iPhone 5: Alternatives to the Apple Maps app

The iPhone 5 is a lovely piece of kit; there is no denying that. Slimmer, better, faster, lighter, the self-styled ‘best thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone’ has been snapped up by Apple fans worldwide since its release.

It takes better pictures than ever before, it can order your food, you can watch TV shows and play a multitude of games, but Apple’s latest iPhone - and operating system - has come under fire for its rather shoddy Maps app.

Prior to the latest update to the operating system - iOS6 - Apple iPhones had enjoyed an integrated Google Maps app that got you from A to B with minimal fuss and was used by a large portion of iPhone owners.

However, Apple sprung a surprise with the launch of iOS6 by revealing that not only would they be doing away with the integrated YouTube application, but they were also providing their own Maps app instead. Given Apple’s commitment to high-end products and software, many might have expected the replacement Maps app to follow suit - however, a multitude of well-publicised problems with the app have led to widespread criticism, culminating in Apple CEO Tim Cook releasing an apology via the company website, and taking the unusual step of suggesting short-term replacements whilst they improve their own Maps app.

Apple and Google go their separate ways?

The partnership between Apple and Google was an immensely powerful one - but something soured the working relationship and led to the two firms drifting apart. Speculation is rife that Apple was getting increasingly wary of the amount of data Google was sourcing from the original iPhone maps application whilst Google was keen to be more involved in the app, asking for advertising opportunities and the chance to do more than just provide the background data, which Apple refused.

Apple was keen to implement voice-guided instructions on its original app for obvious reasons, but Google’s continued development of its Android platform, one of the iPhone maker’s main rivals, led to its relationship with Apple becoming increasingly fractious.

Although the decision to replace the Google native maps app was relatively unexpected, Apple’s purchase of several mapping companies over a three-year period in the lead-up to the release of iOS6 suggest that perhaps the move to a Google-free phone has long been the plan. The purchase of Placebase (a mapping company) in July 2009 was followed up with the July 2010 takeover of Poly9 (a Canadian company providing high-resolution imagery which shares similarities with Google Earth) and the acquisition of C3 Technologies (which produces 3D renderings of images) in October of last year.

The combination of those three components gave Apple a good grounding in producing an in-house version of Google Maps, and although it has suffered numerous problems, it is the latest in a number of moves that suggest Apple might be seeking to sever ties with Google entirely. Apple cancelled its contract with Google to use their native Maps app with a year left to run in order to use their own app - and Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, joined in the criticism of the replacement app saying: ‘In my opinion, it would have been better to retain our maps.’

Schmidt added that there wouldn’t be a specific Google Maps app on the iPhone soon, but Google did post a blog detailing how iPhone users could access a stripped-down version of Google Maps through mobile internet.

The executive chairman stressed that Apple remains a ‘very good partner’ of Google and that the ‘two companies are literally talking all the time about everything.’ Google will still be making money from its partnership with Apple, so don’t expect things to end anytime soon.

Alternatives to the Maps App

So what of the alternatives? Tim Cook suggested a number of short-term replacements (yes, even Google Maps) while Apple try to deal with the many errors in their Maps app. High-profile errors such as initially labelling Stockholm north of its actual location, marking now-defunct shops on various streets (Bethnal Green Woolworths, for instance) and the much-reported instances of streets and bridges appearing distorted (this apocalpytic vision of New York City sums it up rather perfectly).

Whilst we’ve used Apple’s Maps app with very few issues - we were only told to turn left into a non-existent street once, and managed to avoid any detours into the sea - we’ve also tried out some alternatives - including some of the apps suggested by Tim Cook - in a bid to see if there is anything out there worth using.

1. Waze (free)

This is a crowdsourced app, feeling a bit like a social network for travelling, which offers realtime traffic updates and alerts you to potential delays, construction work, hidden speed cameras or road accidents. We tried out the app on a test journey and weren’t disappointed. We keyed in our starting point and our destination, and were given a suggested route by the app and an estimated time of arrival. A quick glance told us where there was roadworks, and where the traffic was slow-moving. When we took a detour to avoid the roadworks, the app realised this and adapted its directions to suit the new route. Waze’s voice-guided instructions meant we were able to place the phone on the passenger seat and not have to touch it during the drive. Although it doesn’t list local businesses, for getting around from A to B this app really is one of the best out there. Don’t be fooled by the slightly cuddly design though; Waze is very much a serious contender.

Rating: * * * *

2. Maps+ (free*)

Well, this looks and feels a bit familiar. Maps+ makes use of Google Maps, and allows the user to pick and choose what functions it wants, including route-plannning, location services and pinning key destinations or locations on the map. It also gives you the option of selecting driving, cycling or walking as your mode of transport. The Google Maps mobile site offers this but Maps+ is far nicer to use. The detail is far greater than that of the Apple Maps function and to be perfectly honest, this is the one we’d choose as a short-term replacement. It’s by no means perfect, but compared to its rivals, it’s streets ahead.

Rating: * * * *

* Also includes a £1.99 optional in-app purchase to unlock ‘key features’

3. Bing (free)

We wanted to like this app. It looks nice, and we’ve seen a lot of praise for it. For us though, Bing is simply too cluttered to be properly effective. That’s not to say it isn’t worth downloading - for some people, this will be ideal, but the DIY feel to it makes it seem like a little bit too much hassle. The homescreen offers images, videos, maps, news, weather, directions and local businesses - but it would be nice to have this incorporated into one thing rather than several individual elements. Credit to Bing for what they’re trying to do but there’s a feeling that it’s trying too hard to be too many things at the same time, and as a result, levels out at ‘reasonable’ for all options rather than aiming for ‘very good’ for the important aspects - in this case, maps and directions.

Rating: * * *

4. Google Maps mobile site

It is possible to ‘appify’ web addresses on mobile platforms by creating a shortcut to the page on your phone’s home screen, which is what people wishing to make use of the Google Maps mobile site might want to do to save time. As with pre-iOS6 phones, the interface is largely similar, allowing users to map out routes and get directions, whilst labelling key buildings and features of the surrounding area. The only gripe we have is that it’s a bit stripped down from the original native app. We know nothing’s perfect but the initial app had few glitches, and we found the mobile site version very fiddly and slow to update - and with Maps+ on the up, it would seem pointless to plump for this rather than an actual app when both do the same thing, more or less.

Rating: * * *