5 ms·

In the same way, Apple is equally difficult about forcing the use of Apple Maps. If you receive an address in an iMessage, clicking/long-holding will always op

In the same way, Apple is equally difficult about forcing the use of Apple Maps. If you receive an address in an iMessage, clicking/long-holding will always open in Apple Maps. There is no way to share to Google Maps (it doesn't appear in the list), and the default setting to use Google Maps doesn't affect iMessage. You have to copy the address, switch to Google Maps, paste it in, and search. I would much prefer clicking the address to open in the app of my choice.

graealex 1y ago
Look, it's Apple, Google and Microsoft being at their peak of customer hostility. Each of them constantly push their own browser in their own products.
NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago
[flagged]
- bilbo0s 1y ago
  Yeah. That particular one is definitely a case of “not today Satan”. I do wish there was a non-privacy invading maps app outside of Apple though.
  - thisislife2 1y ago
    Check out Organic Maps - https://organicmaps.app/ https://organicmaps.app/ - it runs on OpenStreetMaps, is privacy focused (no data collection, no ads, no tracking), is open source, runs offline, is multi-platform and even supports old ios versions (which none of the other popular Maps app do). (Old HN discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37347447 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37347447 )
    - NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago
      Thanks. Will check it out... as far as I know, no one's died being lost in the Australian desert with it, so it's got that going for it.
    - pabs3 1y ago
      The CoMaps fork might be a better choice: https://www.comaps.app/ https://www.comaps.app/
- troupo 1y ago
  It's worse than that. Apple will let users set a default maps app... only in the EU https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/03/14/dma-compliance-default-maps-app-in-eu/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/03/14/dma-compliance-default-ma... The pettiness is off the charts
  - kevincox 1y ago
    It's not pettiness, its just business. They want the lock in, they want the ad views they want the user data. Don't anthropomorphize your lawnmower.
    - lemoncucumber 1y ago
      Thus far Apple Maps doesn't have ads. There are rumors they may ad them (pun intended), but I don't think their motivations for steering people towards Apple Maps are primarily monetary.
      - kevincox 1y ago
        I think they are. Maybe not directly as you point out but there are lots of indirect reasons that don't seem that far fetched. 1. Using Apple Maps makes the switching cost to other devices (that don't have Apple Maps) higher. 2. Having more users makes any future monetization more valuable. I understand that there doesn't yet appear to be any direct monetization but I very much expect to see it at some point. 3. Removing traffic from competitors hurts them making their product relatively better the the competitors.
        lemoncucumber 1y ago
        Agreed, I guess I should have said it's not directly about making money from Maps, it's all indirect business reasons. Same thing with Apple operating iMessage for free without ads... they don't care about monetizing iMessage but it's also not about altruism.
        freedomben 1y ago
dagmx 1y ago
The sharing is because Google doesn’t register a share provider. I can share just fine from messages to other apps like Tesla or other mapping software like ABRP. I don’t see a Google Maps share provider anywhere on my device though
vladvasiliu 1y ago
That's not what I observe, it opens in the "default app" for "navigation". I've just tried this on my iPhone, running iOS 18.5. If I click on an address received via iMessage, it will open the "default app for navigation". If I long press it, the context menu will say "get directions" which opens the "default app", open in "google maps" if it's set as the default app. There's no option to open it in Apple Maps. If the "default app for navigation" is Apple Maps, everything I said above changes to Apple Maps. If I click "share", Google Maps doesn't show up in the list, but neither does Apple Maps.
- robocat 1y ago
  > default app" for "navigation". > iOS 18.5. Where is that setting? Settings | Apps | Default Apps has no option for Navigation (iPhone SE 18.5, in New Zealand). Maybe EU thing?
  - mattl 1y ago
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430 https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430 * Navigation (in some countries and regions1) –– choose another app instead of the Apple Maps app to use when opening links for a location I don't have this option in the US.
    - vladvasiliu 1y ago
      Possibly an EU thing then, I’m in France. However, when I use Google Maps, I do have the behavior described elsewhere in this thread: it constantly bugs me to open the links in chrome (which I’ve never had installed) even though I always click “use default browser”. Googling something in safari also regularly prompts me to install chrome.
stahtops 1y ago
I don’t want it to open google maps or ask me to open google maps. Stop trying to make things worse for everyone. Google maps and google.com shouldn’t prompt either. No prompts.
- RandomThoughts3 1y ago
  [dead]

graealex 1y ago

Look, it's Apple, Google and Microsoft being at their peak of customer hostility. Each of them constantly push their own browser in their own products.

NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago

[flagged]

bilbo0s 1y ago
Yeah. That particular one is definitely a case of “not today Satan”. I do wish there was a non-privacy invading maps app outside of Apple though.
- thisislife2 1y ago
  Check out Organic Maps - https://organicmaps.app/ https://organicmaps.app/ - it runs on OpenStreetMaps, is privacy focused (no data collection, no ads, no tracking), is open source, runs offline, is multi-platform and even supports old ios versions (which none of the other popular Maps app do). (Old HN discussion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37347447 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37347447 )
  - NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago
    Thanks. Will check it out... as far as I know, no one's died being lost in the Australian desert with it, so it's got that going for it.
  - pabs3 1y ago
    The CoMaps fork might be a better choice: https://www.comaps.app/ https://www.comaps.app/
troupo 1y ago
It's worse than that. Apple will let users set a default maps app... only in the EU https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/03/14/dma-compliance-default-maps-app-in-eu/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/03/14/dma-compliance-default-ma... The pettiness is off the charts
- kevincox 1y ago
  It's not pettiness, its just business. They want the lock in, they want the ad views they want the user data. Don't anthropomorphize your lawnmower.
  - lemoncucumber 1y ago
    Thus far Apple Maps doesn't have ads. There are rumors they may ad them (pun intended), but I don't think their motivations for steering people towards Apple Maps are primarily monetary.
    - kevincox 1y ago
      I think they are. Maybe not directly as you point out but there are lots of indirect reasons that don't seem that far fetched. 1. Using Apple Maps makes the switching cost to other devices (that don't have Apple Maps) higher. 2. Having more users makes any future monetization more valuable. I understand that there doesn't yet appear to be any direct monetization but I very much expect to see it at some point. 3. Removing traffic from competitors hurts them making their product relatively better the the competitors.
      - lemoncucumber 1y ago
        Agreed, I guess I should have said it's not directly about making money from Maps, it's all indirect business reasons. Same thing with Apple operating iMessage for free without ads... they don't care about monetizing iMessage but it's also not about altruism.
      - freedomben 1y ago

dagmx 1y ago

The sharing is because Google doesn’t register a share provider. I can share just fine from messages to other apps like Tesla or other mapping software like ABRP. I don’t see a Google Maps share provider anywhere on my device though

vladvasiliu 1y ago

That's not what I observe, it opens in the "default app" for "navigation". I've just tried this on my iPhone, running iOS 18.5. If I click on an address received via iMessage, it will open the "default app for navigation". If I long press it, the context menu will say "get directions" which opens the "default app", open in "google maps" if it's set as the default app. There's no option to open it in Apple Maps. If the "default app for navigation" is Apple Maps, everything I said above changes to Apple Maps. If I click "share", Google Maps doesn't show up in the list, but neither does Apple Maps.

robocat 1y ago
> default app" for "navigation". > iOS 18.5. Where is that setting? Settings | Apps | Default Apps has no option for Navigation (iPhone SE 18.5, in New Zealand). Maybe EU thing?
- mattl 1y ago
  https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430 https://support.apple.com/en-us/121430 * Navigation (in some countries and regions1) –– choose another app instead of the Apple Maps app to use when opening links for a location I don't have this option in the US.
  - vladvasiliu 1y ago
    Possibly an EU thing then, I’m in France. However, when I use Google Maps, I do have the behavior described elsewhere in this thread: it constantly bugs me to open the links in chrome (which I’ve never had installed) even though I always click “use default browser”. Googling something in safari also regularly prompts me to install chrome.

stahtops 1y ago

I don’t want it to open google maps or ask me to open google maps. Stop trying to make things worse for everyone. Google maps and google.com shouldn’t prompt either. No prompts.

RandomThoughts3 1y ago
[dead]