In a previous post, we discussed the Passbook app that is now available with the beta version of iOS 6. Today we understand that in the public version of iOS 6 that will be coming out that there is going to be a new Apple mapping system. As Google has been the frontrunner for mapping systems, there has been some skepticism about what Apple is bringing to the table.
You have a couple of choices on what you can do. You can jump ship over to the Android side of the house or you can patiently await the public version of iOS 6 due out in the early part of the last quarter of the year. We may all be pleasantly surprised with Apple’s offerings that might just compete favorably with Google Maps. You may also want to take a look at the standalone mapping experience that Google is supposed to put out for iOS devices.
For the time being, if you have downloaded the beta version of iOS 6, you can try what Google Maps has to currently offer for your device. This is not a part of the iOS, but Google offers the mapping experience through the mobile web. Combine that with the Mobile Safari and the home screen web bookmarks, you will find that you will be quite pleased with the result.
Follow the steps below to get this up and running on your iOS 6 device.
Step 1: Open up Mobile Safari on your iOS 6 device and bring up maps.google.com.
Step 2: If the interface provides a user facing alert relating to permission to track your current location, be sure to accept and allow. Permission does not need to be granted, but without it the service won’t be able to provide anything that relies on the device location such as routing.
Step 3: Tap the action button from the middle of the toolbar at the bottom of Mobile Safari and select the ‘Add to Home Screen’ option from the list. When you select this option you let the system know to create a quickly accessible bookmark with the given web address. This will be added to the device’s home screen and will be started like a normal application.
Step 4: Give the bookmark your desired naming convention and select ok. The device will jump back to the home screen and create a Google Maps icon. Tap to launch just like any other application and enjoy a relatively seamless Google Maps experience on iOS 6.
This may not be the most perfect option, however if you use the mobile Google Maps site, and add it as a bookmark to the home screen of your iOS 6 device, it is a strong option to consider. You will still be able to use some of the options such as determining the device’s location and getting directions and routes.
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