You Can Come Out of Your House Now: Google Maps Is Back on the iPhone

The world can stop freaking out now: Google Maps is back on the iPhone. The New York Times reports:

The release of the new Google Maps app for the iPhone, expected in Apple’s App Store on Thursday, does put to rest most of the conspiracy theorizing that began when Apple stopped bundling Google’s mapping service with the latest operating system for the iPhone and iPad, released in September. Apple did that because it was determined to own an increasingly critical feature of its devices, but the move seemed premature, as flaws in the company’s new service led to unusual public embarrassment.

You can download the app now in the iTunes Store, which means that everyone can come out of their houses without fear of getting hopelessly lost. Even Apple recognized how bad their maps were, USA TODAY writes:

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a rare apology in late September and urged users to try other map apps, including MapQuest and Waze. “We are extremely sorry for the frustration (the map) has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better,” he wrote. “We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.”

Now Google is back, probably chuckling to themselves as they write this in their blog about the iPhone app:

People around the world have been asking for Google Maps on iPhone. Starting today, we’re pleased to announce that Google Maps is here—rolling out across the world in the Apple App Store. It’s designed from the ground up to combine the comprehensiveness and accuracy of Google Maps with an interface that makes finding what you’re looking for faster and easier.

The only downside is that your “Apple Maps made me late” excuse no longer works.

More from Smithsonian.com:

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Rose Eveleth | | READ MORE

Rose Eveleth was a writer for Smart News and a producer/designer/ science writer/ animator based in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, Story Collider, TED-Ed and OnEarth.