Apple Maps has been providing navigation directions to Apple users for almost 13.5 years, and the app has changed a lot in that time. But according to data from Canalys, the vast majority of iPhones in the US still have Google Maps pre-installed as an alternative to “Apple Maps,” which comes pre-installed on all iPhones. We want to hear from readers MacRumors. What would you choose to get you from A to B?

Launched in September 2012, Apple Maps was quickly criticized for providing incomplete and inaccurate map data, causing some iPhone users to take dangerous routes. Apple CEO Tim Cook made a rare public apology for customer disappointment, and iOS chief Scott Forstall was fired just a month later.

Since then, Apple has significantly improved “Apple Maps” by adding new features and fixing old bugs. Real-time traffic information and pedestrian navigation options were added to Maps in 2013; This was also the year Maps was expanded for OS X. In 2015, Maps was updated with the Nearby feature, which suggests local points of interest and public transportation routes. several cities.

Apple completed an overhaul of its United States maps in early 2020, adding significantly more detail, including updated buildings, parks, sports fields, swimming pools and more. The Look Around function is similar to Google Street View in some cities, and the updated maps have since been rolled out to other countries. In iOS 15, Apple introduced immersive walking routes displayed in augmented reality, tailor-made guides for certain cities, real-time transit updates, and more road details for better navigation while driving. iOS 16 has multi-hop routing. And in iOS 17, Apple made it possible to download maps for offline use, something Google Maps users have been able to do for a long time.

Have Apple’s incremental improvements been enough to make it the equivalent of Google Maps in the eyes of users? Of course, Google developers did not sit idle while watching the gradual development of “Apple Maps”. Google has introduced several improvements aimed at enriching the user experience with advanced AI technology and more immersive visualization tools, and has even taken a few leaves from Apple’s book.

One of the latest major updates in this regard is the Immersive Route View, which provides a full preview of the user’s journey, whether they are driving, walking or cycling. Launched last year, the tool combines billions of Street View images and aerial photos to create an advanced digital representation of the world, allowing users to visually navigate bike lanes, sidewalks, intersections and parking lots along their routes. It also includes a dynamic time slider that shows how conditions such as air quality and weather change throughout the day, helping users plan their trips more accurately.

Another important development is the integration of Lens into Maps, an evolution of Live View and Search. Using artificial intelligence and augmented reality, Lens in Maps helps users find their way in a new place by providing information about nearby amenities like ATMs, transit stops, and restaurants. Since then, the feature has expanded to more than 50 cities.

Google Maps also released an update to make navigation maps better reflect real-world conditions. These include more detailed and realistic images of buildings and improved lane guidance on motorways. Google Maps also offers information about charging stations for electric vehicle owners, including information such as compatibility, charging speed and expiration time.

Despite these simultaneous improvements to Google Maps, their cumulative effect hasn’t stopped users from seeing just how far Apple’s navigation guidance has come. According to anecdotal reports, users are increasingly recommending this app for its cleaner look compared to Google Maps’ more complex design.

Perhaps thanks to its disastrous launch, “Apple Maps” still has a bad reputation among some users, but Apple’s ongoing efforts to improve the app appear to have helped change some of those views. “Maps have come a long way, and people have noticed,” Apple chief software officer Craig Federighi said at WWDC 2023. Do you use “Apple Maps” more or less today? Let us know in the comments.