from MacRumors readers. Which do you prefer to get you from A to B?

Launched in September 2012, Apple Maps was quickly criticized for having incomplete and inaccurate mapping data, which led some iPhone users on dangerous routes. Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a rare public apology for the frustration it caused customers, and iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted just one month later.

Since then, Apple has made significant improvements to Apple Maps, building in new features and correcting lingering errors. Real-time traffic information and navigation options for pedestrians were added to Maps in 2013, which is also the same year Maps was extended to OS X. In 2015, Maps was updated with "Nearby," a feature that offers up local points of interest and transit directions in a handful of cities.

In early 2020, Apple completed an overhaul of its maps in the United States, adding significantly greater detail including updated buildings, parks, sports fields, pools, and more. A Look Around feature in select cities is similar to Google's Street View, and the updated maps have been rolling out to more countries in the time since. In iOS 15, Apple introduced immersive walking directions shown in augmented reality, curated guides for select cities, real-time transit updates, and more road details for enhanced driving navigation. In iOS 16 it gained multi-stop routing. And in iOS 17, Apple made it possible to download maps for offline use – something Google Maps users have been able to do for quite some time.

Have Apple's incremental improvements been enough for it to be considered an equal to Google Maps in users' eyes? Of course, Google developers have not stood idly by watching Apple Maps' gradual evolution. Google has introduced several enhancements aimed at enriching the user experience through advanced AI technology and more immersive visualization tools, and has even taken a leaf or two out of Apple's book.

One notable recent update in this regard is the Immersive View for Routes, which provides a comprehensive preview of a user's journey, whether they are driving, walking, or cycling. Launched last year, the tool combines billions of Street View and aerial images to create an intricate digital representation of the world, allowing users to visually navigate through bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking spaces along their route. It also includes a dynamic time slider indicating how conditions such as air quality and weather change throughout the day, helping users plan their trips with more precision.

Another significant improvement is the integration of Lens in Maps, an evolution of the Search with Live View feature. Leveraging AI and augmented reality, Lens in Maps helps users get their bearings in a new location by providing information about nearby amenities like ATMs, transit stations, and dining options. The feature has since been expanded to over 50 cities.

Google Maps has also rolled out updates to make navigation maps more reflective of real-world conditions. These include more detailed and realistic representations of buildings and improved lane guidance on highways. For electric vehicle owners, Google Maps also offers information on charging stations, including compatibility details, charger speed, and the last usage time.

Despite these concurrent improvements to Google Maps, their combined effect hasn't stopped users coming away impressed by how far Apple's navigational guidance has come. Based on anecdotal reports, the app is increasingly recommended by users for its cleaner view versus the more cluttered design of Google Maps.

Likely thanks to its disastrous launch, Apple Maps still gets a bad rap among some users, but Apple's continued efforts to improve the app appear to have helped reverse some of those opinions. "Maps has come a long way, and people have noticed," Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software, said at WWDC 2023. Are you more or less likely to use Apple Maps these days? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Is Better?

After several years, I've switched to Apple Maps for Navigation; I'm usually happy with it and use it 90% of the time. However I find real-time traffic to still be much better on Google maps, and so I still use Google maps most days to check traffic and determine my route for my daily commute.

 

[realitydcf]

Waze is so much more than a navigation system, and better than the other two. I absolutely request that you do a unique review of Waze, and then issue a new article that asks how the others stand up to Waze. Maybe they navigate better, but I doubt they can. So please take a moment and read my comments below. You'll want to try Waze if you haven't yet. It's genuinely one of the most excellent apps on my iPhone. It's changed my driving life.

Waze is the best. It gives the fastest directions, it's data is constantly updated and changes as traffic does. It's also AMAZINGLY accurate. If it says you'll arrive somewhere... and it seems too little time... you'll be surprised that it's accurate. If you use Waze, you anonymously help everyone as the speed of streets is measured by people driving on them. Hands down, Waze is superior. It's a community, and you help others by reporting traffic, accidents, potholes, broken down vehicles, etc. This is how navigation should be. IF there is a temporary closure do to construction, or just Police, it's reported by a driver, and you're mapped around it. Waze also has entertaining guest voices. At the moment, Jack Black is directing me as Kung Foo Panda. C-3PO did years ago, as did Arnold Schwartzenegger as The Terminator. I wish the voices could be permanent, but they're promotional, and I enjoy the fun it adds. Without a doubt, for driving in a big city... I live in Los Angeles... Waze will get me to my destination faster than any other service. They also have settings to stop complicated intersections and avoid unpaved or toll roads. You get points for helping others, and it's genuinely a social system. You don't have to, but you CAN communicate with other drivers if there's a problem on the road. I LIKE to see other drivers on the map, and if I want to touch their icon, I can send a message. I've had problems with the map at my condo complex, and unlike any other service, I could edit the map for Waze! It's MY navigation system, not a locked system like the others. Whenever there is a change or notation ahead, Waze sends people there to confirm... you participate and get points. Again, you don't have to at all and don't feel any pressure at all other than "There's police ahead... are they still there? Yes?" and you don't have to reply... but again, it's TELLING ME that there are police ahead. There's so much more to waze than the others... So long as it continues as it, or improves, I'm a lifetime user... THAT SAID...

Google Maps satellite view is great, and I wish Waze had it. Sometimes with Carplay I use it to see the satellite view.

CARPLAY IS BEST ON APPLE MAPS... but I still won't use it over Waze. I believe Apple is currently using a feature ONLY available to them (for now, they are expanding similar systems)... I have a windshield heads-up display. ONLY when Apple Maps is being used, does directions show up on the heads up display in addition to my carplay screen. I love that it does this, as the HUD is fantastic and allows me to drive and not have to take my eyes off the road. I want this feature in Waze. I also love Apple's 3D buildings mode and would love it in Waze.

SO, put those specific features into Waze, and there will NOT be any reason to run either of them so far.

The benefits and features of Waze make it impossible for me to use Google Maps or Apple Maps. They don't measure up to Waze. I was also surprised that this post was only Google & Apple Maps. WAZE is the winner. I think you owe Waze a new review, and a new article comparing it's navigation features to both Apple and Google maps.

If you haven't used Waze, would you give it a try and post what you think? You'll really appreciate it. (No, I am just a user, and other than beta testing it, I have no connection to the company.)

NOTE: I've traveled to various countries and can't use WAZE for anything but driving. I've used both Google Maps and Apple Maps in the US, Spain, UK, Japan, and Italy. They're great for transit and with oddly poor satellite access, they're all difficult and slow for updates for walking. I was getting VERY frustrated when walking to various locations, and I'd go a block and the map would update that I was going in the wrong direction far from where I thought I was. I DID enjoy Apple Maps' street arrows... they really helped in London. But again, when driving... Waze is the winner hands down.

(Just because I've read the site for years and rarely post, that makes new a newbie??? I think I've been registered for years. Ha Ha!)

 

[MichaelYYZ]

I’ve been using Apple Maps exclusively and successfully over the last 5+ years. I try to stay away from Google, exceptions being YouTube and Google Voice.

 

[mrbkk]

Apple Maps has been providing navigational guidance to Apple users for almost 13 and a half years now, and much has changed about the app in that time. However, according to data from Canalys, the overwhelming majority of iPhones in the U.S. still have Google Maps downloaded as an alternative to Apple Maps, which comes preinstalled on all iPhones. We want to hear from MacRumors readers. Which do you prefer to get you from A to B?

Launched in September 2012, Apple Maps was quickly criticized for having incomplete and inaccurate mapping data, which led some iPhone users on dangerous routes. Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a rare public apology for the frustration it caused customers, and iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted just one month later.

Since then, Apple has made significant improvements to Apple Maps, building in new features and correcting lingering errors. Real-time traffic information and navigation options for pedestrians were added to Maps in 2013, which is also the same year Maps was extended to OS X. In 2015, Maps was updated with "Nearby," a feature that offers up local points of interest and transit directions in a handful of cities.

In early 2020, Apple completed an overhaul of its maps in the United States, adding significantly greater detail including updated buildings, parks, sports fields, pools, and more. A Look Around feature in select cities is similar to Google's Street View, and the updated maps have been rolling out to more countries in the time since. In iOS 15, Apple introduced immersive walking directions shown in augmented reality, curated guides for select cities, real-time transit updates, and more road details for enhanced driving navigation. In iOS 16 it gained multi-stop routing. And in iOS 17, Apple made it possible to download maps for offline use – something Google Maps users have been able to do for quite some time.

Have Apple's incremental improvements been enough for it to be considered an equal to Google Maps in users' eyes? Of course, Google developers have not stood idly by watching Apple Maps' gradual evolution. Google has introduced several enhancements aimed at enriching the user experience through advanced AI technology and more immersive visualization tools, and has even taken a leaf or two out of Apple's book.

One notable recent update in this regard is the Immersive View for Routes, which provides a comprehensive preview of a user's journey, whether they are driving, walking, or cycling. Launched last year, the tool combines billions of Street View and aerial images to create an intricate digital representation of the world, allowing users to visually navigate through bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections, and parking spaces along their route. It also includes a dynamic time slider indicating how conditions such as air quality and weather change throughout the day, helping users plan their trips with more precision.

Another significant improvement is the integration of Lens in Maps, an evolution of the Search with Live View feature. Leveraging AI and augmented reality, Lens in Maps helps users get their bearings in a new location by providing information about nearby amenities like ATMs, transit stations, and dining options. The feature has since been expanded to over 50 cities.

Google Maps has also rolled out updates to make navigation maps more reflective of real-world conditions. These include more detailed and realistic representations of buildings and improved lane guidance on highways. For electric vehicle owners, Google Maps also offers information on charging stations, including compatibility details, charger speed, and the last usage time.

Despite these concurrent improvements to Google Maps, their combined effect hasn't stopped users coming away impressed by how far Apple's navigational guidance has come. Based on anecdotal reports, the app is increasingly recommended by users for its cleaner view versus the more cluttered design of Google Maps.

Likely thanks to its disastrous launch, Apple Maps still gets a bad rap among some users, but Apple's continued efforts to improve the app appear to have helped reverse some of those opinions. "Maps has come a long way, and people have noticed," Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software, said at WWDC 2023. Are you more or less likely to use Apple Maps these days? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Is Better?

Apple Maps outside of North America and Europe is a complete mess. Worse than useless, it remains borderline dangerous. I cannot properly express how appalling the current state of affairs is for some of us still.

 

[ganderthepanda]

Whilst I've used all maps apps over the years. Apple Maps directions seem to be much better. "Take a right at the next set of lights" is way better than, "In 100 yards turn right". Not to mention ecosystem features such as Apple Watch vibrations just before your turn. I miss my turns much less often compared to the other services.

 

[lartola]

Strongly disagree. With the exception of business/POI data, Apple Maps is superior. Looks better, better turn by turn directions. Not encrusted with ads, and not siphoning off my every move to Google. The only other advantage Google has is street view, which is impressive and not (yet) rivalled by Apple's street view database.

Only if you live in the US, which clearly you do. Outside the US Apple Maps is far out of date on business/POI data, and the availability of look around (apple’s version of street view) is very limited or nonexistent.

 

[samuraiQ]

Everybody use Google Maps on Japan.

 

[The_Cynic]

He he he. I’m sat here laughing, glad I didn’t read all 17 pages. The first one was enough.

I cast my mind back to travelling down the motorway, in the 70s, with my parents and aunts and that. And I can just picture them having a heated discussion between which printed paper map was the best. AA or RAC…

Everyone had ‘some’ kind of map in their cars. Being able to use it was a different story. One of the main issues, was getting lost, and trying to find out where you are on the map. Many a fun times watching one of my relatives struggle with A3 maps and the cab light. Using the index to triangulate yourself based on junction names, taking those grid references, locating the right page, and ordinating yourself in the right direction.

It just tickles me how heated you can all be over something that, back then, would have been miracle work.

I can just picture my relatives arguing that they prefer the AA maps because they like fonts more, whilst someone else cries about they much prefer the typesetting on the RAC version…

You can Judy picture them being able to offload their poor navigation skills on the map being pants, and that they are never buying that brand of map again…. That’s why they are lost…. It’s that map…

 

[Downhilltenago]

I don't understand why this is a question.