When we talk about map applications, Google Maps is a reference in every way and Waze is an excellent application to use both in the car with support and in Android Auto. They are constantly updated, there are really cool new features and they are very accessible.
Apple Maps is also a great app, with cool elements, but there was something in which it was far behind Google Maps: offline maps. Now, with the arrival of the public beta of iOS 17, Apple Maps is finally updated for provide something that had been on Google Maps for eight years. And we’re going to buy both apps.
Here’s how downloading maps from Google Maps vs. Apple Maps works
The first thing I have to say is that we’re doing this comparison out of curiosity so you can see how each of the apps handles offline browsing.
Bases are filled in both: download a map to be able to consult it when we do not have data, we do not have coverage or do not want to use our tariff, but both have their peculiarities.
It also serves to see how, surely, Google will improve some sections of Maps because, really, Apple’s implementation has some pretty interesting ideas. That said, I’ll start by talking about Google Maps.
To use Google Maps offline, you have two options. The first and easiest is to find a location on the map and select its name. For example, we go to Valencia, click on the name of the city and, when the data is loaded, you must click on the three points that appear at the top right. Once done, we select the download option… and that’s it.
We can also, in the main screen of Maps, click on our icon at the top right. In the pop-up window we select “Offline maps” and we have two options: see the maps that we have downloaded or select our own map.
If we choose this second, we return to the map view and we can select the area. It will have yes or yes the aspect ratio of the screen of our mobile. If you want more or less of the map, touch to enlarge or reduce the screen by zooming.
Stretching to the max to cover everything possible within a download, the difference in weight between each app is noticeable in favor of Google Maps.
How Much Does Google Maps Take Up? The area of the Alcazar de San Juan is 72 MB, that of Murcia is 74 MB and that of Valencia is 99 MB. We can change the name of the maps, update them or delete them. In addition, the expiration date is indicated: one year from the date of creation. I think that’s more than enough time.
Now well, how does Apple do it? It is true that it is very similar, but I personally find a few ideas better implemented. And it is that, apart from the fact that you can modify the map once downloaded, you have to do fewer steps to do the same.
If we click on the name of a city or on our point on the map, the option to download the map appears, without having to go further. You click, the download starts and that’s it. With this we have already saved a few steps. And to see the downloaded maps, you must click on our avatar (bottom right) to access ‘Offline maps’.
Something I also like here is that, once downloaded, you can change the size, so more or less area is needed to cover more or less ground. What is curious is that the amount of maps that we can download is similar to that of Google Maps, but the weight is much greater.
How big are Apple Maps maps? Alcázar de San Juan is 112 MB, Murcia weighs 211.4 MB and Valencia 198.7 MB. So we can say that, on the same covered ground, Google Maps is more efficient And while Apple Maps does things better, it’s had eight years to learn from Google’s app.
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