iOS users of Apple Maps or Google Maps: Why do you prefer one over the other?

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Privacy concerns have me using Apple Maps over Google Maps
- Exactly. Chrome > Safari. Gmail > iCloud. Google Maps > Apple Maps. Google Search > Duck Duck Go. I basically eradicated the Google virus from my devices. Except from YouTube, but set all tracking and personalized ads to “Nope”. I’m shown the most generic ads, and YT have no idea what to suggest me sometimes, but that’s what I prefer.
  
  Install vinegar, found in the app store, watch ad free YouTube though your phones safari browser.

I use apple maps if I'm actually using it to get me some where as I find it more visually pleasing and like that it stays on my lock screen instead of having to open it to view it.
I use Google maps if I need to see what's close by in terms of restaurants or coffee or if I'm DJing a multi stop trip as I find that feature easier to use in Google maps.
- Yeah this sounds like me. I like the UX of Apple Maps if I know where I’m going. Generally I find it easier to read, especially things like street names and highway names. If I’m looking for a new place however, google has way more data for search and reviews

I generally prefer the UI of Apple Maps (Google is way too cluttered), but Google has much more complete review data, hours, and menus, so I usually end up using Google.

Apple Maps has been handling my needs well enough the past few years that I no longer have Google Maps installed.

I use Apple Maps because it’s not Google.

Google Maps for business search, Apple Maps for directions.

Apple Maps has never steered me wrong, and I like how it pings my Apple Watch so I don’t have to even look at the screen.
Plus no on-screen ads, like 3rd party apps do.
- Same here, though it drives me mad that I somehow still haven’t memorized the tap type for each direction

I like Apple Maps while driving because it’s better integrated with my digital cluster/CarPlay and voice prompts are simpler and easier to understand (at the next light turn left vs in 500ft turn left at main St.) other than that, I do majority of my searches with google maps and often use google to double check routes!
- I don’t know about you, but the sound quality of the voice on Apple Maps is way better than Google through CarPlay.
  
  Ah I hardly have the voice on unless I’m somewhere unfamiliar! Otherwise it’s usually on alerts only!

Apple Maps vibrates my Apple Watch when a turn is coming up, and a different pattern depending on the turn. I much prefer that to voice announcements interrupting my music or conversation, and I can’t rely on myself to constantly keep an eye on the map on CarPlay.

Where I live, Apple Maps and Google maps are basically at feature parity for what I care about. Directions, traffic, ETA, public transportation. So I'm using Apple Maps because fuck Google.
Sometimes I feel compelled to use Waze when there is heavy traffic and/or when I know there would be speed traps on the way, but it's propensity to suggest absolutely atrocious directions just to "save" 2 mins (and I always end up losing much more than that) is the worst.

Google Maps is just too good in my country and Apple lags behind by a lot.
But lately I have been using Apple Maps while I walk to and fro office as it supports turn by turn directions on Apple Watch.
E: I wish Google Maps supported Apple Watch.

AppleMaps. I prefer the integration with my watch and being able to have my screen off and auto activated as I’m getting close to the next step.

Apple Maps for 90% of my trips, though that’ll be 100% with iOS 17 and offline maps.
The voice prompts are so much better in Apple Maps. I feel comfortable in an unknown area, and that’s important to me.

Google maps 100%. I live in Canada and if I search “sushi” in Apple maps it brings up restaurants in fucking California. Also it’s directions suck here. Google maps works as you’d expect it to.
- I’m curious as to the last time you tried it? Apple Maps is a heck of a lot better than it used to be.
  
  My wife uses it and it still gives us issues

Google Maps. The reason is not living in the US. Apple Maps is a complete joke over here. Like, it’s at least a decade behind. Roads and residential areas newer than that simply don’t exist, it constantly suggests making illegal turns, and searching for places is just sad. Results are places in different cities and in the US.
- Surprisingly enough I live in EU country and Apple Maps is as precise as it gets. All streets are constantly updated, even major roadworks are added almost instantly.
  P.S. I live in a small EU country, not Germany or France

For me it’s simply inertia with google maps. I’m not terribly partial to be honest. For my partner, it’s more leftover bias against Apple Maps from their rough start.

Google has made me dislike them, I’ll try to always use an alternative.

One of them showed the speed limit first.

Google maps are absolutely atrocious in Sweden.
Tried to find a spot my brother-in-law was camping at from the position he sent last week. After parking and walking for an hour, we switched to Apple maps instead, and surprise! There’s an impassable stream between us!

Apple Maps for default/system integration. I like that  maps doesn’t have too my ads at the moment, but this is supposed to change.
Google Maps is better for traffic data and it’s "live map" (basically any information that relies on to the minute information).
It should be noted that Google Maps shows ads in places on the map, which isn’t bad, but it is supposed to be getting worse. I use Prolific.ac, and they keep running crowdsourced surveys which shows Google Search and Google Maps with even more ads than they already have.
- Google Maps is better for traffic data and it’s "live map" (basically any information that relies on to the minute information).
  This is it for me. 95% of my usage of maps is while I’m driving, and I need live data so I can be rerouted immediately if there’s a sudden change of traffic ahead, or if I take a wrong turn or exit.

When the mapping data is good enough I prefer apple maps.
In the country I am currently working neither google maps or apple maps is a good option as things changes so quickly. Restaurants etc is still good to get from google maps though. I use waze here.
But if I go to a far enough on main road I still try apple maps to drive somewhere close, it integrates well with my car through carplay

Waze!
- Which is basically google maps with a couple extra features. In my utterly unscientific, purely anecdotal study I’ve found the traffic and routing data to be better at avoiding traffic and providing more accurate arrival times. This data was collected over a long diving vacation where my wife and I both had maps up (me:waze, her:Amaps) and about two thirds of the way through in asked her why her Waze was giving her different (and substantially shittier) directions than on my phone (both are iPhones). When I looked at her phone it clearly wasn’t using Waze. She didn’t realize she had defaulted back to Apple Maps.
  I don’t mind Apple Maps, generally, and the watch integration, like everything else, is excellent. But I mostly hate how ugly my Apple Watch is and rarely wear it anymore.
  
  I think you adequately expressed my sentiments. 🙂

If I have a specific destination, I use Waze most of the time. Knowing where 5-0 is hiding is invaluable.
If I am searching an area for something then I will use google most of the time.

I found Google tends to get things like construction updates more quickly

I generally use Google maps. I want to switch to Apple Maps, but there is no web version that I can use. Google has both an app and a web version.
Trying to use Apple Maps where possible, but it’s a tough habit to break.

I always used Google Maps, but in recent years it became almost unusable. It only shows you paid ads.
Apple isn’t great either, but it’s better than Google.
I swapped to OSM, which isn’t perfect either but you can change the info and sometimes it even has better info than the other too.

I use google for most things, for several reasons:
Google seems to have more data. Hours, reviews, photos, including usually more recent and frequent street views. They also have pretty good live traffic data
Access to offline maps. Nice to have a backup when you have no service. As far as I know, Apple Maps doesn’t offer offline maps except for your current route.
It syncs with my desktop use of google maps, including custom maps.
Apple Maps sucked when it first came out. Left a bad taste in my mouth
For navigation, unless I need an offline maps, I use Waze. Not part of Google maps, but owned by google.
- Access to offline maps. Nice to have a backup when you have no service. As far as I know, Apple Maps doesn’t offer offline maps except for your current route
  Apple Maps has that feature in the current beta version.
  Apple Maps sucked when it first came out. Left a bad taste in my mouth
  Maybe you should give it a second try. A brand new product is always going to be worse than an established one. Now that both products are established, it's a different story. It takes time to implement features like offline maps (in that case, it also takes time to negotiate intellectual property rights for the feature).
  Google Maps is still better at some things, but Apple Maps is better at most things. Exactly how much depends on your city... Apple tends to do particularly well in cities where they have a lot of users (a good mapping service needs data collection, and everyone who uses an iPhone is collecting data anonymously... even when you use Waze on your iPhone you are reporting realtime traffic data back to Apple).
  
  They should have had offline maps at launch. And Apple certainly has the resources to launch a very polished product from the start. They rushed it because the wanted to kill the Google partnership ASAP as Android grew.
  Frankly, it just adds to reasons I am pissed at Apple. Dark Sky was an incredible app, and even as Apple bought it and supposedly incorporated it into Apple Weather, Apple Weather is and remains hot garbage. The radar doesn’t load 90% of the time and the interface sucks. Try telling me Apple Weather is a new product.

In Japan right now and google has an edge on the amount of transit data they provide in the maps.
In North America, much more even and I think Apple Maps may be faster too as a system service. Better integration for Apple Watch too.
- I use Apple Maps for the integration with my Apple Watch. I also prefer the design and privacy Apple offers over Google. So, in summation, I hate Google.
  
  The right tool for the right job for me, I’m not into absolutes.

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