Public fury, people getting lost and a near-death experiences by Australians are now a thing of the past as Google has stepped up and released its standalone app on iOS. We’ll today take a look at how the app performs and what are the improvement that Google could make to the app.
Does the 7.0 MB download live up to its hype? Long story short, it does.
Opening up the app for the first time will bring you to the usual “Terms and Conditions” screen followed by an optional log in. This ensures syncing all favourite places between maps.google.com and the app, with a little taste of Google+ integration also being present.
The minimalistic home screen of your app shows nothing but the bare essentials. Tapping on the person logo on the top right corner will lead you to a page that allows setting your home and office addresses. This places a pointer on the map for these.
That’s all the setup Google Maps will require. You’re good to go now…
Now for the mapping. Tapping on the search bar will lead you to a menu that lists a history of your recent searches followed by a list of places near you. Google’s instant search works great as always and results pop up in milliseconds Tapping on a result will bring you back to the home page with your location mapped and a little bar on the bottom showing you the details. Swipe up this for additional details and tap on the button on the right to get directions.
You can travel by 3 means- car, bus or public transit.
Drive
The turn-by-turn voice navigation we need (and deserve) is finally here. Set your destination, tap on the desired route and you’re good to go. Directions are accurate and precise. Voice guidance works even when the phone is locked, directions are dictated and they pop up as notifications. Swiping left the green bar on the top will help you preview the next step on your route and once you’re done reviewing tap the resume button on the bottom left. Google also points out the traffic on a given route which helps you chose wisely. Another little feature I really love is the “Route Options”. This feature allows you to pick a route which avoids toll booths and highways. Pretty useful feature. Also, if you happen to stray off from your path, Google will quickly re-route and provide new directions.
A small problem that I noticed was that Google’s routing was a bit broken. It often suggested a longer route, even when a shorter one was available. Also, it sometimes didn’t report on certain one-way roads and there is a noticeable delay in traffic info. You can also report these problems just by shaking the device. That said, these are minute problems and should get fixed sooner rather than later.
Public Transit
Google has brought it’s A game as far as public transit is concerned. To use transit first select your destination and then tap on the little “bus” icon on the top. This will bring out a list of possible transit options. Again, with Route Options you can select what form of travel you’re most comfortable with. Bus numbers and train timings were impeccable. I tested a lot of transit, and everything, right from distance to travel times to bus stops, was perfect.
Still, Google Maps is in beta so it’s best to check up with fellow commuters. Personally, I haven’t experienced any glitches yet but better safe than sorry.
Walking
You can reach your destination by foot as well. Walking directions are similar with driving minus turn by turn navigation. You can preview your route here as well. Nothing much to say here apart from job well done.
Cinemax was about 1.5 km away from my (then) current location. Google Maps provided me correct directions for driving but failed to do so while choosing to walk. The place wasn’t far and it was very much walkable. It isn’t perfect but I don’t think it’ll let you down.
Verdict
Google Maps is a perfect app in every way. The UI is simplistic and beautiful, the data is unparalleled, routing is great and the overall experience is nothing short of satisfying. It’s replaced Apple Maps on my home screen, and yours?