Having a good navigation system is important to just about anyone. You do not have to be someone who travels long distances. Just getting around every day might require you to have some guide to get to your destination. A lot of people have costly navigation systems or their cars have it built in or they use apps on their smartphones. If you’re not one of those people, you probably heard of Apple and Google maps.
The battle has always been on, and it is time to compare the two – #Apple Maps vs. #Google Maps. Click To TweetEvery app or online tool has its flaws, but you need to decide what you want it to do for you. We all have different needs, and sometimes we prefer different things. This is why you first determine what you want and then decide which one works for your lifestyle. Let’s get right into the two and see who comes out on top.
Highlighting
Every time you think something is going according to plan, someone else comes up with a better idea. This is what Google Maps did on their highlighting feature. If you happen to find yourself in a new area, Google Maps will tell you where an area of interest is. This is a great feature because it’s based on activities for the said area. The orange highlighting that Google offers shows where a lot of action is happening. Apple still needs to come up with something better.
Offline usage
There are times when you do not have any data, or the signal is just terrible. This is especially possible when driving through some rural areas.
With Google Maps, you can download a map for an entire city and use it offline. It is, of course, going to save you a lot of data, but it just gives you peace of mind as well.
Knowing that you won’t get lost when your signal does is a great feature to have. You are going to have to plan your route before hopping into your car, especially when you are in an unfamiliar area.
Street View
It is said that Google Maps is trumping Apple Maps where it comes to street view. The street view on Google is amazing. It gets you right to where you want to view without much trouble. A lot of navigation apps shows you the view from the top, but it does not show you much more. When you are trying to get somewhere, visuals really help a great deal. We are visual creatures and can easily identify a spot by simply looking at a building.
Traffic
We are so lucky that both of these offer navigation time while updating traffic. When you are trying to get to an important meeting on time, you want to be sure that you know where the high traffic areas are. Sometimes there can be an accident on the road or roadworks that cause a delay. You could be reading that funny facebook bio instead of rushing off to the office. Taking delays into consideration is a big deal for many commuters.
Voice integration
You either love or hate Siri, but she sure makes life easier at times. Apple wins with their voice integration which allows you to update or cancel a request while you are driving. This is of course also a safer way to travel as we all know how distracting a mobile phone can be. Simply tell Siri where you are off to and navigation starts.
Navigation screen
This one depends on individuals, but I prefer Google Maps on their navigation screen. Apple Maps has a very streamlined and clean looking screen, but it does miss some important information from time to time. It all depends on how often they update their app to include these missing parts. Some people do not like Google Maps and believe that it has too much going on. This one is a draw because it is based on personal preference.
Privacy
Google Maps has a feature which shows where you travel to often and where you were last. It is helpful when you are trying to get home from a different location. The trick with this is that it can be seen as an unsafe feature.
Apple has a tight privacy policy which does not even require you to log into Maps. If someone had to steal you phone, they could track your last steps and where you often drive to. Of course, if this does not happen, the feature is helpful. It depends on how private you want your travel information to be.
Conclusion
Both of these apps have their highs and lows. One can use Google Maps on Android or iOS, but not the same applies for Apple Maps. Sometimes you just use Google Maps because you have an Android phone. Others have an iPhone, but still prefer to use Google Maps. Once you start getting used to something, it’s easy to just stick with it. Trying out both of these if possible, will soon identify the best option for you. Google Maps are still on top when it comes to a number of users, so that does speak volumes. It could also simply mean that it is more easily accessible.