Apple might be working on a version of the Apple Maps app for Android
Ever since the fiasco surrounding the Apple Maps debut in iOS 6 replacing Google Maps, Apple's navigation platform has been revised from the ground up with the goal of making it as sleek and slick as Google Maps. While Apple Maps is currently available only on Apple devices, the crew in Cupertino also want Apple Maps to be available to drivers and travelers who use devices not made by Apple. For example, Apple Maps is now available in Beta on the internet for use on the Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers by those using a Windows PC.
Apple might even have plans to develop an Apple Maps app for Android according to autoevolution. The latter says that the tech giant might be working on an Android version of Apple Maps but as the site points out, mum's the word in Cupertino as usual. An app for Android users would help put Apple Maps on the same footing as Google Maps and allow it to be a navigation choice for approximately 3.9 billion Android users worldwide.
Apple Maps is still trying to catch Google Maps by adding new features. For example, Apple Maps has just added real-time transit information for Tokyo, Japan. The data provided by Apple Maps covers 20 train, bus, and railway lines in the metropolitan Tokyo area. This will give users the ability to see detailed schedules, arrival and departure times, and delays. Users will also be able to view transfers that will allow the traveler or commuter to see what train or bus to take to continue on to his destination.
Saved Places, a new feature for Apple Maps in iOS 18, allows you to write notes about a location. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Despite this update, Google Maps still holds an edge in useful features over Apple Maps. Even the upcoming iOS 18 update doesn't add spectacular new capabilities for the app. For example, in iOS 18, tapping the "plus" button next to a location's name on its Apple Map listing adds the destination to your new Library menu. This feature is called Saved Places. Once you save a location, you can write a personal note about the place that will pop up every time you look up the destination in Apple Maps.
Also coming to Apple Maps in iOS 18 is the ability to create custom walking routes. And to help hikers, Apple Maps will, in iOS 18, show:
- Topographic maps with detailed trails for all U.S. national parks.
- Offline hikes with thousands of locations built into Apple Maps in iOS 18.
- Custom hiking routes created by the user.
- Notes for trails written by the user that will appear when he returns to the same trail on another date.
So what we can say about Apple Maps is that it remains a work in progress. Personally, I still like the way that Apple Maps uses a landmark such as a stop sign or a traffic light to help me know exactly where to make a turn turn. Google Maps does this more and more but still trails Apple Maps when it comes to this part of navigating users.
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