Apple could be ditching the search giant’s services for good

Dec 10, 2014 09:13 GMT  ·  By

Customers looking to pinpoint their devices on a map using iCloud’s Find My iPhone may see a change in the service starting this week. The company has started supplying location info using its own Maps service, replacing Google’s.

A report emerged yesterday saying that Apple was ditching Google Maps for good, replacing it with its own mapping service for Find My iPhone. The web client at iCloud.com indeed appears to reflect the change, but not everywhere.

Potential rollout in progress

The change appears to be in effect only in the US for now. Our own tests show that Apple still relies on Google’s services to pinpoint devices on a map in South-Eastern Europe. Whether the rollout process is still underway or the Apple Maps for these parts are not reliable is unclear.

The change is evidenced by the company logo at the bottom left-side corner of the map. In the case of US residents, the Apple logo is shown as of this week. In our case, Google Maps still powers Apple’s Find My iPhone.

The most likely scenario is that this is a rollout in progress and that Apple Maps will eventually engulf Find My iPhone across all territories where the company offers this service. This is not only because Apple insists on using its own services, but also because its contract with Google expires in 2015.

Word on the web is that the Cupertino company is further looking to detach itself from Google in terms of search. By this time next year, the default search in Safari will either be Yahoo or Bing, reports say.

Ongoing cloud problems

Apple has yet to address some important issues with its cloud platform, with some reports revealing that the teams working on this effort are at odds with each other. Political issues inside the Apple organization are said to be taking their toll on cloud-reliant services. Maps is one of them.

It would be a shame for the company to oust Google Maps out of spite, leaving users with a less reliable mapping service for locating a lost or stolen device. So far, Find My iPhone has worked brilliantly for some customers, even helping law enforcement find criminals and put them behind bars.

While Apple Maps itself is certainly reliable, it’s still questionable whether Apple’s service is on par with Google’s. The latter is eons ahead of Apple in terms of experience, though Cupertino has proved on numerous occasions that it can hold its own.

Find My iPhone on iCloud.com (8 Images)

iCloud welcome screen
Signing into Find My iPhoneLocating devices
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