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Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Is Better?

Apple Maps is fine if you live in a top 20 metro area in the US or major tourist destination, but it's woefully neglected otherwise. I live in a mid-sized city US city. The satellite visuals for the city are at least 10 years out of date based on construction activity that has occurred in the intervening years not captured on the images. We still don't have Look Around available.

Google has up to date satellite imagery and most of the city has several years worth of Street View history that you can pull up.

The maps themselves are fine, but the ancillary features are what put Google ahead.
 
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Google maps is a mess, but the large database of reviews and other place data is still far ahead of Apple’s. Apple Maps is far less buggy and much faster though, especially when using CarPlay.
 
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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.
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That's just selection pressure. The iPhones that don't have Google Maps downloaded eventually get driven straight into the ocean.
 
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FYI, Waze is owned by Google for those thinking using Waze is getting away from Google… nope! And I quote, “Waze Mobile Ltd, doing business as Waze, formerly FreeMap Israel, is a subsidiary company of Google”

A better alternative is “Here WeGo” it’s by Nokia and offers a similar product to Waze.
 
I used to use Google Maps exclusively, and then I got Apple Car Play.

I've found that with CarPlay, Apple Maps works better and provides better directions and an overall map. I live in DFW, so it could be that they have spent more time perfecting the highways and maps here.

I tried using Google Maps a few times, and it kept giving me bad directions, not recognizing when I was on the toll lanes, missing exits, and re-routing me when I didn't need to be re-routed.

I used Google Maps for a week on Car Play and kept having issues, so I switched back to AM.
 
MisterSavage said:
After Apple Maps gave me disastrous detour instructions I avoided the app for years but now it's improved so much that it's my primary mapping app. The fact that I can have it vibrate my watch while spoken turn by turn directions are off is just wonderful.
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I'm not denying your experience, but the worst directions I ever received were from Google Maps. I live in BC, and the place I wanted to go to was about 45 minutes away. It routed me through a Canada/US border crossing, down to just north of Seattle, WA, a few blocks west, then all the way back to a different US/Canada border crossing and over to where I wanted to go.

I think it estimated it as a 5 hour drive.

I definitely consider that an aberration.
 
I'm not an Android guy at all, but Google Maps has always been overall better. Apple MAPS might be much improved, but their NAVIGATION really sucks! Poor routing and slightly delayed prompts vs Google. Google Maps FTW both domestic and international.

Plus, seamless integration using Google Maps from any web browser to the iPhone Google Maps app every time.
 
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I have been using Apple Maps since it was announced and I haven't looked back. It works for me. I avoid Google apps on my phone as much as possible.
 
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I have never used google maps, except rarely when travelling to another country in a rural area, to confirm whether or not the instructions provided by one map provider are better or same/close to the other.

Its not easy to say for me if google maps is better (it seems it is, form this thread) without using it for some time consistently.

For me, my travel/map needs have been satisfied by the Apple Maps in multiple countries over the years.
 
The correct question to ask is “which is worse”? Both stopped trying to build better products a long time ago.
 
Apple Maps, while highly recommended over Google Maps more recently among my friends and family in the US and EU, is nowhere near good enough in India, even though they have a very large India-based Maps team working on it.

While the directions are somewhat decent, many newer roads and prominent buildings are missing, traffic data is minimal at best, on-route reporting is basic, POIs are severely lacking and entirely reliant on third-party integrations, there's no public transit info, no two-wheeler nav info (huge need), no cycling info (understandable though), no Look Around (Google has added Street View in leaps and bounds recently) and most egregious of all, they take forever to fix any issues or wrong data in listings that are reported. Google Maps in India reviews and fixes stuff or adds details within hours, while Apple Maps takes weeks sometimes.

Waze is such a great option in the US and elsewhere, but it's mostly useless in India as there's not enough adoption to make it worthwhile for its primary use case.

Apple Maps could be great in India eventually, but it will take a long while. For now, given the massive Android dominance, Maps will be dominated by Google for the foreseeable future.

P.S. One of the most useful things Google Maps navigation does in India, given the lack of coherent or generally non-existent street signs, is it calls out a landmark near the turn and says something like "Take a right in 200 meters after Cafe Coffee Day", making it far easier to spot the turn.
 
Here in Italy, both Google Maps and Apple Maps are absolute disasters, giving wrong directions almost every drive I take. The only reliable map directions I've found in Italy, is Waze!
 
ch1ptune said:
Google Maps has more
updated POI information. Apple Maps is superior when it comes to UI and UX, in my opinion. I live in London, use the tube all the time, only use Apple Maps and it’s perfect for me 👌
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I came here to say that it’s superior in every way with its UI and UX. Typography, etc.

There are, however, some extraordinarily frustrating things due to the compass pointing in the wrong direction or street names missing even when you zoom in. Little things that should be fixed. This used to actually be better re the directional finder.
 
ignatius345 said:
I think they're slowly migrating over to their own rating system, but yeah, I don't love that either.
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Yeah, when I read this article, I took a look (I hadn’t tried it in a while) and I noticed, it’s got the thumbs up some down system for various aspects of each business.

Progress?
 
It's funny, for years, one of my friends would poke fun at the fact that I use Apple instead of Google Maps - because, like many others, he continues to assume that Apple Maps can't give you the simplest of directions.

We went on a road trip last summer, and I'll be damned... I let him plug his phone into my car from the passenger seat, and his Google Maps was ALL sorts of discombobulated and giving us issues. 😆

We ended up switching over to AM on my phone, and he sat in silence for a few (probably very upset few) minutes, lol. Saying all that to say... I'm sure AM continues to have its issues, and it surely did back in the day, but I use it every day at this point, and that has never been my case. Even navigating through NYC 🤷🏽‍♂️

I do wish that Apple Maps would integrate Find My and do a better job at acting as a "search" for nearby restaurants and spots. That's my hot take and I'm sticking to it!
 
I use Apple Maps just because of the integration.

Also have HERE WeGo (formerly Nokia / Ovi Maps) installed for the offline functionality - this is the same mapping system that you find on the Garmin standalone GPS units.
 
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I use Apple Maps 98% of the time. I don't see the point in downloading another map app when there is one preinstalled.

I use CarPlay when travelling and Apple Maps hasn't let me down in the thousands of miles I've driven with it nor all the times I've used it to navigate walking or getting public transport in a city I've never been to before.

The only time I use Google is if I need to use Street View because Apple's version of it sucks and isn't available everywhere... or when I'm on my PC because Apple Maps doesn't have a website so I have to use Google.
 
I say this to my clients all the time when they ask about Mac versus PC:

Both you down the road but one feels a whole lot better driving it, especially on curves ;-)

The Mac is more like a BMW and the PC is more like a truck. Both have similar utility, but one feels a lot better using it ergonomically and aesthetically.

This is the same for Apple Maps versus Google Maps.

Google maps is just plain clunky and ugly. And that’s not likely to change since all of their products share that same look, like Gmail v Apple Mail. Night and day difference.
 
brofkand said:
Even today the only thing better about Apple Maps is it's pre-installed. Google Maps is better in every way.
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Not for me. Google's sucks when I use it. Tells me to turn right before I should. Good example.

1) Google's directions:
Turn right at the light.

2) Apple's directions:
Go past the light, then turn right.

If I listen to Google, I'm going the wrong way. Apple is more specific/correct in what it's telling me to do.
 
I WANT to use Apple Maps when driving, aiming to avoid using Goog products, but.... Apple Maps has a tendency to choose the shortest route, irrespective of just how much of a single track road, dirt track or unsuitable road it sends you down. Goog Maps is more reliable so they seem to have a better algorithm. It's a shame...cos Apple Maps integration is second to none, directions etc are clearer, maps look nicer to me but...
 
CharlesS said:
That's just selection pressure. The iPhones that don't have Google Maps downloaded eventually get driven straight into the ocean.
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I have yet to drive into the Great Lake by my house and have been using Apple Maps since day one.
 
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