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Did Apple drop Google Maps for good? Apple Maps now rolling out on iCloud.com

Apple-Maps-Find-My-iPhone-01

Apple appears to have finally dropped Google Maps from iCloud.com, replacing it with its own in-house maps almost two years after removing Google Maps from iOS and most of its other products. Apple started slowly rolling out the feature to its iCloud beta site for select users earlier this year before pulling it, but it now seems to have replaced Google for all users of iCloud.com’s Find My iPhone feature (pictured above).

We reported back in September of last year that Apple’s Maps team was looking for developers to “design, develop, and maintain complex front-end code for a new secret project” that would include “an advanced web platform.” That led to speculation Apple could be working on bringing its Maps to the web, but it remains to be seen if that will be to simply replace Google in apps like Find My iPhone or to bring a full-blown Maps solution to third-parties on the web.

Earlier this month we reported that Apple was looking to expand its community crowdsourcing features to improve maps data including new integrations with iOS features like Siri and Passbook.

Removing Google Maps from iCloud is just about the last step in completely transitioning to its own Maps app apart from retail store listings on its website that we’re guessing will be replaced in the near future.

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Comments

  1. Daniel Alford - 9 years ago

    When is Apple going to drop GOOGLE on it’s search/OS system?

  2. It’ll be difficult for me to switch from Google Maps to Apple Maps. I like the reliable service from google instead, at least when it comes to navigation.

    • observer1959 - 9 years ago

      Just curious where are you located? Here in WA state Apple Maps navvvigation is working great.

      • I live in Texas and Google maps works just fine for me. But I guess in the end it comes down to personal preference.

    • moofer1972 - 9 years ago

      Apple Maps is more reliable where I live. Google didn’t even have my residential street listed properly. It used to, but some time about 6 months ago, I started getting calls from delivery people about not being able to find my house. When I looked up my address on Google Maps, the address could not be found. Apple maps had it with no problem. My house isn’t the only discrepency in accuracy I’ve found. More and more, it’s Apple Maps who’s got it right.

  3. AndyB72 - 9 years ago

    Sicuramente un’obiettivo fondamentale per Apple sarà quello di dipendere sempre meno dalla concorrenza. Questo è un altro passo in avanti. Ma Google, per le web app è ancora troppo sopra. La guerra continua…

  4. iAlborz - 9 years ago

    But it now seems √
    But it’s now seems x

  5. Jonny - 9 years ago

    Anyone taking bets on whether or not maps.apple.com becomes a web-app for Apple Maps as opposed to an info page for the iOS apps? Any reason why Apple would or would not do this?

  6. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    The time has come. So far, I’ve had few issues with Apple Maps. Your milage will vary depending on where you live.

  7. Marco Brandão - 9 years ago

    I will believe Apple dropped Google Maps only when Apple release an API for Maps. I think it will be the last step to make a complete drop.

  8. At first I was super stoked because I thought the full-featured Maps app had come to iCloud. Then I realized it was just for Find My iPhone. Still cool, and means the real thing is a lot closer, but still, sort of a letdown!

  9. Chuck - 9 years ago

    Apple maps is still horrible in my area of Kansas, I have just given up and use Google maps.

  10. Stella Shell - 9 years ago

    Has anyone of you tried this new Maps Web App? It is horrible in a sense that the maps are not stitched, zoomed to different level on the same page and not accurate. Disappointing.

  11. Luis Alejandro Masanti - 9 years ago

    I think that after the MobileMe fiasco, Apple uses a step-by-step implementation of things.

    By example: First, it was Passbook, then TouchID, now ApplePay, then… (something with Passbook/APay).
    In the case of TouchID, they only allowed it for purchases in iTunes/iBooks stores…
    ApplePay is only for iPhone 6/6+…

    So… maybe… rolling out ‘Apple Maps on the web for FindMyPhone’ is the way to test the maps’ web infrastructure prior to a full release.

  12. swisslu - 9 years ago

    I still have Google Maps on iCloud.com…

  13. Apple Maps is more accurate for the region I live (EU). I use it mostly for navigation. Even got me over 100 km from Valencia Airport to a friends house in Spain. Was even better then Navigon offline maps!) Even if I think Navigation is much better than TomTom).
    Apple maps does show my house (built in 2011) but Google maps does show an empty place, whereas Nokia Maps shows the old house (before 2009). Until only recently Streetview is available in our country, but the data is really old before 2009. But I’m happy with that as I don’t like Streetview at all: it is the ideal system for planning robberies and/or for child molesters.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.