Column Argues Apple Maps Beats Google Maps on Interface, Hiking Tools and Watch Navigation

The writer says he uses Google Maps every day for commuting, road trips, finding coffee shops and checking transit schedules abroad, but has lately been opening Apple Maps more often than expected. He credits Apple with rebuilding Maps over the past decade into a capable navigation app, while acknowledging that Google still has the edge in local search and the breadth of its data. The column is framed as a list of features the writer prefers on Apple Maps and would like Google Maps to copy.

The first item is the interface. According to the column, Apple Maps puts the map itself at the center, with streets, traffic and directions easy to read without competing information. Google Maps, the writer says, has become increasingly tied to Google's advertising business, so ads can appear while browsing, searching, getting directions or navigating, and promoted businesses can show up as sponsored pins on the map. He adds that he does not fault Google for monetizing a free service, and notes that Apple Maps has begun rolling out ads in some markets as well. Even so, he writes that when he is looking for somewhere to eat in an unfamiliar area he does not want to work out which businesses are being promoted, and that Apple Maps currently does a better job of keeping the map out of the way.

The second area is hiking and custom route tools. Apple Maps offers topographic maps with contour lines and trail details, and lets users build their own walking and hiking routes by dropping points along a path, creating a loop or an out-and-back route, and saving it for later, according to the column. Apple also provides elevation information and offline access to saved routes, and supports thousands of curated hikes in United States national parks with details on length, elevation and route type. Google Maps is not without comparable tools: its Terrain layer also shows contour lines and elevation information. The writer calls Google's implementation cumbersome, saying elevation data can be impossible to see and terrain lines are not particularly actionable. He notes a limitation on Apple's side as well: many hiking and topographic features are region-restricted, and he says he does not have access to them in India, having only used them while traveling internationally.

The third item is Apple Watch navigation. The writer, who uses both Android phones and an iPhone but prefers the Apple Watch, says he relies on Apple Maps when walking in unfamiliar places so he does not have to take his phone out of his pocket. The watch uses haptic feedback to signal direction, with a left turn indicated by three quick paired taps on the wrist and a right turn by a single steady burst of continuous taps. Google Maps also runs on the Apple Watch and provides step-by-step directions and an estimated time of arrival, but the writer says Apple's integration feels more thoughtful because the haptic patterns themselves convey which way to turn. He adds that the Pixel Watch has a similar feature, but that in his experience it has not been available consistently across all Wear OS watches.

The column's headline refers to four things Apple Maps does better; the text available describes three in detail.

Editor's Summary

An Android Authority column published September 20 argues that Apple Maps outperforms Google Maps in interface clarity, hiking and custom route tools, and Apple Watch haptic navigation, while Google retains an advantage in local search and the volume of information it provides. The writer, a daily Google Maps user, points to advertising and sponsored pins in Google's app as a drawback and notes that Apple Maps has begun rolling out ads in some markets. He also acknowledges limits to Apple's approach, including region-restricted hiking features and similar watch functions on some Wear OS devices.