Google, it seems, will try its best to re-introduce the company’s Maps feature for its dedicated Apple users. Per reports, Google is currently expanding the testing project for the new Google Maps before the company applies for a legal approval from Apple.
According to a new WSJ report, Google, apparently, has been giving some of its friends a copy of this new iOS app to test out, which has been done in the hopes of wrapping up the development of the app quickly and getting it off to Apple for approval. Although it remains to be seen whether or not that approval may be readily forthcoming, but with the custom Apple Maps currently going haywire, it may soon become a decision that Apple may be forced to make.
“Google has distributed a test version of its new mapping app that will work on Apple's iPhones to some individuals outside the company, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Google has been putting the finishing touches on the app before submitting it for approval to the Apple iTunes store, this person said, though it's unclear exactly when that will happen,” the WSJ report reads.
However, this is not the first time that a Google-based Maps app has been rumored for Apple-based devices. Earlier, the arrival of iOS 6 and the disappointing nature of the newly-developed iOS Maps feature made fans as well as dedicated tech sites wonder if Google will once again step up to its users’ needs and develop a new Maps app for iOS, long after Apple yanked off the service.
The last big report related to a Google Maps app for iOS arrived in November when it was stated that sources from within Google had information that while such an app for Apple’s iOS-based devices was already in development, it was still uncertain if Apple would eventually end up approving the app for release in its App Store.
It was also revealed that a Google-backed Maps app for iOS could arrive as soon as this Christmas. At that time, in October, the company had already announced that it was yet to submit an application to the App Store.
