5 Features That Make Google Maps Better Than Apple Maps

Despite Apple insisting on Apple Maps on multiple fronts, many iPhone users switch to Google Maps for navigation on either the smartphone or CarPlay.

The iPhone maker is trying to make Apple Maps more advanced by adding new features, including 3D navigation and a new city experience with more detailed maps. This didn’t stop users from switching to Google Maps, especially as some of them were looking for certain functionality not available in Apple Maps.

Offline maps

Google Maps allows users to navigate without an Internet connection using the support for offline maps. This way, the maps used for navigation can be downloaded on the device, and when a data connection is no longer available, the application maintains the route guidance uninterrupted.

Google Maps can update offline maps regularly using a Wi-Fi connection.

Apple Maps does not sport offline maps, and as a result, it can’t offer route guidance without an active Internet connection.

Using Apple Maps in places with spotty cellular reception is, therefore, quite a challenge. This is also a major drawback on devices with limited data plans. As such, replacing Apple Maps with Google Maps is often the only way to go.

Satellite maps during navigation

I don’t know about you, but satellite maps are a must-have for me when navigation is enabled in my car. Satellite navigation makes it easier to follow the route and figure out which way to go.

Apple Maps does provide users with satellite maps, but they aren’t supported for navigation. When you configure the navigation to a certain address, Apple Maps returns to the default map layer, thus disabling the satellite maps.

Google Maps offers satellite maps both for exploring the world and for navigation. Furthermore, the same feature is also available on Android Auto and CarPlay, and satellite maps are also offered for the navigation mode in the Dashboard mode for iPhone users.

It’s not yet known if satellite maps for navigation are on the roadmap for Apple Maps.

Fuel efficient routes

Fuel-efficient routes in Google Maps allow users to navigate to a destination by reducing the carbon footprint of their vehicles and cutting fuel consumption.

The eco-friendly routes are displayed in the preview screen alongside the fastest suggestion, therefore letting users choose how they want to navigate. In some cases, they are longer than the fastest routes, but eventually, drivers would be able to save gas by using them.

They take into account additional factors, including the road incline and the engine type.

Apple Maps lacks such functionality and instead provides users only with the fastest route to a defined destination.

Traffic reports from Waze

As a Google-owned application, Waze ended up becoming a valuable source of traffic information for Google Maps.

In some cases, Google Maps imports certain traffic data from Waze, such as accidents, to provide users with alerts as they drive.

Apple is trying a different approach. The company has updated Apple Maps with support for incident reporting similar to the crowdsourcing engine bundled with Waze. This means users are allowed to send traffic reports, but compared to Waze, the options are very limited.

Apple users can only send reports about accidents, traffic reports, and other hazards. The adoption of this feature is also making very slow progress, so finding traffic reports in Apple Maps is something less common.

Global availability of all features

Eventually, what makes a big difference in the comparison between Google Maps and Apple Maps is the global availability of new features.

Apple has indeed developed a set of new-generation features for Apple Maps, but the rollout to users across the world is happening very slowly. The new city experience was announced in 2020, but three years later, it’s only available in a handful of regions.

On the other hand, the new features announced by Google for Google Maps typically roll out at a much faster pace. The eco-friendly routes needed less than a year to reach the global availability phase.

Eventually, Apple Maps can eventually become a worthy alternative to Google Maps, but the first thing Apple needs to improve is how it releases new features to users. Then, the company must listen to its community of users and determine the top requested features.

Not offering certain features doesn’t make much sense. The lack of support for satellite mode navigation is uncanny, especially because satellite maps are already available in the app.

On the other hand, Apple Maps has the potential to offer more advanced navigation. The 3D mode that’s currently offered to users in select regions could help the application gain market share, especially if the availability is improved at a faster pace both for all its users on iPhone and CarPlay.