UPDATED: Google Maps for iOS 6 NOT ready to go, says Schmidt. Apple off the hook?

Gerald Lynch Apple, Google, iPad apps, iPhone, iPhone apps, Tech Digest news
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apple-maps.pngApple’s latest operating system upgrade brings with it a raft of new features, including improvements to the Siri voice activated assistant and deep Facebook integration. But for many, it’s becoming defined by what it has removed: Google Maps.

iOS 6 replaces it with Apple’s Maps. Using TomTom mapping data, it looks impressive (especially its 3D Flyover function), but in the UK at least it’s proving severely hamstrung by numerous mistakes. Whole towns are listed miles away from their actual location, streets and villages are missing, closed down stores and amenities are still present and place names suffer from plenty of spelling mistakes. Also, there’s no feature to match Google Maps’ terrific Street View option.

As a result, many users are hoping that Google will get the chance to put an iPhone app back onto the App Store. And according to 9to5 Mac, Google already have “an updated iOS6 version of the Google Maps app […] submitted to Apple.”

But will Apple ever approve it, now that they have their own rival service? The sometimes draconian App Store approval service is already a stickler for many app developers, and Google have already been made to suffer in the past (it took a year for Google Voice to be approved).

In Apple’s defence, they’ve uncharacteristically held their hands up and admitted their Maps service is a work in progress that will improve over time. Apple’s Trudy Miller told the Wall Street Journal:

“Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn-by-turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

But for many new iPhone 5 owners and iOS upgraders, it seems a few frustrating months of shoddy mapping lie ahead of them.

UPDATE – 25 September

Oh, the turning tides of the tech industry. It seems now that Google are denying that they’ve submitted a maps app to Apple.

According to Reuters, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has dismissed rumours of a Google Maps iOS 6 app waiting in the wings.

“We have not done anything yet,” revealed Schmidt to reporters in Tokyo.

“We’ve been talking with (Apple) for a long time. We talk to them every day.”

Perhaps it’s in Google’s interests NOT to submit the app for a while? If ever there’s been great PR for Google Maps in recent times, it’s now, and if for the time being it’s locked down to Android devices as a native app, that can only help the fortunes of Google’s own mobile platform.

Gerald Lynch
For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv

28 comments

  • this article fails to mention one of the most annoying aspects of apple’s maps – it reroutes to another (barely useable, paid, inaccurate) app entirely to map bus routes. what a pain in the @$$, this is the first time I have ever actually considered ditching my iphone for an android. what are you doing, apple??

    does anyone know how to revert to iOS5?

  • this article fails to mention one of the most annoying aspects of apple's maps – it reroutes to another (barely useable, paid, inaccurate) app entirely to map bus routes. what a pain in the @$$, this is the first time I have ever actually considered ditching my iphone for an android. what are you doing, apple??

    does anyone know how to revert to iOS5?

  • Try zMap, it use Google Maps with location and route search and works on iOS6http://itunes.apple.com/app/zm…

  • I’ve been thinking about getting an Xperia for a while now. This pretty much made up my mind for me.. Thanx guys..

  • I've been thinking about getting an Xperia for a while now. This pretty much made up my mind for me.. Thanx guys..

  • My love affair with Apple has just ended sadly, with the installation of iOS 6.
    Apple maps are crap, unless they add a google app very quickly iPhone and iPad are out of the window, hello Android.

  • My love affair with Apple has just ended sadly, with the installation of iOS 6.Apple maps are crap, unless they add a google app very quickly iPhone and iPad are out of the window, hello Android.

  • The Apple Maps App is pants! I live in the UK and it doesn’t even have the street where I live in it! The satellite images are completely unusable. For me, the main usage of the Maps App is to walk on foot or ride on mountain bike off the normal roads, on footways, bridle paths and bikeways. These not only do not show up on the maps, but the satellite images are so poor you cannot even identify a town, let alone a footpath going through it! Completely and utterly useless!
    Apple should allow users to download and use the old Google-based App at least until they have a viable alternative!

    • I’m on the look out for a tablet, and I too use a mountain bike off-road across fields, footpaths etc. and wanted Google Maps to help plan routes; I was just about to buy an iPad on the day iOS 6 was released, then I read that Apple got rid off Google Maps, oh Apple you lost me then.

  • The Apple Maps App is pants! I live in the UK and it doesn't even have the street where I live in it! The satellite images are completely unusable. For me, the main usage of the Maps App is to walk on foot or ride on mountain bike off the normal roads, on footways, bridle paths and bikeways. These not only do not show up on the maps, but the satellite images are so poor you cannot even identify a town, let alone a footpath going through it! Completely and utterly useless!Apple should allow users to download and use the old Google-based App at least until they have a viable alternative!

    • I'm on the look out for a tablet, and I too use a mountain bike off-road across fields, footpaths etc. and wanted Google Maps to help plan routes; I was just about to buy an iPad on the day iOS 6 was released, then I read that Apple got rid off Google Maps, oh Apple you lost me then.

  • I use iphone and ipad 3 for gps navigation and as i live in a regional area and quite often travel to remote locations use Google Maps as a cross check for the paid gps services. (The gps services are quite often wrong. Removing Google maps from IOS six really presents a problem for me as now i cannot rely on having maps from different vendors to cross check against. The tom tom maps for my location are not very good. Way to go apple, unitl this is resolved do i have to go back to paper maps to cross reference against ?

  • We got the iPads to work from, as mobile engineers they worked great but IOS 6 has spoilt it, the maps which we used daily are now rubbish, no street view blurred images. We as a company have just cancelled our upgrade to iPhone 5’s and will now source other options to replace the iPads as well. How apple can dismiss such an important app like they have is beyond belief, and to say they that it will get better is a joke. Make it better sack Tom Tom and go back to google you know it makes sense.

  • Been waiting for iPhone 5, but now going out to buy a Samsung phone with Google Street view built in, iOS6 sucks!
    My iPad now seems obsolete too!

  • I use iphone and ipad 3 for gps navigation and as i live in a regional area and quite often travel to remote locations use Google Maps as a cross check for the paid gps services. (The gps services are quite often wrong. Removing Google maps from IOS six really presents a problem for me as now i cannot rely on having maps from different vendors to cross check against. The tom tom maps for my location are not very good. Way to go apple, unitl this is resolved do i have to go back to paper maps to cross reference against ?

  • We got the iPads to work from, as mobile engineers they worked great but IOS 6 has spoilt it, the maps which we used daily are now rubbish, no street view blurred images. We as a company have just cancelled our upgrade to iPhone 5's and will now source other options to replace the iPads as well. How apple can dismiss such an important app like they have is beyond belief, and to say they that it will get better is a joke. Make it better sack Tom Tom and go back to google you know it makes sense.

  • Been waiting for iPhone 5, but now going out to buy a Samsung phone with Google Street view built in, iOS6 sucks!My iPad now seems obsolete too!

  • What are Apple doing?? The new Map has no street view at all, or I cannot find it?
    It’s the reason I bought my I pad2.
    Like other if this is how Apple treats its customers by degrading its products with so canned upgrade, I will scrap mine.
    Anyone know if its possible to go back to the old system??
    Bill

  • Trudy Miller’s quote is hardly Apple holding their hands up. There’s no apology for just how abysmally terrible their maps is, they are just essentially saying ‘it’s not a finished product and we’re using you guys as guinea pigs while at the same time offering you no viable alternative.

    • I feel as if my iPad generation 3 has been downgraded – IOS6 is laggy and on my iPad at least, unstable with some apps not working at all. The loss of decent Google mapping for UK users is a disgrace that Apple should apologise for and allow for a Google mapping upgrade as soon as possible to replace their utterly dreadful TomTom powered mapping app. I think I will go and buy a Samsung Note 10.1 (despite its lower res display) to try and return some functionality to the reason why I bought a tablet in the first place, and throw my iPad in the skip!

  • What are Apple doing?? The new Map has no street view at all, or I cannot find it? It's the reason I bought my I pad2.Like other if this is how Apple treats its customers by degrading its products with so canned upgrade, I will scrap mine.Anyone know if its possible to go back to the old system??Bill

  • Oh dear. I love my iPhone but i am now seriously considering the alternatives unless Apple approves the Google Maps App.

    • Android is great, it does most of the things an iPhone can do and it has Google Maps preinstalled. Also it got updated yesterday with 3D effects!

  • Trudy Miller's quote is hardly Apple holding their hands up. There's no apology for just how abysmally terrible their maps is, they are just essentially saying 'it's not a finished product and we're using you guys as guinea pigs while at the same time offering you no viable alternative.

    • I feel as if my iPad generation 3 has been downgraded – IOS6 is laggy and on my iPad at least, unstable with some apps not working at all. The loss of decent Google mapping for UK users is a disgrace that Apple should apologise for and allow for a Google mapping upgrade as soon as possible to replace their utterly dreadful TomTom powered mapping app. I think I will go and buy a Samsung Note 10.1 (despite its lower res display) to try and return some functionality to the reason why I bought a tablet in the first place, and throw my iPad in the skip!

  • Oh dear. I love my iPhone but i am now seriously considering the alternatives unless Apple approves the Google Maps App.

    • Android is great, it does most of the things an iPhone can do and it has Google Maps preinstalled. Also it got updated yesterday with 3D effects!

Comments are closed.