Apple Maps vs Google Maps are the two most popular mapping applications. They both have their unique features and benefits. This article (aggregated by Anhdep24) will compare the two apps and see which one is better.
Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: The Main Differences
Availability
Like the majority of the company’s other services, Apple Maps is only available on Apple’s own devices. A walled garden doesn’t mean it’s a secluded place. There is no way to access it if you don’t have an iPhone, Mac, or other Apple product.
On the other hand, Google Maps is ubiquitous and can be found on almost any device. Everything from Android and Windows to iPhone and Mac OS X and even Apple’s CarPlay is available today.
A new phone or tablet may one day need instructions, but your familiarity with the Google Maps app will save the day. Using your Google account to log in also syncs your data, including your travel history and favorite destinations.
No one can match Google’s near-universal availability despite Apple’s many devices, all of which have some type of Apple Map access accessible.
Google Maps comes out on top.
Interface
The graphic presentation of maps on the two platforms differs little at first sight, but this has gotten more pronounced with time. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
Apple Maps
More default destinations are shown on the map using Apple Maps, but the text and icons have been reduced in size. It isn’t always the case that Google Maps has the same default locations highlighted as Apple Maps, and the icons tend to be bigger, brighter color, and more eye-catching. The locations in Apple Maps might be more difficult to comprehend at a first look if you have poor eyesight.
It is possible to look for particular places using Apple Maps’ search box at the bottom of the screen (only iOS devices).
Switching between Map, Transit, and Satellite views and enabling or disabling traffic may be done by clicking the information button in the top right corner. A “Look Around” button (binoculars) just below the information button offers a street-level perspective in big cities.
Finally, the Golden Gate Bridge has been given its symbol by Apple. In the lower right corner, you’ll see the current weather conditions.
Google Maps
Google Maps may have fewer icons at launch, but its design relies heavily on color and contrast to make it seem more vibrant and active.
With a search box and three distinct display modes, Google Maps is similar to Apple Maps in that it features a Default, Satellite, and Terrain mode. It’s possible to turn on and off various levels of data by selecting the “layers” icon. If you’d like to see your home as it appeared when Google first drove by, choose 3D or Street View.
Google Maps has a toolbar at the bottom with tabs for Explore, Commute, Saved, Contribute, and Update, but Bing Maps has no such feature. The Commute page displays the quickest route from A to B, while the Saved tab lists previously visited sites.
In addition, Google Maps provides a list of nearby restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores in the search bar’s recommendation bubbles.
Maps for the iPhone and iPad are identical to those on Google Maps. Access bookmarked locations (also known as Favorites), recent searches, and add particular, frequently-visited sites under My Places by clicking the tab at the bottom of the screen. When viewing maps in Satellite mode, the 3D option is shown.
Both navigation screens are basic, yet each has its unique creative flair. The driving mode is simple for both of those above. If you zoom in or choose the “walk” option, you’ll see additional Apple outlets on the street. Even Yelp reviews aren’t immediately available on Apple’s app, which requires a swipe to get additional information about a place.
In comparison to Google’s satellite view, Apple’s satellite view seems more pictorial and imaginative because of the usage of vector graphics in Apple Maps.
Both applications use current traffic conditions to estimate their arrival time. You know to expect high traffic if you see red, yellow, or blue markers along your route. Alerts of all kinds, from accidents to road closures, may also be shown.
Google makes it a little more obvious by highlighting the estimated journey time in red when it comes to traffic. You can quickly locate what you’re searching for by using Google’s main screen, which includes choices like a compass, directions, and a fast search. You may get more information on Apple Maps, but you must open the information box and press the category to go to it.
Map Design
Apple Maps, like its UI, has chosen a more pared-down map style. Apple Maps offers a lot of data, but it doesn’t show you too much unless you zoom in all the way. On the other hand, Google displays you more information when you zoom in, but it does so considerably earlier than Apple Maps.
Regardless of how you choose to view the map, each option displays the fundamentals. It’s everything there: the roads, the locales, the landmarks. The only major difference is the amount of additional information shown, such as businesses, smaller road names, etc. Similarly, both include a dark option to make driving in the middle of the night easier on the eyes.
More and more redundant but still helpful features like stop signs, crosswalks, and the like have appeared on Google Maps. Turn lanes, buses, taxi lanes, and crosswalks have all been included in iOS 15. In addition, it includes information on complicated highway interchanges that Google Maps already provides.
You can get all the information you need from both applications, but Apple Maps is considerably simpler on the eyes because of its “less is more” design. Having too much information on Google Maps might be annoying when trying to figure out where you are and how to get there.
Apple Maps was the victor in this competition.
Privacy
Because Apple and Google are two very different corporations with very different ideas on data and privacy, you should consider when picking which to use as your default mapper. Having all of your saved locations and customized mapping information in one place is a huge time-saver.
Apple places greater emphasis on privacy than Google does. On your smartphone, rather than in the cloud, most of your data, navigation, and directions reside. As a result, the information you are looking for does not need you to enter your Apple ID.
All of Maps’ data, including search keywords, navigation routes, and traffic data, are linked to “random IDs” regularly refreshed. After 24 hours, Apple uses “fuzzing” to transform the exact places where you begin a search into a more general area. The app will not keep a history of what you search for and where you go.
The search giant is also sensitive to user privacy concerns, so it provides a slew of customizability and control options like Incognito mode.
Navigation
There isn’t much difference between Apple Maps and Google Maps in getting you where you want to go. Both programs keep tabs on your travels, including the amount of time and distance you’ve traveled and your current estimated arrival time (ETA), and the best advice available.
This means that if you need to continue on the highway for another 10 miles, that’s what it will say. But as soon as your time comes around, you’ll be notified.
Using both programs, it’s possible to find out what’s happening on your route, including traffic and road closures. However, none of these applications is as aggressive as Waze suggests other routes if the current one is very busy.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving, walking, biking, or using public transportation; both Apple Maps and Google Maps can provide instructions for all modes of transportation.
Even while Google Maps and Apple Maps both have navigation capabilities, they may vary greatly in terms of how far they diverge from one another.
My home and our London office have similar 51-mile itineraries with an ETA of 1 hour, 13 minutes. This is a good example. Google Maps predicted that I would arrive in 58 minutes, while Apple predicted that I would arrive in 57 minutes.
Both apps didn’t give me much control over the routes. Apple Maps refused to let me go the toll road even though I had allowed tolls in the app. There were no recommendations from Google to take an additional exit off the motorway. As a result, all three potential routes separated immediately after I left the house.
Although the major routes offered by both applications are identical, the secondary routes offered by each app were vastly different.
It makes no difference what kind of navigation system you have; you’ll arrive at your destination in the same amount of time no matter which route you choose.
On the other hand, Google Maps provides the additional benefit of allowing you to plan your route ahead of time. Apple Maps does enable you to add mid-route pit breaks, but they’re mostly for petrol or a quick bite to eat. Routes for picking up your mother and then continuing to your grandparents’ place without beginning a new route are not suitable for this.
Google Maps is also making changes to how it calculates routes to emphasize security while also attempting to reduce fuel usage. There are various elements, including traffic statistics, that it will use to find you a route that is less fuel-consuming and more accident-free but without altering your final ETA too much.
Due to the additional ease provided by travel planning, Google barely wins.
Google Maps comes out on top.
Traffic
Using Google Maps or Apple Maps, you can see whether there are any delays or traffic difficulties on your trip. It doesn’t matter whether it’s road closures, traffic jams, or something else. Naturally, both applications allow you to report issues on the road, such as accidents, speed cameras, or other dangers that can affect travel times.
Due to the availability of Google’s “Commute” tool, the search giant has an advantage in this area. As soon as you’ve entered your work and home addresses into the settings, you may hit commute to estimate your travel time. Your route’s length, important routes you’ll be traveling on, and how congested they are will all be shown. Many alternatives exist if you don’t want to go that path.
Google Maps also allows you to change your departure or arrival time directly from the app, unlike Apple Maps. The Apple Calendar includes a “travel time” function that can achieve the same thing, but it requires setting up a calendar event with the Travel Time feature switched on to do the same thing. It’s convenient in certain situations, but it’s also a cumbersome procedure that might be simplified a little bit.
As well as saving your work and home addresses, Apple Maps also allows you to store additional places. It speeds up generating instructions for sites you often visit, but it adds a few more stages that Google Maps’ Commute does not. Additional historical and real-time data is also to Google’s benefit.
Google Maps comes out on top.
Hands-free control
Hands-free control is essential since you can’t continually touch your phone to do tasks if you’re driving. Although the two apps operate in different ways, hands-free control is available in both Apple Maps and Google Maps.
The built-in personal assistant on every iPhone, Siri, is integrated into Apple Maps. You don’t have to do anything extra to get things up and running straight away. Siri now supports Google Maps, but only if you explicitly tell it where to send the command. Otherwise, Siri will use Apple Maps by default.
As a result, you’ll have to say, “Hey Siri, provide me directions to work via Google Maps,” instead of just asking for directions to work. As an alternative, you may download and set up Google Assistant, or you can toggle voice commands by clicking the microphone button on your screen.
Google Maps and Assistant are pre-installed on Android devices, allowing for immediate use of voice commands. In the absence of Apple Maps, you may still use voice instructions by pressing an on-screen button to turn them off.
Because you’re meant to be focusing on the road, touching the screen every time you want to instruct Maps to do anything is a bad idea. No matter what gadget you’re using, it doesn’t matter.
Due to the seamless integration of all services, using Apple Maps on an iPhone eliminates the effort of downloading and selecting which service to use each time. Because Apple Maps isn’t accessible, Google has an obvious advantage over Android.
The winner was a tie.
FAQ
Do iPhone users use Apple Maps or Google Maps?
The “majority of [US] iPhone users choose Google Maps over Apple Maps,” according to our research and other third-party sources, tweeted.
Which map app is most accurate?
Based on our experience, we concluded that Google Maps and Waze were the most reliable predictors of our route. Apple Maps lagged far behind.
Is Apple Maps good for navigation?
There is a wealth of information in Apple Maps that goes beyond simple navigation and display of user data. Yelp, Wikipedia, Yelp data, and local business data have all been utilized by Apple to enhance the Maps experience for a long time.
Does Google power Apple Maps?
There is no Google Play Store version of Apple Maps, pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Because it’s only available on Apple devices, this software is out of reach for Android users.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to using Apple Maps over Google Maps, including the accuracy of the directions, the sleek design, and the integration with other Apple products. However, there are also some drawbacks to using Apple Maps, such as the lack of public transit directions and the inability to create custom maps.