Apple Maps is gradually conquering Google Maps users, the report suggests

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iPhone users are finding more and more reasons to choose Apple Maps over Google Maps, with some customers praising its clear transit directions and visually appealing design.

That’s according to anecdotal reports compiled by the (paywalled) Wall Street Journal. While Apple Maps comes pre-installed on all iPhones, the vast majority of iPhones in the US have Google Maps downloaded as an alternative, according to Canalys.

But that hasn’t stopped some users from being particularly impressed with how far Apple’s transit route information has come. The app is often recommended by users for its cleaner look compared to the cluttered design of Google Maps.

For example, Jane Natoli, a Google Maps “power user,” told WSJ that she finds herself using Apple Maps more in her day-to-day life after her iPhone prompted her to use it in Minneapolis-St. . Paul International Airport. The app knew you were at the airport and offered recommendations for shops and restaurants in your terminal. She had clearer information that was easier to interact with than Google Maps, the 42-year-old said.

“It made me revisit and rethink some of my previous assumptions about it,” Natoli says. “Whatever initial reputational hurdle Apple Maps faced, I think it has overcome them.”

Outside the airport, Natoli likes the Apple design and finds directions easier to read, especially street names. On Google Maps it’s sometimes hard to figure out the street name no matter how zoomed in, he says.

“Google shows me restaurants and bars and other things, but I’m not necessarily looking for that,” she says.

A recent Georgia Tech grad shared a similar sentiment. At night, while driving, he said he finds the streets are easier to look at on Apple Maps and that there are fewer points of interest cluttering his vision than he does. “Apple is really good at making things look good,” he told the outlet.

Apple Maps launched in 2012 and was quickly criticized for having incomplete and inaccurate mapping data, leading some iPhone users down dangerous paths. Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a rare public apology for the frustration he caused customers, and then iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted just a month later.

Since then, Apple has made significant improvements to Apple Maps, integrating new features and fixing persistent errors. Live 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 local points of interest and transit directions in a handful of cities.

In early 2020, Apple completed a comprehensive overhaul of its US maps, with significantly greater detail including updated building clusters, parks, sports fields, swimming pools, and more. A new Look Around feature in select cities is similar to Google’s Street View, and updated maps have since rolled out to more countries. In iOS 17, coming this fall, users will be able to download maps for offline use in Apple Maps, something Google Maps users have been able to do for some time now.

Praise for Apple’s offering is by no means universal. One user told WSJ that she was often sidetracked by Apple Maps as she walked around Boston, while another user said her experience with Apple Maps via CarPlay had often added time to her commute by taking her through neighborhoods with stop signs in the attempt to avoid traffic jam.

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 taken notice,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s chief software officer, during WWDC in June. Are you more or less likely to use Apple Maps these days? Let us know in the comments.

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