Still looking for Apple Maps app alternative?

By Darshik Jariwala - March, 8th 2013

Remember when Former Apple employee showcased Maps application for iOS 6 in June last year? It wasn’t just any Maps application, it was Designed by Apple and available for Apple device users. Features like Flyover and 3D navigation were showcased; people couldn’t wait for iOS 6 to release.

Apple had ditched Google Maps which only had a year left for its contract to be renewed.  Needless to say, The Company faced a lot of flak for this move.

But Apple is a company which takes the criticism and users request seriously. Everyone knows how Mr. Tim Cook had personally apologized to the users due to the inconvenience. Scott Forstall wasn’t apologetic enough and had to bear the front of being fired from the company! The company even approved Google’s submission of their Google Maps application for iOS which most of them are using today.

The situation has improved a lot for many people today. For some, Apple Maps works just fine, some have not bothered to use it since Google Maps was released. If you don’t prefer either for some reason, there are other alternatives available too.

 

Waze

Waze is preferred by a lot of people. The icons displayed are all animated unlike any Maps application but looks rather cute on the screen, doesn’t confuse a bit. Makes understanding maps very easy. The real-time traffic alerts works well.  Definitely worth a try, especially because it’s free!

 

Google Maps

It had to be in the list. Google Maps is available even on some java enabled phones. The iOS version was finally released last year and people downloaded it like crazy. The precision and detail it offers is a well known fact. The street view was introduced some while back and it is totally amazing. And of course, it’s free.

 

MapQuest

MapQuest is a free AOL product and offers Voice-guide, turn-by-turn and GPS navigation. The Live Traffic display is said to be updated every 5 mins and offers an alternate route.  MapQuest says that over 8 million people are using it already. The app has collected quite a few favorable reviews in the app store as well.

 

Telenav

Telenav is also a free navigation app but some of its features like Voice based navigation and voice commands, automatic re-routing for traffic, speed trap alerts require in-app purchases. The free service offers daily updates, maps, finding places and turn by turn directions. It requires iPhone 4 or above and any iPad with wifi + cellular to work. It is also Not compatible with iPod touch.

 

Scout

Scout is another free application by Telenav. It has pretty neat UI. It provides you with a dashboard and you can save places where you travel often. It allows you to share your ETA with friends and family. You can also simply make and save your plans on its website and it will sync with your device automatically hence saving time if you need to plan something. And it also offers voice guided navigation.

Photo Credit – William Hook/Flickr