Apple dumped Google Maps over voice-guided directions

New Delhi: Reports suggest that Apple had no other option left but to come up with its own home-grown Maps in iOS 6.

According to AllThingsD, Apple "felt it had no choice but to replace Google Maps with its own, because of a disagreement over a key feature: Voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions."

Google has been offering spoken turn-by-turn navigation in its Android Maps for a long time, but the service offered for free through Google's Android OS had not made its way to Apple's Google-powered maps product.

Reports suggest that Apple had no other option left but to come up with its own home-grown Maps in iOS 6.

Apple wanted Google to include the turn-by-turn navigation feature in iOS Maps as the absence of the feature was putting Apple at a clear disadvantage in the mobile space. But Google did not agree as it was not a part of the deal that brought Google's Maps to iOS. This in turn prompted Apple to break the deal with Google and go its own way.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple even tried to sign a new deal with Google. "Apple pushed Google hard to provide the data it needed to bring voice-guided navigation to iOS. But according to people familiar with Google’s thinking, the search giant, which had invested massive sums in creating that data and views it as a key feature of Android, wasn’t willing to simply hand it over to a competing platform," said AllThingsD

According to the report, Google also wanted more credit in the iOS Maps. Google asked for in-app branding in iOS Maps, which Apple declined. Also, Google suggested adding Google Latitude. Again, Apple declined.

These became major issues of conflict between the two tech giants. "There were a number of issues inflaming negotiations, but voice navigation was the biggest," AllThingsD reported. "Ultimately, it was a deal-breaker," said the source.

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