TRANSPORT - MAPS & ROUTES - 12.11.2012

Exit Google Maps? Use an alternative!

Google Maps has been replaced by Apple Maps in iOS 6, the latest version of the operating system for the iPhone and iPad. YouTube has gone as well. What are the alternatives?

Apple Maps

Apple has integrated several new functions into its operating system iOS 6 (http://www.apple.com/uk/ios) for smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, Google Maps has been replaced with Apple’s own Apple Maps. It offers spoken directions and lets you see cities from the air in interactive 3D views via the Flyover feature. Unfortunately, it’s been launched a bit prematurely and still contains lots of errors and omissions. The quality of the satellite pictures isn’t always up to the mark either, and some streets are simply missing. New features such as 3D satellite views are available for big cities only (and then mainly in the US). Finally, there’s no alternative to the popular Street View on Google Maps.Note. When you upgrade to iOS 6, the Google Maps app will be replaced with Apple Maps automatically, and it’s impossible to revert to the previous version! So if you have an iPhone or iPad equipped with iOS 5, you’d better wait a couple months longer before upgrading until Apple Maps has remedied its teething problems. If you own a new iPhone 5, iOS 6 will have been pre-installed, and if you buy a new iPad now, chances are that it will be running iOS 6 already.

Alternatives to Apple Maps

So what do you do if you have iOS 6 and want an alternative to Apple Maps? Google is currently developing a Google Maps app for iOS, but it’s not clear yet when it will be available. Note. For its own Android system, it is already offering a much more advanced version of Google Maps. Still, you can simply surf to Google Maps (https://maps.google.co.uk) in Safari on your iOS 6 device. Tap OK when you’re asked to enter your current location. Next, tap the arrow at the bottom of the browser and select Add to Homescreen. An icon will appear on your homescreen, like a “real” app. In your browser, Google Maps shows its standard maps and satellite pictures, while you can also get directions (but no spoken instructions). To open the Street View of an address, tap on the “figure” icon at the bottom. Note. The Google Maps site itself is slower than a real app, as all data has to be retrieved online.

Gmap app?

As said, Google doesn’t offer an app of its own, but there are several other Google Maps apps made by independent developers. The problem is that although Apple allows these apps, it often removes them from the App Store. A good one is the free GMaps (http://www.mac-and-i.net). For the Street View function, tap the icon at the top left and drag it to a spot on the map. This will instantly produce the Street View image, in which you can start navigating. You can also add layersshowing public transport, traffic information, the weather and 360° photos. You can search for a location by opening the right-hand panel and typing an address. On the downside, the autocomplete function doesn’t always work as well as in the “old” Google Maps app, and you can’t import contacts.

YouTube

YouTube has also disappeared from iOS 6, but Google does offer a YouTube app (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/youtube/id544007664). Unfortunately, it comes with lots of ads and it runs only on the iPhone. The mobile YouTube website (http://m.youtube.com) is a better alternative.

In iOS 6, simply use the Google Maps website as an alternative to the missing Google Maps app, or even better, install the free gMaps app. For YouTube, the mobile website is an ad-free alternative.

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