Apple Maps is now available in mobile browsers for non-Apple devices!

Apple Maps has long been criticized for its limitations, but after continuous improvement, it has become a strong competitor to Google Maps. Although Apple is unlikely to launch the native Android version of Apple Maps app, its web version has officially supported mobile browsers, providing Android users with a more convenient way to use it.

Apple Maps was officially launched in 2012 and was criticized for its accuracy issues in the early stage. After all, it challenged Google Maps, the most powerful and popular map application at that time. It took several years for Apple to gradually narrow the data gap with Google Maps, ultimately becoming a trusted alternative.

In 2018, Apple released the MapKit API, allowing developers to integrate Apple Maps into their websites. Websites such as DuckDuckGo took the lead in taking advantage of this feature, making it the best way to use Apple Maps outside of your iPhone or iPad at the time. However, this situation changed last June, when Apple released a public beta version of the Apple Maps desktop web browser.

Related###### Apple Maps has added street view feature on the web version

Apple has made some improvements to its web-based beta version of Apple Maps. The latest update adds a "surround view" feature, allowing users to view a 360-degree panoramic view of specific locations, similar to Google Street View. Apple added this feature in a limited beta version in June, but it is now available on the web browser of Windows computers. According to a website that tracks map service, the "surround view" feature appears to have been added around December 11, 2024.

You can use Apple Maps in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Safari at beta.maps.apple.com. However, it did not support mobile browsers before. This week, Apple Maps on the web was officially launched and it began to support mobile browsers. This means you can now use Apple Maps more formally on your Android phone.

You just need to visit maps.apple.com in your mobile browser. I have used it successfully in Chrome for Android and Firefox for Android. Although "beta" has been removed in the URL, the actual website's Maps logo still has the word "Beta" on it. Many native applications have features available, but the obvious lack is turning navigation.

Does this mean that Apple Maps native apps will be available to Android in the future? This is extremely unlikely. If “system” apps like Apple Maps and iMessage are available on Android, people have fewer reasons to buy iPhones. However, services like Apple Music and Apple TV rely on as many paid users as possible, so it makes sense that they can extend to Android platforms.

In fact, Android users may not be in a hurry to use Apple Maps, whether native apps or not. But for those who often receive Apple Maps links from iPhone friends, having a full-featured web app is a good choice.

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