4 things Apple Maps does better than Google Maps

Google doesn’t offer a feature like this. You can certainly ask for directions using transportation, and these directions will take arrival times into account. You can also get a list of arrival times if you click on a particular bus stop, which is useful in some circumstances, but you can’t just get a quick list of upcoming arrival times at all the stops near you, which is better if you’re trying to choose between multiple options. Google will probably steal this feature, since it’s really nice to have.

Integration with Apple’s ecosystem

I’m a fan of absurdity Apple shortcutsthe automation platform built into Apple devices. For example: I added a “Save Parking Spot” button to my phone’s home page. I couldn’t create a shortcut like this for Google Maps because Google doesn’t offer any kind of Apple Shortcuts integration. And this is just one example of how Google is not doing its best to integrate with Apple’s ecosystem.

Then there are the built-in integrations into Apple’s apps and features. By default, the Calendar app on my Mac and iPhone opens Maps when I click on an address. By default, Siri uses Maps if you ask for directions. If an Apple app provides directions, it will work through Apple Maps. You could call this unfair, sure, but Google does the same thing on Android. Google Maps is closely integrated with the rest of the company’s mobile operating system, and this integration can make life easier for people who use those native services.

It’s just a cleaner

Courtesy of Justin Bott

Over time, Google Maps added more and more things to it. Nothing makes this more apparent than opening both apps and noticing the contrast. Apple Maps has fewer toolbars, fewer buttons, and in my opinion, the georeferences displayed on the map itself are more likely to be useful (probably because, unlike Google, fewer of them are paid ads).

Now, I’m hardly the first person to suggest that Apple’s app is better than Google’s, and I’ll be the first to admit that the extent of that difference is subjective. But I think Apple’s design does a better job of staying out of your way, which is important when you’re just trying to get around.

Pointing out these things does not imply that Google Maps does this nothing Better than Apple Maps. Google has a huge head start when it comes to information about companies, for one thing, and even a decade later Apple hasn’t caught up. I noticed this in particular during my recent trip to Peru, where Apple Maps was basically useless. I’m sure people will reach out to me to point out other things Google does better, and that’s a good thing. I just mean to say that Apple Maps is pretty good now and that I actually find it better than Google Maps in some ways.

If you haven’t tried Apple Maps in a while, I recommend you do so. You might be surprised.