Some iPhone users will be allowed to change their default navigation app after iOS 18 is released،
If you own an iPhone, one of the hardest decisions you'll have to make is whether to use Apple Maps or Google Maps for navigation. At one time, even Apple would have told you to use Google Maps instead of Apple Maps. It was 2012, after Apple Maps launched and some countries were labeled incorrectly, some had no name at all, some directions were wrong and following Apple Maps step-by-step instructions could have been dangerous for your health.
Apple CEO Tim Cook not only apologized, he also told users: “While we improve Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia Maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen for their web app. But now Apple Maps is just as good, if not better, than Google Maps. One big difference in favor of Apple Maps: While Google Maps may tell you to turn right in a third of a mile, Apple Maps is more likely to say, “At the next stop sign, turn right.” which is easier to follow.
Apple Maps is the default navigation app on iOS
Apple plans to give some iOS users the ability to change their default navigation app when iOS 18 is released next September. As Apple wrote in a “Non-Confidential Summary of DMA Compliance Report” released last week, “Apple also plans to introduce a new default control for users in browser app settings. Apple aims to make this solution available by March 2025.” This option will be limited to those who use their iPhone in the 27 EU countries and is imposed on Apple by the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Once Apple gives EU iPhone owners the green light to change their default navigation app, we could see Google Maps or even Waze used to replace Apple Maps. And it's still possible that Apple will allow iPhone users in other markets outside the EU, perhaps even the US, to change their default navigation app next March.
