Apple Maps Finally Doesn’t Suck, and Is Way More Private Than Google

Apple Maps has always been Apple's second-worst app, beaten only by Siri for jokeworthiness. And yet, in recent years, it has gotten not just good, but great.

At launch, Apple Maps was pretty bad for reasons we shall get to. Apple never gave up and slowly improved it over the years, slowly matching Google Maps feature-for-feature and often doing it better. Apple's slick Look Around feature totally dunks on Google's clanky Street View, for example. People are really starting to like it. And Apple's map service has one huge advantage over Google's. You guessed it. It's privacy. 

"Apple Maps is more private, less messy, and has amazing public transit options, which makes it a great choice for those who are concerned about their privacy. Google Maps, on the other hand, has more detailed maps and a larger database of places, making it a great choice for those who need more detailed information," outdoor adventurer Chris Watson told Lifewire via email. 

Stop and Look Around Once in a While

In 2012, Apple Maps got off to a bad start when it was seemingly rushed out to replace Google Maps after a deal between the two companies went sour. At the time, Apple was using Google's map data to power the Apple-made app, and even back then, it complained that Google was harvesting too much data from users.

In those early days, Apple's Maps had problems, from missing to mislabeled places to a lack of basic features like turn-by-turn directions. These features were eventually added, but they were not good. I remember asking the app for a route and seeing immediately that it had added absurd detours, for example. 

And when Apple did add an impressive feature, like the majestic flyover tours of major cities, they were pretty useless for actually, you know, getting around. Things were so bad that Apple CEO Tim Cook made a public apology. 

The problem was that Google's map data was—and remains—much better, mainly because of its lack of respect for users' privacy. 

"Google may use your data, but it allows them to collect and share important information: how busy are the places you want to visit. You can optimize some of your store visits based on the expected peak/offpeak visitor time," Google Maps guru Herve Andrieu told Lifewire via email.

Privacy

Google's business is selling ads, and to do this, it wrings every last bit of public and private data it can from its users to make its targeted ad product more compelling. We already know this. Google tracks us all over the internet. But with Maps, it can track you in the real world too. Not just your location but the places you search for and visit IRL. 

You can supposedly avoid this by signing out of your Google account when using Maps, but if you do this in the iPhone app, it still knows who you are and begs you to log in. I can't be the only person who thinks this doesn't really count as being logged out and that Google could easily track you anyway.

Apple, on the other hand, is all-in on user privacy. 

"Apple has been putting a strong emphasis on user privacy as a differentiator for years now, and Apple Maps continues that trend. It limits the amount of user data collected and aims to keep user locations anonymous, which can be a huge draw for those worried about third parties accessing or selling their location history," Axel Hernborg, CEO of travel website Tripplo, told Lifewire via email. "Especially since Google makes a lot of its money from ad sales and user data."

And Apple has managed to improve Maps massively, even while respecting users' privacy. In some ways, Apple Maps is now even better than Google's offer. It's less of a messy user-interface disaster than Google's offer, for one. Look Around, as mentioned above, is not as comprehensive as Street View, but it looks better and is faster and easier to use. 

Directions, too, are excellent, especially for public transit. I have stopped using the excellent CityMapper app for transport directions because Apple's are easier to use and—again—more private. 

But Google still has the edge in terms of sheer data. In rural areas, Apple Maps may be almost blank, while Google has hiking paths and all kinds of other data. 

"While Apple Maps has made significant strides, Google Maps still has its strengths. The primary reason an Apple user might still opt for Google Maps is its comprehensive data and wider coverage, especially in remote areas or less-developed countries. Google Maps also excels in terms of user-generated content, such as reviews and photos of locations, which can be invaluable for travelers,"  Kevin Groh, creator of the Mellow Stamps chilled travel blog, told Lifewire via email. 

But for most people, Apple Maps is way past being good enough. I rarely use Google Maps now. If I do, it's usually to find a local specialist store in my home city, but then I use Apple Maps to get me there. It's taken a while, but Apple has built a world-class map service. 

Now, if only it could take the time to fix Siri.