Google Maps (mobile application)

Google Maps

A screenshot of Google Maps on Android Lollipop
Original author(s) Google
Initial release September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
Stable release
9.38.1 (Android), 4.23.0 (iOS) / October 6, 2016 (2016-10-06)
Development status Active
Operating system Android since initial release; iOS 7.0 and later
Size 21.6 MB
Available in English, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Website maps.google.com

Google Maps is a mapping mobile app developed by Google for the Android and iOS operating systems; it uses Google Maps for its information. It was first released for Android on September 23, 2008, and later for iOS on December 13, 2012 as an alternative to Apple Maps, which was released with iOS 6.[1]

Background

On November 28, 2007, Google Maps for Mobile 2.0 was released. Its location service can work with or without a GPS receiver. The "my location" feature uses the GPS / Assisted GPS location of the mobile device, if available, supplemented by determining the nearest wireless networks and cell sites. The software looks up the location of the cell site using a database of known wireless networks and sites. By triangulating the different signal strengths from different cell transmitters and then using their location property (retrieved from the online cell site database), My Location determines the user's current location. Wireless network location method is calculated by discovering the nearby WiFi hotspots and using their location property (retrieved from the online WiFi database, in the same way as the cell site database) to further discover the user's location. The order in which these take precedence is:

The software plots the streets in blue that are available with a yellow icon and a green circle around the estimated range of the cell site based on the transmitter's rated power (among other variables). The estimate is refined using the strength of the cell phone signal to estimate how close to the cell site the mobile device is.

As of December 15, 2008, this service was available for the following platforms:[2]

Up until iOS 6, the built-in maps application on iOS was powered by Google Maps.[3] However, with the release of the first iOS 6 beta in June 2012, Apple announced that they had created their own map service.[4] On September 19, 2012, iOS 6 was released with a new maps application with map data powered by Apple.[5] After Apple's built-in maps application received much criticism,[6] Google decided to create its own maps application.[7]

iOS release

Screenshot of Google Maps running on iOS 7

On December 13, 2012, Google Maps was launched on the iOS App Store.[8] Within only two days, the application had been downloaded over 10 million times.[9] Shortly after the application was released, it was initially reported that the number of iOS upgrades to iOS 6 surged by as much as 30%.[10] However, some reports suggest that the surge was actually due to the iPhone 5's release in China.[11]

Features

Google Maps for iOS has many of the features that are in their Android map application, including turn-by-turn navigation, street view, and public transit information.[12] The application's user interface has been completely redesigned.[13] The original version did not support the iPad, but Google planned to add iPad support.[14] iPad support was added with version 2.0.[15][16]

As of version 6.9 Google Maps offers offline access to downloaded maps of certain countries, a feature only offered in Labs of previous versions.[17] As of 2013, 150 countries are available offline.[18]

Until Version 7 was released in August 2013, Google Maps for Android had a layer feature that optionally showed various items such as bikeways and Wikipedia articles.

Google Maps Android 2.0

Smartphones are being used for navigation assistance.

Features provided in the application:[19]

Use

Maps and information are not included in the installed Google Maps for Android file; an Internet connection is required, as for iPhone's Google Maps application.[20] There is also an offline feature that allows users to download specific portion of a map for later offline use, this feature was praised by users in countries where mobile internet is either too costly or too slow or both. An automatic map caching feature temporarily stores recently viewed areas, reducing the amount of data to be downloaded. There is also a 'Download Map Area' feature in the Labs section of Google Maps which enables the user to download the basic road map and landmark data for an area of 10 square miles (26 km2) around any point; but even after a map of an area is downloaded, a data connection is still needed to "see satellite view and 3D buildings, search for Places and get directions.".[21] The user can download limited areas several times to cover the total area desired. Google suggests that users can make use of this feature to download the map of a foreign city before traveling to visit it, to avoid the need for expensive international roaming data downloading.

Reception

The application has mostly had favorable reviews from critics. USA Today welcomed the application back to iOS, saying, "The reemergence in the middle of the night of a Google Maps app for the iPhone is like the return of an old friend. Only your friend, who'd gone missing for three months, comes back looking better than ever."[22] CNET, calling it "the king of maps", said, "With its iOS Maps app, Google sets the standard for what mobile navigation should be and more."[23] Bree Fowler of the Associated Press compared Google's and Apple's map applications, saying, "The one clear advantage that Apple has is style. Like Apple devices, the maps are clean and clear and have a fun, pretty element to them, especially in 3-D. But when it comes down to depth and information, Google still reigns superior and will no doubt be welcomed back by its fans."[24] Gizmodo gave it a "gizrank" of 4.5 stars.[25] Google has even admitted in 2012 that the iPhone and iPod touch version of its mapping software is more advanced than the version found on its own Android mobile phone and tablet operating system.[26]

Privacy

Google Maps' location tracking is widely regarded as a threat to the users' privacy.[27] Data on the users' life (personal habits and movements[28]) is presumed to be used to make routing suggestions more precise.[29][30]

Personal information can be merged to all the other information Google has on a person thanks to their Google Account's combined login and privacy policy.[31]

References

  1. ↑ "Google releases map app for iPhone as alternative to Apple's mixed-up navigation system". The Washington Post. December 13, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Google Maps on your phone". Google.com. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  3. ↑ Pogue, David (June 27, 2007). "The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  4. ↑ Gates, Sara (June 11, 2012). "Apple Maps App Officially Debuts, Google Maps Dropped". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Brian X. Chen and Nick Wingfield (September 19, 2012). "iOS 6 Leaves Out Google's Mapping Data". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Allsopp, Ashleigh (September 1, 2012). "Apple's iOS 6 Maps app fails to impress, users want Google Maps back". Macworld. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ Reisinger, Don (September 21, 2012). "Google homes in on Maps app for iOS 6, report says". CNet. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Efrati, Amir (December 13, 2012). "Google Releases Map App for iPhone". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Keizer, Gregg (December 18, 2012). "Google Maps snares 10M downloads on iOS App Store". Computer World. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Kerr, Dara (December 18, 2012). "iOS 6 adoption surges after release of Google Maps app". CNet. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Musil, Steven (December 20, 2012). "Big iOS 6 uptick linked to China launch, instead of Google Maps". CNet. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. ↑ Musil, Steven. "Google Maps returns to iOS as an app after Apple's removal". CNet. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  13. ↑ Mossberg, Walter (December 18, 2012). "Google Maps for iPhone Returns Better Than Ever". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  14. ↑ Rodriguez, Salvador (December 13, 2012). "Google Maps returns to iPhone; iPad app coming soon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Fingas, Jon (July 16, 2013). "Google Maps 2.0 for iOS starts rolling out with iPad support, indoor maps (update: offline maps too)". Engadget. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  16. ↑ cpy, 8969. "Maps for mobile help". Google Inc. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  17. ↑ http://letsitsimply.com/android/save-google-maps-offline/
  18. ↑ "Availability - Google Maps for Mobile Help". Support.google.com. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
  19. ↑ "Google Maps Navigation". Google. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  20. ↑ Ito, Keith (2009-10-28). "Blogspot.com". Googleblog.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  21. ↑ Ohazama, Chikai (2011-07-07). ""Download map area" added to Labs in Google Maps for Android - Official Google Mobile Blog". Googlemobile.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  22. ↑ "Baig: Google Maps app - welcome return of an old friend". USA Today. December 13, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  23. ↑ "The king of maps is back and better than ever". CNet. December 13, 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  24. ↑ Fowler, Bree (Dec 16, 2012). "App review: Google Maps on iOS is back with a bang". Firstpost. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  25. ↑ Diaz, Jesus (December 13, 2012). "Google Maps for iOS Review: Maps Done Right". Gizmodo. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  26. ↑ Pogue, David (12 December 2012). "Maps App for iPhone Steers Right". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  27. ↑ http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/17/yes-google-maps-is-tracking-you-heres-how-to-stop-it/
  28. ↑ http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/07/22/google-maps-new-timeline-is-a-walk-down-memory-lane/
  29. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/13/google-maps-personal-data
  30. ↑ http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/google-maps-latest-feature-why-you-should-turn-it-off.html/
  31. ↑ http://qz.com/194032/googles-sneaky-new-privacy-change-affects-85-of-iphone-users-but-most-of-them-wont-have-noticed/

External links

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