Google Maps launched for the iPhone and iPod Touch yesterday and has become the most popular app on the App Store in just 7 hours of becoming available. It's currently the number one app on the App Store.
The new Google Maps app, no longer built into iOS natively, can be downloaded for free from the app store. The app includes turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions and Google Street View. The app also brings voice-based, turn-by-turn driving instructions and live traffic information from across the world.
Apple had decided to remove the Google Maps app, along with YouTube, potentially over the spat between the two companies. Apple Maps promised users turn-by-turn navigation with voice, something that Google’s app was lacking. However, when Apple Maps made it to the users, it was, to put it nicely, a fiasco. Incorrect directions, horribly disfigured 3D views of buildings and roads, not to mention, Apple Maps' complete inability to map anything in India. Read How to get lost? Use Apple Maps.
Google Maps making it to iOS 6, is the biggest thing to happen to iOS 6 since the iOS 6. It would seem like there is no reason to now hold back from upgrading to the newest version of the OS. We recommend watching this space for our brief hands on with the mapping app. Users who wish to get great navigation back to their iPhones can download Google Maps for iOS 6 here.
We also have our review of Google Maps for iOS live. Put simply, Google Maps for iOS 6 is quite a sigh of relief. It’s everything we had wanted from a mapping app, accuracy and functionality, all packed into a neat, simple user interface. Our only beef is that it runs a little slow on our iPhone 4, but it would run just fine on the new iPhone 5 (which the app is compatible with). You can rear our complete review of Google Maps for iOS along with a comparison with Apple Maps here.
