I’ll stick to Apple Maps

After years of using Google Maps, Apple Maps seemed like a more attractive alternative.

If you had told me a few years ago that I was going to write this article, I would not have believed it. For years, Google Maps was the app I used most often for navigation: complete, with a neat interface (though usability could be improved) and some reliability in calculating routes. Everything remains like this: Maps are a great option for getting to your destination.

However, within a year I use Apple Maps, both on your mobile phone and in the car using Apple CarPlay. Over these months, at least in my experience, I have found that it calculates some routes better, and to this we must add improvements in the interface and usability that have won me over. Here are the reasons why I switched to Apple Maps.

Apple Maps is my new ally

Google Maps still leads the way when it comes to offering alternative modes of transportation, but there are some details in Apple Maps that won me over. The integration of 3D maps is a big advantage.: We can not only see where we are going, but also know exactly what the entire environment around us is like.

This is a feature that Google Maps is exploring in beta, and it’s sure to work great. But at least for now, Apple has won the race against Maps in this regard.

If we use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, we can easily compare the interface of one application and the other. For me, 3D navigation matters. Additionally, the directions themselves in Apple Maps are sometimes more complete. As you can see in the image above, it anticipates exits from roundabouts and lanes a bit, and the way it displays arrows is more accurate.

Another aspect I like most about Apple Maps is the interface: the basics are closer at hand. In Google Maps, if we want to load maps of a region, we need to slide the options bar. In fact, I know people who don’t know that this panel is movable, because the interface is somewhat confusing: there seem to be only three options.

In the Apple Maps application, we just need to write the region we want to go to, and a button to download maps will appear right next to the route. These are small details that save us a few seconds, but they are valuable.

Another thing I appreciate most about Apple Maps is its simplicity. Over time, Maps has evolved into more than just a navigation app: it shows us news about places we’ve been, offers, review integration, etc.

Apple Maps is much simpler: it also has images and reviews, but it is Tripadvisor integration, There are no different sections in the application.

. Some may find this an inconvenience, but in my case I prefer the app to remain what I think it is: a browsing app.

The final reason to use Apple Maps, much more important than the interface itself and simplicity, has to do with the navigation app’s key: Indications. For some reason, Maps has been giving me very inaccurate directions lately, especially when I want to avoid highways. I am a biker, and national and secondary roads are my shepherd.

A fairly simple example is the desire to travel from Granada to Marbella. It is quite obvious that, even without using highways, you can get there from the coast. Google Maps, at least on my phones (I have quite a few), doesn’t match up. In both cases, by avoiding motorways and allowing tolls, Maps does not show a coastal alternative.

This amounts to just over 2 hours of travel. becomes a 4 hour journey (almost the same kilometers, but a completely different route. This is a case of a route that I know well, but… what happens if I want to follow the route through places that are unfamiliar to me? Cases like this make me not trust Maps. In fact, this Quite curious because Waze, the app that uses Google Maps, doesn’t make these kinds of mistakes.

In my case, Apple Maps turned out to be a great ally when combined with Waze, which I still consider the best navigation app. Regardless, when I need simple navigation without a lot of notifications, Apple Maps has managed to completely replace Google Maps in my cars.

Image | Hataka

In Hatak | The death of the Apple Car is the perfect opportunity for CarPlay. All set to surpass Android Auto