One of the things I've discovered as my kids have gotten older is birthday parties are a great way to suddenly need navigational help in a place you might have lived for years. Whether it's finding a park, a new friend's house, or even some other spot you might not have ever visited on your own, a birthday party can get you exploring just a bit more. Which is why you have to have software that works.
Recently I had to find a park that I'd never heard of before. So I grabbed my phone, opened Apple Maps, and typed in the name of the park. It didn't take long for the results to populate, and then we were off, heading to the third birthday party of the week. On our way we passed another party, and my girls were super excited about it and wished they could go to that one because it had a giant bouncy house with an attached slide.
It seemed like a cool party!
But we drove on by and went to the park that Apple Maps instructed us to. There was a party there, too, unsurprisingly. Except come it took only a few seconds to find out it definitely wasn't our party, and we were certainly not invited. So we hopped back into the car and I tried to find the park again (I was instructed to search for "South" [insert park name here]), but Apple Maps didn't have a park with that name to show me.
Take a few deep breaths. Open Google Maps and type in the "South " [insert park name here] and, hey, there it is! And I'm sure you've probably already guessed by now, but it took us right back to that first park, where the bouncy house and slide were waiting. After a few jabs at me by my girls because I got us lost, they completely forgot about the mishap and went to play.
I had a couple of laughs at my own expense, and then it dawned on me that Apple Maps, all these years later, is still getting me lost. Look -- sometimes that's not a bad thing! When I'm out exploring a new place, and I don't have to worry about heavy traffic, I'll get lost. But in these situations? I'd much rather just get to my location as quickly as possible.
Three days later and Apple Maps couldn't find another spot I wanted to get to. Lo and behold Google Maps didn't have a single solitary issue finding it, and it helped me get there without issue. The first time was frustrating, but the second time is just ridiculous. In both of these cases, the locations aren't new to this area by any means. There's no discernible reason why Apple Maps shouldn't have them readily available.
Especially considering Google Maps has them!
But here we are and I'm reminded all over again why I shouldn't use Apple Maps. Which is fine -- I'm accustomed to using third-party resources on an iPhone. But I want to use Apple Maps because I like the interface. The reality of the situation, though, is that I get more usefulness and information from Google Maps, so I've resigned myself to just using that app and service.
I know, I know. Poor Evan having to use a superior app. The horror!
After all that I wanted to reach out to you and find out if you've had any issues with Apple Maps. Or even Google Maps or any other navigational tool for that matter. When's the last time one of these apps and/or services just failed you miserably? Let me know!
