Google Releases Updated Maps for iOS SDK, Opens API Keys to All Developers - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Google Releases Updated Maps for iOS SDK, Opens API Keys to All Developers

by

googlemapsWhen Google released Google Maps for iOS in December, it also announced an SDK that iOS developers could use to implement Google Maps in their apps rather than Apple's mapping solution.

Tonight, Google announced an updated Maps SDK that adds ground overlay support and makes API keys available to all developers via the Google API Console. Previously, developers had to register and wait to be granted access to keys.

Now that keys are freely available, it's likely that more developers will use Google Maps in their apps. Some developers may decide to allow users to choose between Google and Apple's maps, much like the recently released Sunrise calendar app.


Google has also included a sample app in the SDK that developers can use to learn how to use Google Maps in their apps and released a video (above) demonstrating some of the SDK's features.

Top Rated Comments

P
pacohaas
176 months ago
Maybe Apple should think about using this API in their Maps app :D.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
P
PantherCreek
176 months ago
Am I the only one that actually likes Apple Maps? :P

I like them too, but I live in an area where I have had no issues with Apple maps.

I do think that choices help foster competition, and competition between Google and Apple, albeit outside of the courtrooms, really will benifit the consumers the most.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
APlotdevice Avatar
APlotdevice
176 months ago
Am I the only one that actually likes Apple Maps? :P
It's alright. I don't have a big problem with the inaccuracies, as Google's own maps are hardly flawless.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
samcraig
175 months ago
Why do you need Google maps for iPad? Do you need 8-10" GPS display in your car? Plug in 40" Plasma then, and get over with it.

Or perhaps you can consider that someone has a use case different from yours and instead of being snarky - just choose to not comment?

Since Apple was paying Google major amounts of money every year for Google Maps (high eight or low nine digits), and stopped paying a penny to Google for map data since, I doubt that Google didn't know about this.

Were they? Or was it a revenue split? And are we sure Google didn't pay Apple for placement on their iOS?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lamina Avatar
lamina
176 months ago
Where is Google Maps for iPad? Apple Maps is cool too, but COME ON.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BvizioN Avatar
BvizioN
175 months ago
This thread is about Google Maps, it is you Apple Maps apologists that insist on spoons your 'Apple Maps works for me so it must work for everyone' in every Google Maps related thread.

This thread is about Google Maps in MacRumors forum which happen to be a forum about Apple discussions! Get it? You do? Good for you!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Read Full Article
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Read Full Article
macbook ultra

MacBook Ultra's New Design Won't Stay Exclusive for Long

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:00 pm PDT by
The touchscreen and the OLED panel have dominated discussion about Apple's next high-end laptop, but the redesign wrapped around them may prove to be an equally consequential change, largely because it is not expected to stay unique to the machine for long. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week laid out Apple's plan to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years. In the report, he...
Read Full Article • 119 comments