55% of U.S. iOS users with Google Maps use it weekly | Hacker News Reader

55% of U.S. iOS users with Google Maps use it weekly

fiercemobilecontent.com

12 pointsfleitz16 comments

The HN title is very misrepresentative. The actual stat is 55% of users WHO HAVE GOOGLE MAPS INSTALLED use it weekly.

I'm shocked it's not higher. It's much better.

Yeah, the title should be, "Although Google Maps remains a popular iOS app, Apple Maps commands a wide lead over Google Maps in overall usage statistics". Apple Maps still gets me lost on a regular basis in major cities.

I would use it weekly, but I don't need directions every week.

If you live somewhere with traffic, your use will be much higher I'd guess.

Could be due to the fact that a lot of people don't have a weekly need of a maps application. I'm a heavy phone user and google apps user but only need the maps app maybe 2-3 times per month at the very most.

It's one step forward (from Apple Maps), about 800 steps backwards from the original Google Maps app. You can't even save bookmarks to locations without logging in to the Google/NSA overlord collective. Not to mention the horrible UI that makes Dwarf Fortress look reasonable by comparison.

It's worse. It's really 55% of users who use Mobidata, allow them to collect the stats and have google maps installed, use it weekly.

Isn't this fairly standard terminology for results of a study? That it obviously only includes those users included in the study?

Given that it's not possible to set the default map app on IOS, I wonder how many of the people that "use Apple Maps weekly" did so by accident.

I know this is an unpopular opinion but I actually prefer Apple Maps over Google Maps for some usecases.

I have a great spatial memory, but a poor name memory. Usually I can immediately remember _where_ a place is located, but not it's name. If I need to find more details about a place I pop open the Maps app and pan to its location to find it.

Apple Maps has more business icons at a higher zoom level compared to Google Maps. This makes my visual search easier.

Also, sometimes I like to browse around my location to find something to do (usually looking for a restaurant). Apple Maps' higher information density is again useful here.

However when it comes to actual turn by turn navigation I will usually use Google Maps. (Apple Maps has a road going through the middle of my apartment complex!)

Side Note: I don't care if it is a gimmick, the 3d model of my city (including both my apartment and office building) is incredibly cool. When I first discovered it I spent a good while just flying around. I would absolutely love to fly around my city using a HMD like Occulus.

"Mobidia obtained its findings via its mobile app. Millions of mobile users across the globe use Mobidia's "My Data Manager" app on iOS and Android to manage their cellular data consumption"

Until 5 minutes ago, I'd never heard of Mobidata. I wonder how relevant their stats really are?|

I have it installed but never use it. The maps situation on the iPhone is really too bad, it used to be Apple's app with Google's data. Best of both worlds. Now you get to choose between Google's janky app and Apple's incorrect data.

Oddly, in my experience Google's data has been bad (e.g. giving me directions to take a freeway off-ramp that has been closed for construction for months, and still routing me to the same close off-ramp a month after I reported it) and the app itself has been stellar. Their robot voice is the absolute best in the game right now, it actually sounds like you're getting directions from a human and not a tin can.

Panning around in Google's app is laggy on my iPhone 4S, perhaps it is better on the iPhone 5. Interesting about the data, obviously that is going to depend on locality. In the beginning, Apple's data was embarrassingly wrong around here (Oregon). Not sure about now, though I suppose they are "working on it".

... the other 45% are currently lost.

(I'll be here all week)

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