Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google Maps is generally considered the number one mobile navigation app, dominating this space on Android and iPhone.
But a Google executive admits that Google Maps struggled on the iPhone, especially after Apple replaced the application with Apple Maps as the default choice on its smartphone.
The change happened in 2012. At that point, Google Maps was the dominating name in the navigation space, so Apple was using it as the default choice on the iPhone. With the Cupertino-based tech giant investing big in Apple Maps, it decided to give up on Google Maps and equip the smartphone with its own software.
Google Maps continued to be available as an optional download from the App Store, but Google's data shows the service struggled to convince users to switch.
Michael Roszak, Google's vice president for finance, revealed in an email submitted to a supervisor in June 2020 that Google Maps usage was only 40 percent of the level before Apple went all-in on Apple Maps. The data was collected two years after the switch, showing that Google Maps lost more than half of its users once the application was no longer the default option on iPhone.
The revealing was made as part of an antitrust trial started by the Justice Department against Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Google used the data it collected from the Google Maps drop on iPhone to estimate how the search share would be impacted if Apple replaced Google with a different search engine in Safari. Google is accused of paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars to maintain its search monopoly on mobile devices.
The competition between Apple Maps and Google Maps has become even fiercer in the next years, with the iPhone maker now considering the service integral to its long-term strategy. Apple Maps is being updated with EV capabilities, and Apple plans to use it for more advanced routing that'll include battery range estimates, charging stations along the route, and other capabilities to address range anxiety.
Apple Maps will also power the navigation capabilities of the upcoming Apple Car. Apple is working on an electric vehicle whose debut could happen in 2025 or 2026. The vehicle will use the service to look for routes to the destination and to search for charging stations when the battery range drops below a level that allows the driver to arrive at a selected address.
iOS 17 debuted earlier this month and includes offline map support, allowing Apple Maps users to navigate without an Internet connection. The option has been around for several years in Google Maps, but Apple Maps offers additional functionality, including support for walking, cycling, and public transportation in offline mode. iOS 17 is available for the iPhone XS and newer.
The change happened in 2012. At that point, Google Maps was the dominating name in the navigation space, so Apple was using it as the default choice on the iPhone. With the Cupertino-based tech giant investing big in Apple Maps, it decided to give up on Google Maps and equip the smartphone with its own software.
Google Maps continued to be available as an optional download from the App Store, but Google's data shows the service struggled to convince users to switch.
Michael Roszak, Google's vice president for finance, revealed in an email submitted to a supervisor in June 2020 that Google Maps usage was only 40 percent of the level before Apple went all-in on Apple Maps. The data was collected two years after the switch, showing that Google Maps lost more than half of its users once the application was no longer the default option on iPhone.
The revealing was made as part of an antitrust trial started by the Justice Department against Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Google used the data it collected from the Google Maps drop on iPhone to estimate how the search share would be impacted if Apple replaced Google with a different search engine in Safari. Google is accused of paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars to maintain its search monopoly on mobile devices.
The competition between Apple Maps and Google Maps has become even fiercer in the next years, with the iPhone maker now considering the service integral to its long-term strategy. Apple Maps is being updated with EV capabilities, and Apple plans to use it for more advanced routing that'll include battery range estimates, charging stations along the route, and other capabilities to address range anxiety.
Apple Maps will also power the navigation capabilities of the upcoming Apple Car. Apple is working on an electric vehicle whose debut could happen in 2025 or 2026. The vehicle will use the service to look for routes to the destination and to search for charging stations when the battery range drops below a level that allows the driver to arrive at a selected address.
iOS 17 debuted earlier this month and includes offline map support, allowing Apple Maps users to navigate without an Internet connection. The option has been around for several years in Google Maps, but Apple Maps offers additional functionality, including support for walking, cycling, and public transportation in offline mode. iOS 17 is available for the iPhone XS and newer.
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