Google readying iOS Maps app to save beleaguered iPhone users

Google readying iOS Maps app to save beleaguered iPhone users
Has Apple Maps already reached the end of the road?

Google has apparently started distributing a test version of its iOS Maps app to certain individuals, as the firm looks to take on Apple's disappointing effort.

According to a Wall Street Journal source, several key figures outside of Google have received the test version of Google Maps on their iPhones.

Destination unknown

Apple Maps arrived alongside iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 this year, but it came under instant criticism after numerous errors, inaccuracies and bugs were discovered.

The situation was so bad it led to Apple CEO Tim Cook issuing an apology to customers and recommending that they use other mapping solutions while they work out the problems.

This leaves the door wide open for Google to come in and leave its mark on iPhones (in a similar way to Nokia Here), and if it manages to get the native app on the App Store before Apple addresses its issues, it could well be game, set and match for the search giant.

There's no word on when the final version will be available in the App Store, and Google is apparently yet to submit the app to Apple for its strict approval process.

From Wall Street Journal

John McCann
Former Global Managing Editor

TechRadar's former Global Managing Editor, John has been a technology journalist for more than a decade, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He’s interviewed CEOs from some of the world’s biggest tech firms, visited their HQs, and appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC, and BBC Radio 4.