Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iOS 6 has finally been released after a long and rather tantalizing wait for all of Apple’s fans. The latest iOS update comes with the news of the release of iPhone 5, and the severing of all ties between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG).
Up until iOS 5, Apple devices came preloaded with Google-powered apps, like Maps and YouTube. But now things have changed and Apple has decided that no such apps will be pre-installed in iOS 6. This might prove to be a real deal-breaker for some users, especially since many people are dependent upon the awesome functionalities offered by Google Maps.
Although Apple has developed their own new and improved Maps app, powered by TomTom, it lacks some of the features that Google Maps boasts of.
Certainly the interface of iOS 6 Maps is better than Google Maps and so is the 3D view feature, but since the Google product has been around for such a long time, you might not find Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s maps comprehensive enough for your liking.
Until Google releases a third-party app in the App Store, what can you do in order to get their amazing maps on your iPhone’s Springboard? There is a way, and it is not as difficult as you might think.
1. Open the Safari browser on your iOS device.
2. In the address bar, type maps.google.com
3. Once the page has been loaded fully, hit the arrow button located at the bottom of the screen.
4. From the menu that shows up, choose Add to Home Screen.
That is all you have to do, and you will get an app-like icon on the Springboard of your iPhone or iPad. Of course, this is not like having the actual Google Maps app for Apple iOS, but it is the next best thing and will have to do for now if you are living outside the US and find Apple’s own Maps completely unusable in your region.
