Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: A Comprehensive Comparison
Hey everybody, Myke here. Navigation apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps primarily take you from point A to point B, but they offer much more nowadays. For instance, you can bookmark your favorite restaurants, save places you want to visit, check out reviews, and even look at photos of the food and menu beforehand to ensure you're going to the right place. So, which one's better: Google Maps or Apple Maps? I know there are other apps like Waze, but I'll focus on Google Maps and Apple Maps because they are the most popular.
First, let's talk about UI/UX. How do these apps look, and how do they function? On each app's home screen, they look very different. Apple Maps emphasizes the bottom portion of the app, where your thumb typically is, while Google Maps places the search bar and shortcuts at the top. Another option concerning these two is difference in the number of buttons on the screen. Google Maps has a few buttons that help you discover what's around you with a quick tap, whereas Apple Maps requires you to tap 'search' to reveal these features. This pattern continues on the navigation screen. Google Maps provides much more information, including street names and shortcuts, while Apple Maps offers a more simplified view with fewer buttons.
Granted, the buttons on Google Maps are quite useful. For example, to stop navigation on Google Maps, it's just one tap of the big red button, whereas Apple Maps requires two taps. To add a stop, it’s one tap on Google Maps and two taps on Apple Maps. To start navigation, it's two taps on Apple Maps and one tap on Google Maps. Apple emphasizes form over function, preferring a cleaner look even if it requires more effort from the user. However, Apple Maps excels when it comes to details; you’ll see trees, lane lines, crosswalks, bus lanes, and bike lanes when you zoom in. This can be a powerful tool for exploring a route or your town.
In terms of UI/UX, I give Apple a point for the better user interface and Google a point for the better user experience, making it a tie at one to one.
Voice commands are crucial for any navigation app. On Google Maps, you’ll hear directions like “turn right in 100 feet.” In contrast, Apple Maps provides context clues, such as “turn right after the stoplight,” which feel more intuitive. Thus, Apple wins this round, making the score two to one in favor of Apple.
What about the actual navigation? Which of these apps gets you accurately to your destination quickly and reliably? When Apple Maps launched in 2012, it was unreliable and often provided incorrect directions. Google Maps launched in 2005, giving it a seven-year head start. However, Apple Maps has improved in a way that it sometimes provides better directions than Google Maps. In my area, Apple Maps has given me better routes twice. For instance, Google Maps had me go past my exit, make a U-turn, and then turn right into my destination, whereas Apple Maps had me turn left off the expressway into the parking lot directly. This varies by region, so leave a comment about your experiences. I'll call this a tie, making the score two to two.
Next, let's discuss research and information. When checking out a restaurant's profile, both apps provide useful information like hours, phone numbers, and distance. However, Google Maps dominates here. Apple Maps outsources reviews from Yelp, offering only a few photos, and requires you to leave the app to view more. Google Maps provides many photos, categories like food photos, exterior and interior photos, and menu photos, all within the app. You can also search reviews for specific items and see how busy a place is. Thus, Google wins this round, making the score three to two in favor of Google.
Now, let's talk about discovery. How easy is it to find a new restaurant or coffee shop? Apple Maps offers guides from various publications, while Google Maps has a feed of user-contributed photos. However, I prefer using categorization and filtering. Both apps actually offer categories and filters to narrow your search. Apple Maps has a handy Apple Pay toggle, useful for places like food trucks. Overall, Google’s built-in photos and crowd-sourced reviews make discovery easier, giving Google the point and making the score four to two in favor of Google.
Regarding the social aspect, you can easily share places via SMS on both apps. However, Google wins here as it is cross-platform compatible, available on Android, iOS, Mac, and PC. Thus, Google gets the point, making the score five to two in favor of Google.
For bookmarking and creating lists, Google Maps displays your bookmarks on the app itself, which can get cluttered, but you can hide them easily. Apple Maps calls them 'guides.' You can create guides for your favorite places. Google Maps allows sharing lists with friends for collaboration, which is useful for planning trips. I'll call this a tie, keeping the score at five to two.
Now, let’s discuss bonus features. On iPhone, you have the Find My Friends app for location tracking, which is separate from Apple Maps. Google Maps integrates location tracking directly into the app, allowing you to see where your friends are on the map. Google wins this round, making the score six to two.
Another great feature of Google Maps is 'Timeline,' which shows where you went each day, how you traveled, and more. This is useful for remembering places you visited or tracking work-related commutes for tax purposes. Apple Maps lacks this feature, so Google gets another point, making the score seven to two.
Apple Maps has some underrated features, such as displaying your map on the lock screen during long drives, saving battery life. Its Street View, introduced in 2019, allows you to switch lanes and engage a split-screen view for better navigation. However, Google Maps offers offline maps, which Apple Maps does not, giving Google another point and making the score eight to two.
In conclusion, with a final score of nine to six, Google Maps wins as the overall best maps app. However, Apple Maps is improving with each update and adding competitive features. Some people use both apps for different reasons, such as Apple's intuitive voice commands and better graphics. Leave a comment with your thoughts on which app is better in your region and if Apple Maps will ever catch up.
Regards!
