I've been using Apple maps almost exclusively. It works well without turning me into a 'product' for the data miners to buy.
The one missing thing I'd like to see in Apple Maps is an ability to download maps for offline use. There are places I occasionally go to that don't have cell coverage, which can turn Apple maps into a blue dot on a generic grid. There's an app called "Magic Earth" that I currently use to fill the gap, and it does work reasonably well. It also has this rare statement under App Privacy in its App Store listing: "Data Not Collected; The developer does not collect any data from this app." Magic Earth works in Car Play, too, so I definitely recommend it. I just wish that capability was available in Apple Maps, since that's my default map program.
When I was given an iPhone8 (my son’s cast off), I tried Apple maps but soon found it near useless. It would only allow one stop A to B and no ability to save or share. I threw it away and never looked at it again (iMaps not the iPhone). The only frustrating part of Google maps on iPhone is that on iPhone it is 'designed' NOT to give a total distance for a multi stop Journey. Very crucial information, if you are on a long motorcycle journey and need to plan fuel stops. But you can overcome this by sharing the map in Firefox browser or other and it will show you the total journey distance. Chrome knows you are on an iPhone, will show you a total distance but ditch all the stops but the first three stops, if you edit in Chrome it will shorten the route to only the third stop. Whereas in Firefox you can edit a full 10 stop journey and send it to your iPhone open it in Google Maps. Strange what these companies do just to annoy their customers. I don’t know why as Google are making megabucks off all the businesses and advertisers.
So I read that iOS-16 maps app now provided ‘multi stop’ journey capability. So upgraded just for that and gave it a go.
Apple iMaps does in fact now allow multi stop route planning and gives a ‘total distance’ over the number of stops, up to 13 Yay!!. As of 15 Feb 2023, that’s where the improvement ends. Boo!!
1/ If you plan a multi-stop journey in iMap, you cannot save the route anywhere. At least Google you can share the route to Notes as a link for recall later, or in a browser and bookmark it. And in browser you can save to your Google account.
2/ If you click GO then need to edit the route, you “End Route” and are sent right back to the start, NOT back into the editor with all your stops still there. So if you loaded 13 stops and want to make a change, END ROUTE and you need to re enter the entire route. So jumping in and out of Navigation to make route corrections is impossible and FRUSTRATING. In Google maps if you EXIT you are sent back one step to the editor, and you can remove a stop while in Navigate mode if you want to.
3/ Sharing iMap with other users can only be done on Air Drop AND only a single stop at that. So if you are on a group motorcycle ride on a multi stop route you cannot share it. Google maps you can send and share the hyperlink by whatever means to another user to open in their Google map, text works fine.
Apart from the lack of a total distance in iPhone, Google maps. still has better overall functionality.
Comments
The one missing thing I'd like to see in Apple Maps is an ability to download maps for offline use. There are places I occasionally go to that don't have cell coverage, which can turn Apple maps into a blue dot on a generic grid. There's an app called "Magic Earth" that I currently use to fill the gap, and it does work reasonably well. It also has this rare statement under App Privacy in its App Store listing: "Data Not Collected; The developer does not collect any data from this app." Magic Earth works in Car Play, too, so I definitely recommend it. I just wish that capability was available in Apple Maps, since that's my default map program.