Apple Maps
Apple's built-in mapping and navigation app for iPhone, Mac, CarPlay and the web.
Liked for clear turn-by-turn driving directions12 and for routing that some find better than Google Maps in their area.345 The most common complaints are weak business and place data678 and a growing number of ads.910
Why people recommend it
Turn-by-turn navigation · 3
Commenters say its driving directions, visuals and spoken prompts beat Google's.
“I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation”
“Apple Maps does driving directions way better in general”
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“This is why I use Apple Maps and thankfully in the Bay Area it’s more than at parity, it’s frankly better”
Beats Google locally · 3
Some users find it better than Google Maps where they live and have switched.
“Around here (Long Island, NY), it's far better than Google Maps, and I use it all the time.”
“This is why I use Apple Maps and thankfully in the Bay Area it’s more than at parity, it’s frankly better”
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“My brother-in-law switched to Apple Maps for similar reasons: he's finding it simply gives better results nowadays.”
Sensible routing · 2
People who switched cite Google's pointless or risky detours as the reason.
“This is why I switched to Apple Maps.”
“My brother-in-law switched to Apple Maps for similar reasons: he's finding it simply gives better results nowadays.”
Accurate estimates · 2
Users call it reliable and accurate for timing on drives.
“Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).”
Trails and terrain · 2
Commenters say it often handles hiking trails and geographic labels better than Google.
“For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior.”
Calendar integration · 1
One user says it works well with addresses saved in Calendar.
“occasionally Apple Maps (works well with addresses in Calendar)”
Caveats and dissent
Weak POI data · 3
Users still rely on Google for businesses and reviews, and report wrong place data.
“I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation”
“it's great”
Show 1 more
“Apple Maps for navigation (though I rely on Google Maps for reviews)”
Ads and monetization · 2
Commenters complain about ads and Apple's push into paid services.
“Do you not use the same Apple App Store, Apple Maps, and Apple Podcast apps I use? The ads are becoming a real problem.”
“the increasing monetization and push into services are a bigger issue imo.”
Siri destination search · 1
Voice navigation through Siri in CarPlay can pick wildly wrong destinations.
Regional quality · 1
Quality may vary by location and is reportedly weaker in rural areas.
“Around here (Long Island, NY), it's far better than Google Maps, and I use it all the time.”
Offline map expiry · 1
Downloaded offline maps disappear after 30 days.
“only problem is: apple offline maps last 30 days then disappear.”
Rough edges · 3
Users cite a useless Guides feature, slow unlocking while navigating, and poor built-in clustering for developers.
“The “Guides We Love” feature in Apple Maps is my a great example of this. When I first saw it I was appalled by its complete uselessness.”
“I switched to apple maps because of some egregious privacy violation by google maps”
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“I found that the built-in AM clustering truly sucks, so I wrote my own.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Inception-style curved map for turn-by-turn directions 3 mentions
- The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion 2 mentions
- Ads on Apple Maps 2 mentions
- New 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M6 1 mention
- New Apple TV 4K 1 mention
- Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy 1 mention
Data: apple-maps.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 23
“I don't even use GPS any more, since I trashed Apple Maps”
“Do you not use the same Apple App Store, Apple Maps, and Apple Podcast apps I use? The ads are becoming a real problem.”
“I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation”
“it's great”
“This is why I use Apple Maps and thankfully in the Bay Area it’s more than at parity, it’s frankly better”
“Around here (Long Island, NY), it's far better than Google Maps, and I use it all the time.”
“the increasing monetization and push into services are a bigger issue imo.”
“occasionally Apple Maps (works well with addresses in Calendar)”
“Apple Maps does a better job at this.”
“My brother-in-law switched to Apple Maps for similar reasons: he's finding it simply gives better results nowadays.”
“This is why I switched to Apple Maps.”
“Apple Maps, which I find accurate”
“Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).”
“I found that the built-in AM clustering truly sucks, so I wrote my own.”
“For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior.”
“discovered why so many people hate it”
“only problem is: apple offline maps last 30 days then disappear.”
“Apple Maps does driving directions way better in general”
“Apple Maps for navigation (though I rely on Google Maps for reviews)”
“I switched to apple maps because of some egregious privacy violation by google maps”
“So I use Apple Maps, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, and Google Maps”
“The “Guides We Love” feature in Apple Maps is my a great example of this. When I first saw it I was appalled by its complete uselessness.”
“displays the next turn information from Apple Maps”