How to set Google Maps as default map application in iOS 9

Lawrence Finch wrote:

Google Maps has sent me to the right address, wrong town on several occasions. It also sent me miles down a dead end road, that almost connected to a road it wanted me to turn onto. And best of all, it once wanted me to drive off a cliff along the California coast to turn onto a road hundreds of feet below the road I was on. All mapping programs have errors.

And people wonder why those warnings pop up the first time you launch some nav programs, the ones that basically say, "If the program tells you to drive off a cliff along the California coast, DON'T".

Thank you - however instead of "then tap Routing Apps." my screen calls them 'Transport Apps'

Hope this helps.

This is the most absurd thing I've ever experienced. I bought my first iPhone in October and now I have my first grudge against Apple. It's absurd aggravating annoying irritating and ridiculous. Don't be so greedy Apple or I'll go back to android

Lbdoug wrote:

Don't be so greedy Apple or I'll go back to android

Apple is not reading here. Those of us who are don't care what phone you use.

Submit your feedback to Apple here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

New to the Apple ecosystem, old to the world of smart devices and technology, I find this thread amusing.

I can't understand what is so confusing. I found a great solution in 5 minutes. First, understanding the situation is key. Apple's navigation uses TomTom (unlike Google, Apple doesn't provide map/navigation services itself) and for good reason, though they may catch up one day, it's not currently a strength. Google doesn't manufacture its own hardware, usually it commissions Samsung and HTC for this. Similarly, it's not their strength. Apple's TomTom map service is still severely behind the power of Google's maps for navigation. This means that almost everyone is going to jump onto Google Maps if they have any experience with it. Knowing this is a huge disadvantage, the only thing Apple can do is to lock in some of its defaults to protect against exposure of that weakness. That being said, this is not a huge issue if we just channel that frustration into a creative solution.

It is REALLY not a big deal to get around this issue. The solution is far simpler than what was suggested earlier and requires no button pushes if done right:

-Step 1: Engage Siri with either the home button or by setting up support for the "Hey Siri" feature. [0-1 buttons]

-Step 2: Tell Siri to "Open Google"/"Launch Google"/etc. [0 buttons]

-Step 3: Engage Google with either the microphone button or by enabling the "OK, Google" feature. [0-1 buttons]

-Step 4: Speak your voice command to Google (i.e. "Navigate Home"/"Take me Home"/"Navigate [here]"/etc. [0 buttons]

**NOTE: The first time Google opens navigation with Google Maps, the iPhone may ask you if it's OK to open Google Maps, requiring a button push, but afterwards, it shouldn't ask you for this again.

Maximum buttons pushed: 2

Minimum buttons pushed: 0

Results: Use cleverness to work WITH technology rather than whining that a great consumer electronics company didn't expose its weakness for a slight convenience to some of its users.

Enjoy!

TKM

TheKatzMeow wrote:

It is REALLY not a big deal to get around this issue. The solution is far simpler than what was suggested earlier and requires no button pushes if done right:

I'm sure the people who care about this will find your workaround useful.

While your approach certainly requires fewer button presses than the previously posted method, it is not the "solution" you claim it is. It is merely a workaround.

The problem that I, and many other people, have with this limitation is that there is no readily available solution for proactively choosing which app to use by default. Apple purposely makes things obtuse for users who want to deviate from Apple's standard default apps. This problem not only exists for maps apps, but also for a host of other apps. Keyboard apps are another example that quickly comes to mind as particularly frustrating.

I use iOS and android mobile devices. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses. As a result, I'll often select the device that best suits my needs for that particular day. The one constant I hope to have across all of my devices is my apps. I'd like as seamless an experience as possible when switching from one device to another. I use Google Maps and its location history to log driving miles for work, and I'd prefer not to have to jump through hoops to do that when I switch to my 6s. That might not be your use case, but it is mine and many others' as well.

For those who immediately default to the "If you don't like it, don't use it" response, I'm sorry to say that you are missing the point. If third party apps are made available in the App Store, users should have the ability to choose them, install them AND set those apps as defaults, if they wish. If Apple wants to lock

users to a default set of pre-prescribed Apple apps, then third party apps should just be eliminated from the Apps Store entirely. Problem solved. I'm not asking for customization. I'm asking for the ability to exercise the "choice" that Apple has seemingly made available to its users.

For those critical of my views, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I don't think it is unreasonable to believe that a consumer who has purchased a product outright should be able to use that product in a manner that he/she sees fit.

I beg to differ. It was possible to set Google maps as the default application prior to iOS 9.

Nope, I have a 4 (IOS 7) and a really old iPhone 3, it is not possible to edit the defaults on ether of them

I stand corrected. Before iOS6, the default app was Google because Apple had not yet cursed humanity with its ill-begotten abomination Apple Maps. I guess I was just remembering better times.

I thought so, thats why I agreed with Meg and pointed out that you were wrong.

Actually, Sheehanted's steps to make it a default has been the most helpful to trying to get Apple Maps removed as the default map app. Sheehanted also indicated that these steps worked in iOS 8 but not in iOS 9, which is correct. So, this was VERY helpful.

We, users of Apple products, shouldn't HAVE TO be "clever" with technology. Apple products historically have been easy to use WITHOUT having to work around what they present to us. In reading your post and the articulation within, you either know a lot about Apple devices or you're in IT support. Either way, asking non-IT industry users to be clever with Apple products they're having issues with isn't exactly helping them.

Yes, there was an option in iOS 8, albeit a bit hidden, but it existed nonetheless as my girlfriend and I both loved and used this feature. After road testing several different apps incuding Apple Maps, we set our iPhones (at the time mine a 4s and hers a 6sPlus) to use Google Maps as default. Apple disrespectfully snatched a very useful and badly needed feature from their loyal and deserving customers with no discosure or warning. After doing some research you will find that this indeed was in fact a short lived feature provided in iOS 8.

ScottXD wrote:

Yes, there was an option in iOS 8, albeit a bit hidden, but it existed nonetheless

You're mistaken. Such an option never existed. Certain apps gave (and still do give) you the option to select a different default application when invoking maps or email.