Apple Maps comes back, trumps Google Maps usage on iOS devices

When Apple Maps was released in the fall of 2012, it was shaky at best, an industry joke at worst.

iOS users, frustrated with Apple Maps, flocked to Google Maps, which included features such as transit directions.

Now, they may be flocking back to Apple Maps.

Over time, Apple has quietly but steadily improved both the usability and reliability of Apple Maps. And with the recent launch of transit direction support in iOS 9, Apple Maps signaled that it was finally ready to be taken seriously. While the notion of Apple Maps as a serious rival to Google Maps was admittedly laughable just a few years ago, Apple Maps today is now more popular on the iPhone and iPad than Google Maps.

Apple has recently cited that its Apple Maps app for iOS is now used more than three times as often as the “next leading competitor”, an obvious allusion to Google Maps. Furthermore, an Apple representative told the Associated Press that Apple Maps now handles more than 5 billion mapping requests each and every single week.

Since its launch, Apple fixed errors as users submitted them as well as quietly bought several mapping companies, mostly for their engineers and other talent. This fall, it added transit directions for several major cities, narrowing a major gap with Google. Apple Maps is now used more widely than Google Maps on iPhones.

While Google still remains the overall mapping leader when it comes to all smartphones, the resurgence of Apple Maps underscores just how valuable the real estate on the iOS homescreen truly is. While more tech-minded folks are likely to have a number of mapping apps on their devices, the average user is prone to simply using whatever app comes pre-installed on his or her device.

Still, three times the user base on iOS than Google Maps, that’s pretty impressive.

As always, let us know what you make of this over in the comments.

Via Boy Genius Report and Associated Press