If you’re hoping to have Google Maps back on your iPhone as a native application in the near future, don’t hold out hope. Heck, even Google employees don’t have much hope that Apple will approve a native Google Maps application for inclusion in its App Store. Sources at Google believe that it’s highly unlikely that Apple will approve Google Maps any time in the near future.
Sure, the recent shake up at Apple and the departure of iOS chief Scott Forstall may ultimately lead to a more amicable relationship between Apple and Google, but the reality is that it’s still pretty unlikely that Apple would approve an application that not only directly competes with Apple’s new Maps offering, but that’s also pretty much regarded as the gold standard in the industry now that Apple dropped the ball with Maps in the eyes of many consumers and pundits. Apple’s been slow to approve Google applications in the past, and as it stands, Google Maps probably isn’t much different.
For now, users can bookmark Google Maps directly from Safari to their home screens if they feel the need to have Google’s Maps offering in iOS instead of Apple’s Maps. Personally, I feel like this whole maps thing is overstated and a smaller problem than many make it out to be at this point. Outside of a couple major misdirections on launch day, I’ve since had quite a bit of success using the application. In fact, the turn-by-turn is pretty fantastic.
