Until now, there has been no real competition to Google Maps in India. Google’s
free-to-use map service is considered to go-to map service for navigating in any part
of the country. Nokia’s Here maps haven’t caught up on popularity while Apple Maps
are limited to iOS devices. Over the years, Apple has been trying to push many
useful features to its Maps service and make users rely on their service instead of
Google Maps. However, with the addition of a new feature, Apple Maps might have a
fair chance now.
Apple Maps users can now get navigation directions after the company updated its
service in India. Similar to Google Maps, Apple Maps will now let users input a
destination on the map and navigate to it. For some major cities in India, Apple Maps
will also let you get turn-by-turn navigational directions. This is a highly convenient
feature for users who need to explore the routes in the neighbourhoods while driving
or walking. Apple Maps will also let users switch between walking and driving modes
for the navigation.
To get started, tap on the search bar and select Directions. Maps will then show you
an ETA from your location. It will also present you with navigational modes such as
Drive, Walk, Transport, and Ride options. The turn-by-turn navigation only works in
the Drive and Walk mode. Similar to Google Maps, Apple Maps will throw up a card
stating all the ETA details. A voice guidance system also gets activated. One can
mute the voice and adjust the volume of the voice guidance system as well.
However, Apple Maps still doesn’t provide details such as the nearest gas station,
coffee shop and others.
With this feature enabled for Apple Maps, iPhone and iPad users will now have the
option to use a different map service apart from Google’s. Compared to Google
Maps, Apple Maps is still at a nascent stage in India and require a lot of features as
well more details in its maps to be a proper alternative to Google Maps. However,
with Apple’s services, users can be assured of privacy protection since the company
prioritises users’ data privacy over everything else. This can make people more
aware of the places and the maps which they are following and also will ensure that
timce can be saved.
