IOS – Do iOS 6 maps include public transit information and routing

google mapsiosiphone

Lately I'm spending a lot of time in London, even though I'm not British.

I rely heavily on the iPhone Google-based maps for transit information, I tell it where I need to get to, and it recommends a bus, tube, etc.

Does iOS6's new Maps app still have this feature? I've read in a few places that it doesn't, but I can't believe Apple would break such important functionality with a new iOS version.

If it doesn't, is there any way to get the old Google maps in iOS6?

Best Answer

As of right now, no, the new Maps app lacks transit directions. Instead, when you select Public Transit as your travel mode, it pops up a list of installed (or available from the App Store) apps that can provide local transit directions.

And, as of right now, no, there is no Google Maps app in the App Store (though you can still use Google Maps effectively from Mobile Safari).

There not much to do but conjecture as to why the Apple-made Maps app doesn't include transit. From Dan Moren's excellent iOS 6 review at MacWorld:

This is an odd solution for Apple, which usually prides itself on providing a consistent experience. But I suspect that handling public transit directions simply wasn’t an option for Apple at this point, and if it came down to offering a third-party experience versus no feature at all, Apple opted to not leave its users completely high-and-dry.

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