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Do you use Google Maps or Apple Maps for Driving?

Google Maps or Apple Maps or Something else

  • Google Maps

    Votes: 196 45.6%

  • Apple Maps

    Votes: 148 34.4%

  • Waze

    Votes: 43 10.0%

  • Something else

    Votes: 38 8.8%

  • I don't need a map/GPS to drive

    Votes: 5 1.2%
  • Total voters
    430
marshallbedsaul said:
Dang surprised to see so many on gmaps
Has it gotten that much better ?
I'm a waze user


Btw goggle maps include accidents delays detours ? I commute MD to DC daily -.-
Thank !
Click to expand...
Google owns Waze. Google Maps currently include Waze data on incidents, and will offer to reroute. There are a couple of other advantages as well. The data is more comprehensive and the search far superior. In addition, Google Maps offers lane guidance and better turn descriptions. If you want the social aspect, stick with Waze.

I use Google Maps. I find it offers far superior data to Apple Maps, and with much better functionality (traffic incidents, lane guidance and so on). A good choice for offline navigation when abroad is Here Maps, which has great data (it powers Garmin, Navigon and 80 % of in-car navigation systems). I don't think TomTom and the other for-purchase competitors offer enough value-add to justify the extra cost, as it seems on-par with Google and Here.
 
maflynn said:
I use Navigonm, it works without needing a cell signal, which in a number of occasions has been great. The maps are already downloaded to my phone and as long as I can get a GPS lock, I'm able to get driving directions.
Click to expand...
I have been using Navigon for years both here in the US and also when I travel in Europe. It has consistently worked great and has saved me several times during my travels.
 
I have both Navigon and TomTom apps from years ago when the data networks were still spotty enough to be unreliable for online maps and before Google and Apple really upped their game but I rarely use them anymore except in the rare case when I am outside of coverage zones. I never really used Navigon though because their routing was so atrociously bad - leaving my hometown, not exactly out of the way, it constantly tried to take me via routes that were 10-20 miles longer than necessary.
 
stubbornapple said:
Google maps. I can do more with it, like avoiding tolls in places I'm not familiar with, or transit in the big cities.
Click to expand...

I was using GMaps in day, and Waze at night, because of lack of night mode with GMaps. Google just pasted the night mode code in so I'll probably use GMaps almost all the time now because it's best and finding businesses and such. But for long highway drives I'll probably still usually switch over to Waze for speed trap alerts.
 
I use google maps. If I used Apple maps I'd wind up in the middle of a desert somewhere.
 
Great to see Apple maps has finaly been updated for my area with really good POI information. Will have to try this out again.
 
I've been using Apple maps a bit more recently. When wearing sunglasses I have trouble seeing some of the roads with google maps. Also Google maps is too bright at night (admittedly I haven't looked for a night mode option).

Also for walking directions I've been using Apple maps. I absolutely love that it will vibrate in my pocket letting me know it's time to do something. However I don't see a compass option WHILE using the walking directions which suucckkkkssss. You can walk for a considerable distance the wrong way just trying to get your bearings. There should definitely be a compass arrow on screen when using navigation while walking like Google. Even if it has no bearing on navigation, just to let you know you are looking in the correct direction.

It's almost like both apps are required to get the best of both worlds. If I could take the good from Apple maps (integration, color schemes) and the good from Google (traffic, POI, etc) and sprinkle a little Waze on top we'd have an app that would kill any other nav system.
 
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I tried Google maps again after a long break (I'd stopped using them several years ago when the screen would black out on long interstate trips if you didn't interact with it). As expected, POIs are much better than Apple maps, I like the graphics better especially the lane guidance. Dark mode didn't kick in for me though even though I have the latest version - it was still blindingly white at 8:45pm. But the number 1 reason I'm not going back to it is an intermittent bug that occurs about 25% of the time I use it - on certain trips, even on a long straight stretch of interstate driving it will announce "Continue on I-xx for the next xx miles" EVERY 1 MILE! Its very irritating. I notice that the "Rerouting" gray bar appears every 1 mile as that happens. I've killed the app and restarted as well as done a hard reboot of the phone - it still comes back after a while. And its not a hardware problem because Apple maps and Waze get a GPS lock and hold it with no problems.
 
I alternate between Apple Maps & Waze, but have also used Google Maps & TomTom iOS app.

Some observations:

Apple Maps >
+ great and clean UI, good routing options
- inability to ask specifically for a toll-free route, no lane guidance, poor POI catalogue compared to competition

Google Maps >
+ excellent POI catalogue, Waze report integration, lane-assist and toll-free routing
- the UI is not as good, seems harder on system resources (the phone heats up more)

Waze >
+ ability to check the traffic conditions in nearly real-time
- popping up ads, poorer UI, at times takes really obscure roads

TomTom >
+ good and clear UI, various routing options, network signal-independent, so almost instant re-routing even without any coverage
- paid app, real-time traffic updates are also a paid feature

Safe journeys!
 
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I use Google Maps, but to be honest, I can't remember the last time I used Apple Maps. Maybe I ought to see if they've improved.
 
I've always been a fan of Google Maps. The lane guidance is a critical feature that makes a huge difference for me.

Apple Maps, despite all the improvements, is still behind IMO.

I've never used Waze, but some friends have and seem to like it. May have to give it a try.
 
cynics said:
I've been using Apple maps a bit more recently. When wearing sunglasses I have trouble seeing some of the roads with google maps. Also Google maps is too bright at night (admittedly I haven't looked for a night mode option).

Also for walking directions I've been using Apple maps. I absolutely love that it will vibrate in my pocket letting me know it's time to do something. However I don't see a compass option WHILE using the walking directions which suucckkkkssss. You can walk for a considerable distance the wrong way just trying to get your bearings. There should definitely be a compass arrow on screen when using navigation while walking like Google. Even if it has no bearing on navigation, just to let you know you are looking in the correct direction.

It's almost like both apps are required to get the best of both worlds. If I could take the good from Apple maps (integration, color schemes) and the good from Google (traffic, POI, etc) and sprinkle a little Waze on top we'd have an app that would kill any other nav system.
Click to expand...

I retract this. I've been using Google and Apple side by side since this post, and while the directions will vary and sometimes come down to preference Apple maps has been messing up big time.

If I miss a turn it will wait until it's taking me about 15 minutes out of the way before it finally recalculates the entire route. Or I'll go the way I know is best and it will recalculate to my route and the arrival time will drop. Meaning it knows it's a faster route to begin with!

I can replicate this going home from work every day. It will try to put me on the highway and if I drive passed it it will recalculate 9 minutes shorter. 9 minutes on a 35 minute drive!! What the hell.

I would never know how much time, fuel and money it was wasting if I didn't know the area.
 
What's kind of nice for me lately is using google maps and the turn indications came on apple watch
 
As a commercial driver I tried them all and Waze always comes out on top. Especially with NYC traffic, one wrong turn can put you in hours of traffic. Also in NYC Waze has a huge user base with all the uber and cab drivers so you get fast traffic updates. It has a clean simplistic UI which can be changed unlike Google. Ability to report hazard, police, potholes and such is cool. Has the option to lock screen on unlike Google.

Google is second but offers way to much audio information they don't simplify it. Ex. A exit sign that has excessive wording Google will read the whole sign instead of abbreviating it like Waze. Some positives Google uses zip codes unlike Waze. Google will give you a picture of you destination. Google will tell you if your destination is on the left or right.

If Google can find a way to implement all the good stuff from its maps into Waze well then it would be game over.
 
Google Maps.

80% of the time Google Maps and Apple Maps will both get you to your destination in about the same time (i.e., no difference between the two). But it is the other 20% of the time where Google sets itself apart. On a few occasions, I've had Apple Maps drive me around in circles, or send me in the wrong direction, but I have never had a problem like that with Google Maps.

As others have mentioned, Google now owns Waze and they incorporated all of the Waze traffic and incident data into Google Maps (e.g., the routing around traffic and accidents).
 
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Lol, backwards through a round about then wrong way on a one way?

image.jpg
 
KenAFSPC said:
Google Maps.

80% of the time Google Maps and Apple Maps will get you to the right place in about the same time. But it is the 20% that differentiates the two. I've had Apple Maps drive me around in circles, or send me in the wrong direction, but I have never had a problem like that with Google Maps.

As others have mentioned, Google now owns Waze and they incorporated all of the Waze traffic and incident data into Google Maps (e.g., the routing around traffic and accidents).
Click to expand...

It was 80% four years ago. Now I'd guesstimate about 96% perfectly accurate, and 99% of the time very close. This is because of the BRILLIANCE, and sheer BALLS of deciding to put in the hard work, and investment, and resources and brain power to physically drive every inch of pavement, on the entirety of our planet, record and store all of it, then somehow stick it all in a little app on my phone. For free. Yes I know they track me. Whatever.
 
I use both (and sometimes HERE Maps, because I have offline maps downloaded on another device). Google Maps has more data. One time I was visiting covered bridges scattered about in a rural area. Google Maps was able to provide me with directions to each bridge, while Apple Maps had nothing.
 
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