Google Maps (app)

Google Maps

A screenshot of Google Maps on Android Lollipop
Original author(s) Google
Initial release September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
Stable release(s) [±]
Android 9.58.2 / August 10, 2017 (2017-08-10)[1]
Android Wear 9.56.1 / July 21, 2017 (2017-07-21)[2]
iOS 4.34 / July 24, 2017 (2017-07-24)[3]
Preview release(s) [±]
Android 9.59.0 / August 10, 2017 (2017-08-10)[4]
Development status Active
Operating system
Website maps.google.com

Google Maps is a mapping mobile app developed by Google for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems; it uses Google Maps for its information.

The Android app was first released in September 2008, though the GPS-localization feature had been in testing on cellphones since 2007. Google Maps was Apple's solution for its mapping service on iOS until the release of iOS 6 in September 2012, at which point it was replaced by Apple Maps, with Google releasing its own Google Maps standalone app on the iOS platform the following December.

The Google Maps apps on Android and iOS have many features in common, including turn-by-turn navigation, street view, and public transit information. Updates in June 2012 and May 2014 enabled functionality to let users save certain map regions for offline access.

Google Maps on iOS received significant praise after its standalone app release in December 2012, with critics highlighting its detailed information and design as positives. However, the apps have received criticism over privacy concerns, particularly a location history tracking page that offers "step by step" location logging, with privacy advocates advising users to disable the feature, and that an April 2014 privacy policy change enabled Google to have a unified login throughout its iOS apps, helping it identify each user's interactions within each app.

History

On November 28, 2007, Google Maps for Mobile 2.0 was released.[5][6][7] It featured a beta version of a "My Location" feature, which uses the GPS / Assisted GPS location of the mobile device, if available, supplemented by determining the nearest wireless networks and cell sites.[6][7] The software looks up the location of the cell site using a database of known wireless networks and sites.[8][9] By triangulating the different signal strengths from cell transmitters and then using their location property (retrieved from the database), My Location determines the user's current location.[10]

On September 23, 2008, coinciding with the announcement of the first commercial Android device, Google announced that a Google Maps app had been released for its Android operating system.[11][12]

Screenshot of Google Maps running on iOS 7

Up until iOS 6, the built-in maps application on the iOS operating system was powered by Google Maps. However, with the announcement of iOS 6 in June 2012, Apple announced that they had created their own Apple Maps mapping service,[13] which officially replaced Google Maps when iOS 6 was released on September 19, 2012.[14] However, at launch, Apple Maps received significant criticism from users due to inaccuracies, errors and bugs.[15][16] One day later, The Guardian reported that Google was preparing its own Google Maps app,[17] which was released on December 12, 2012.[18][19] Within only two days, the application had been downloaded over ten million times,[20] and data from mobile ad exchange company MoPub revealed that adoption of iOS 6 grew by 29% following the release of Google's Maps application.[21][22] However, data from a different advertising and analytics company, Chitika, suggested that the uptick in adoption was actually due to iPhone 5's release in China, a new phone that came with iOS 6 pre-installed.[23]

Features

The Google Maps apps for iOS and Android have many of the same features, including turn-by-turn navigation, street view, and public transit information.[24][25] Turn-by-turn navigation was originally announced by Google as a separate beta testing app exclusive to Android 2.0 devices in October 2009.[26][27] The original standalone iOS version did not support the iPad,[25] but tablet support was added with version 2.0 in July 2013.[28] An update in June 2012 for Android devices added support for offline access to downloaded maps of certain regions,[29][30] a feature that was eventually released for iOS devices, and made more robust on Android, in May 2014.[31][32]

Reception

USA Today welcomed the application back to iOS, saying: "The reemergence in the middle of the night of a Google Maps app for the iPhone is like the return of an old friend. Only your friend, who'd gone missing for three months, comes back looking better than ever."[33] Jason Parker of CNET, calling it "the king of maps", said, "With its iOS Maps app, Google sets the standard for what mobile navigation should be and more."[34] Bree Fowler of the Associated Press compared Google's and Apple's map applications, saying: "The one clear advantage that Apple has is style. Like Apple devices, the maps are clean and clear and have a fun, pretty element to them, especially in 3-D. But when it comes down to depth and information, Google still reigns superior and will no doubt be welcomed back by its fans."[35] Gizmodo gave it a ranking of 4.5 stars, stating: "Maps Done Right".[36] According to The New York Times, Google "admits that it’s [iOS app is] even better than Google Maps for Android phones, which has accommodated its evolving feature set mainly by piling on menus".[37]

However, Google Maps' location tracking is widely regarded as a threat to users' privacy, with Dylan Tweney of VentureBeat writing in August 2014 that "Google is probably logging your location, step by step, via Google Maps", and linked users to Google's location history map, which "lets you see the path you’ve traced for any given day that your smartphone has been running Google Maps". Tweney then provided instructions on how disable location history.[38] The history tracking was also noticed, and recommended disabled, by editors at CNET[39] and TechCrunch.[40] Additionally, Quartz reported in April 2014 that a "sneaky new privacy change" would have an effect on the majority of iOS users. The privacy change, an update to the Gmail iOS app that "now supports sign-in across Google iOS apps, including Maps, Drive, YouTube and Chrome", meant that Google would be able to identify users' actions across its different apps.[41]

References

  1. ↑ "Google Maps - Navigation & Transit APKs". APKMirror. Android Police. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Maps - Navigation & Transit (Android Wear) APKs". APKMirror. Android Police. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Google Maps - Navigation & Transit on the App Store". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Google Maps - Navigation & Transit APKs". APKMirror. Android Police. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Google Announces Launch of Google Maps for Mobile With "My Location" Technology". News from Google. Google. November 28, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Marshall, Matt (November 28, 2007). "Google releases useful “my location” feature for cellphones". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Schonfeld, Erick (November 28, 2007). "Google Mobile Maps PinPoints Your Location Without GPS". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ray, Bill (November 29, 2007). "Google Maps Mobile knows where you are". The Register. Situation Publishing. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ Mills, Elinor (November 28, 2007). "Google Maps for Mobile adds 'My Location' feature". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ Overbo, Mike (November 28, 2007). "Google Maps: My Location". iMore. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ Vanlerberghe, Mac (September 23, 2008). "Google on Android". Google Mobile Blog. Google. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  12. ↑ Tseng, Erick (September 23, 2008). "The first Android-powered phone". Official Google Blog. Google. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  13. ↑ Gates, Sara (June 11, 2012). "Apple Maps App Officially Debuts, Google Maps Dropped (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  14. ↑ Chen, Brian X.; Wingfield, Nick (September 19, 2012). "Apple’s iPhone Update Leaves Out Google’s Maps". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  15. ↑ "New Apple maps app under fire from users". BBC. September 20, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  16. ↑ Patel, Nilay (September 20, 2012). "Wrong turn: Apple's buggy iOS 6 maps lead to widespread complaints". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ Arthur, Charles (September 20, 2012). "Apple's self-inflicted maps issue is a headache – but don't expect an apology". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  18. ↑ Olanoff, Drew (December 12, 2012). "Google Launches Native Maps For iOS, And Here’s The Deep Dive On Navigation, Info Sheets And More". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  19. ↑ Bohn, Dieter (December 12, 2012). "Google Maps for iPhone is here: how data and design beat Apple". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  20. ↑ Keizer, Gregg (December 18, 2012). "Google Maps snares 10M downloads on iOS App Store". Computerworld. International Data Group. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  21. ↑ Constine, Josh (December 18, 2012). "iOS 6 Adoption Grows 29% Over The Weekend As People Finally Update After Google Maps Arrives". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  22. ↑ Kerr, Dara (December 18, 2012). "iOS 6 adoption surges after release of Google Maps app". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  23. ↑ Musil, Steven (December 20, 2012). "Big iOS 6 uptick linked to China launch, instead of Google Maps". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  24. ↑ Musil, Steven (December 12, 2012). "Google Maps returns to iOS as an app after Apple's removal". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  25. 1 2 Rodriguez, Salvador (December 13, 2012). "Google Maps returns to iPhone; iPad app coming soon". Los Angeles Times. Tronc. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  26. ↑ Arrington, Michael (October 28, 2009). "Google Redefines GPS Navigation Landscape: Google Maps Navigation For Android 2.0". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  27. ↑ Schroeder, Stan (October 28, 2009). "Google Maps Navigation Becomes Reality on Android". Mashable. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  28. ↑ Fingas, Jon (July 16, 2013). "Google Maps 2.0 for iOS starts rolling out with iPad support, indoor maps (update: offline maps too)". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  29. ↑ Ingraham, Nathan (June 27, 2012). "Google Maps for Android now supports saving maps for offline use". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  30. ↑ Lawler, Richard (June 27, 2012). "Google Maps offline for Android is available today in version 6.9, also Compass Mode for Street View". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  31. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 6, 2014). "Google Maps for iOS and Android add offline support, lane guidance, and Uber integration". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  32. ↑ Siegal, Jacob (May 6, 2014). "Google Maps just got a huge update – here are the 5 best new features". BGR. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Baig: Google Maps app - welcome return of an old friend". USA Today. Gannett Company. December 13, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  34. ↑ Parker, Jason (November 6, 2014). "Google Maps for iOS review". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  35. ↑ Fowler, Bree (December 16, 2012). "App review: Google Maps on iOS is back with a bang". FirstPost. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  36. ↑ Diaz, Jesus (December 13, 2012). "Google Maps for iOS Review: Maps Done Right". Gizmodo. Univision Communications. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  37. ↑ Pogue, David (December 12, 2012). "Maps App for iPhone Steers Right". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  38. ↑ Tweney, Dylan (August 17, 2014). "Yes, Google Maps is tracking you. Here's how to stop it". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  39. ↑ Elliott, Matt (April 20, 2017). "Is Google is tracking you? Find out here". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  40. ↑ Kumparak, Greg (December 18, 2013). "Google’s Location History Browser Is A Minute-By-Minute Map Of Your Life". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  41. ↑ Mirani, Leo (April 3, 2014). "Google’s sneaky new privacy change affects 85% of iPhone users—but most of them won’t have noticed". Quartz. Atlantic Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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