Nokia pulls Here Maps from App Store, claims Apple's iOS 7 harms user experience

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited February 2014
While pointing the finger squarely at Apple, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has chosen to remove its Here Maps app from the App Store just over one year after the app's debut.

Here Maps


When asked to explain the move, a Nokia spokesperson said only that the company had "made the decision to remove our HERE Maps app from the Apple App Store because recent changes to iOS 7 harm the user experience," according to the Indian Express, which was the first publication to notice the app's disappearance. Nokia's representative did not elaborate on exactly what changes the Scandinavian company's maps unit disagreed with.

Users of Apple's iOS devices can still use the Here Maps service via their web browser, with search, routing, orientation, transit information all made available in the web interface free of charge.

Here Maps first hit the App Store in November of last year in the turbulent aftermath of Apple's flawed in-house mapping service rollout. The app included offline caching, voice-guided navigation, and public transportation guidance.

Then-Nokia CEO Stephen Elop heaped expectations on the service when announcing its expansion outside of Nokia's devices, saying that "with Here we [Nokia] can bring together Nokia's location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world."

Despite the unexpected removal, Nokia's iOS mapping effort outlasted Elop -- the executive moved to Microsoft in September of this year after the Redmond, Wash.-based company's acquisition of Nokia's hardware and services divisions. Here Maps was not included in the takeover and is now one of Nokia's largest remaining business units.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 52
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Okay, Nokia.

  • Reply 2 of 52
    greybeardgreybeard Posts: 20member
    I installed "Here Maps" some while ago, just to see what it is and how it works. I was really disappointed, it didn't do its job at all. So I think it is was not Apple's iOS fault, it was absolutely pointless app. To be honest I didn't expect such a rubbish form Nokia...
  • Reply 3 of 52
    hydrhydr Posts: 146member
    MSFT O Yeah...
  • Reply 4 of 52
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    hydr wrote: »
    MSFT O Yeah...
    Microsoft has nothing to do with HERE. That piece is staying with Nokia post acquisition.
  • Reply 5 of 52
    bsenkabsenka Posts: 801member
    I don't know what difficulties Nokia had specifically, but the app definitely does not function properly in iOS 7.
  • Reply 6 of 52
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,499member

    I wonder if the HERE division has any good mapping assets for Apple to buy.

  • Reply 7 of 52
    pdq2pdq2 Posts: 270member

    Blah, blah, blah.

     

    It didn't sell.

     

    Sour grapes.

  • Reply 8 of 52
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    ROFLMAO.

    Our software gets exposed at sucking, and it's all Apple's Fault.
  • Reply 9 of 52
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    What Maps? Who?

     

    Nokia, you sorta mattered like 7 years ago. Beating your chest about your nearly-unknown mapping service - and how it does or doesn't function on the best consumer mobile operating system on the planet - won't push you any further out of irrelevance. 

     

    Additionally, mentioning your name *with* Apple in the same breath, *won't* give you even 1/1000th of Apple's cachet or star-power. Sorry.

  • Reply 10 of 52
    jameskatt2jameskatt2 Posts: 722member
    Nokia can't do software. Simple. This is why their smartphone business died.
  • Reply 11 of 52
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,927member
    Nokia had plenty of time to update the app for iOS 7. Its failure to do so is its own fault.
  • Reply 12 of 52
    bnz v3bnz v3 Posts: 35member

    Let me get this straight.....

     

    There are other mapping apps? 

    These mapping apps work as they "should"?

    This is Apple's fault?

     

     

    I'm done now.

  • Reply 13 of 52
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Strange. Here maps worked just fine until last week. Meaning, it works as it always has, but it's certainly not the greatest maps app. But since last week dragging makes the screen flicker, and zooming in or out makes one dizzy. To blame iOS7 is stupidity to the max as it used to work. Maybe it isn't compatible with a point update from Apple, but that would be really awkward.
  • Reply 14 of 52
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member

    While I can't say that iOS 7 is the best thing for developers, I do have to say that Nokia can't just blame Apple. Sure they could say they don't want to have to update their app for iOS 7 and stuff like that, but really? It's not that hard unless you have no clue how to write apps in the first place (likely the problem)

     

    I think this is simply sour grapes. Apple comes out with a new operating system and forces developers to update their software to remain relevant. This is obviously not something in Nokia's DNA ;)

  • Reply 15 of 52
    winstein2010winstein2010 Posts: 401member
    Well, under iOS 7, the Here app is very jerky, the map would not snap to the right zoom level, the screen does not redraw correctly.
  • Reply 16 of 52
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    jkichline wrote: »
    While I can't say that iOS 7 is the best thing for developers, I do have to say that Nokia can't just blame Apple. Sure they could say they don't want to have to update their app for iOS 7 and stuff like that, but really? It's not that hard unless you have no clue how to write apps in the first place (likely the problem)

    I think this is simply sour grapes. Apple comes out with a new operating system and forces developers to update their software to remain relevant. This is obviously not something in Nokia's DNA ;)
    Why is iOS 7 bad for developers?
  • Reply 17 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    greybeard wrote: »
    I installed "Here Maps" some while ago, just to see what it is and how it works. I was really disappointed, it didn't do its job at all. So I think it is was not Apple's iOS fault, it was absolutely pointless app. To be honest I didn't expect such a rubbish form Nokia...

    Same here. Tried it once and found the UI underwhelming.
  • Reply 18 of 52
    curtb87curtb87 Posts: 10member

    iOS 7 harms user experience my a**. I tried Here Maps on my iPhone when it was first released, it was awful.

  • Reply 19 of 52
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,927member
    rogifan wrote: »
    Why is iOS 7 bad for developers?
    For some Devs, Change and laziness.
  • Reply 20 of 52
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,418member
    The Nokia here app sucks on iOS. However [B]Trapster[/B] is pretty awesome for its purpose, and it uses "here"... note the logo in the screenshot below.

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/36626/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
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