Mere hours after its triumphant return, Google Maps is already the most popular free app for the iPhone.
Google's much-loved navigation software has been unavailable as an app to users who upgraded to iOS 6 on their iPhones and iPads.
The mobile operating system was updated in September, and Google Maps, which had long been available on the AppStore, disappeared, as Apple decided it wanted to promote its own mapping software.
That effort, Apple Maps, was an abject failure from the start. It gave poor or misleading directions, skewed images and had trouble finding common locations.
The debut was so bad and the outcry from users so strong that Apple had to release a statement suggesting iPhone users try other mapping software, including the browser version of Google Maps, which, while not as convenient, still worked as well as ever.
In October, Apple fired the executive in charge of their mapping effort, Scott Forstall, after he refused to apologize for the debacle.
As for Google's new app, they admit it's even better than the Android version.
As usual, Google Maps offers intuitive searches and clear directions, offering step-by-step instructions for each leg of a journey: by car, by foot or by public transportation.
Satellite views, immersive street-level views, real-time traffic updates are all included. Google's voice navigation will also read them out loud during the journey.
The sheer volume of data available from Google Maps has always been astounding. Restaurant reviews and business information is accessible right from the map itself.
A new banner swipe feature allows quick and easy navigation between different menus, or different legs of a journey already in progress, or different results of a search.
However, the new Google Maps lacks integration with iOS 6's Siri voice navigation. Asking Siri for directions automatically brings up Apple Maps; users must access Google Maps manually.
And while the new version of Google Maps is a bit more polished than its Android counterpart, it doesn't have all the features yet. It lacks Google's new floorplans of shopping malls and airports, and it doesn't allow offline access to downloaded maps. But it also lacks ads and pop-ups.
And there is currently no iPad-specific version; it's simply the Iphone app enlarged to fir the screen.
But these are minor drawbacks to an app cranked out in only a few short months and already surpassing everything else on the market. All for free.
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