iPhones are designed to work seamlessly with iOS. You always get a smooth experience because iOS is well-optimized for most applications, including the default apps. Apple always encourages their customer to use its apps. However, apps like Apple Maps do not provide a better value than Google Maps. So how can you change your default map on an iPhone?
You can change the default map from the map settings if you’re running iOS 8 or below (highly unlikely). However, iPhones with iOS 9 or higher do not have an option for changing the default map, so you are stuck with using Apple Maps, but you can use some tricks to utilize Google Maps on your iPhone.
Another unofficial way would be jailbreaking your iPhone, but neither Apple nor we recommend doing it. Jailbreaking your iPhone revokes its warranty and becomes unsafe to use.
You’ll find all the tricks below that will help you use Google Maps if you cannot set it as your default map on an iPhone.
Changing the Default Map on iOS 8 or Lower
You can easily change your default map if you have an older iPhone model or haven’t updated your iOS version beyond iOS 8. Follow the steps mentioned below.
- Tap on any address link on your iPhone to launch the Apple Maps application.
- When the app launches, press the car symbol to start the routing process.
- As the routing starts, you will see three tabs on the top of your screen. Tap on the “Apps” tab. It will reveal all the apps available that can show this map.
- Select the “Route” option alongside Google Maps to set it as default. Whenever you open an address, it will be displayed using Google Maps.
If you haven’t downloaded Google Maps on your iPhone, there will be an option to download it first. Tapping on the option will take you to App Store, where you can install Google Maps.
Changing the Default Map on iOS 9 or Above
From iOS 9 onwards, Apple only allows users to use Apple Maps as default. If you want to use Google Maps, you must use a workaround. You only have to change your default browser and email applications. After that, you can open the address link through Google Maps. Firstly, let’s set up Google Chrome and Gmail as default.
Setting Chrome As Default
- Search and install Chrome from the App Store.
- Launch the Settings menu on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on “Chrome”.
- Under the “Chrome” tab, select the “Default Browser App” option.
- Tap on “Chrome” again to set it as default.
Setting Gmail As Default
- Search and install Gmail from the App Store.
- Launch the Settings menu on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on “Gmail”.
- Under the Gmail tab, select the “Default Mail App” option.
- Tap on “Gmail” again to set it as default.
Now you can use the Gmail app to open addresses through Google Maps.
- Launch the Gmail app after setting it as default.
- Head to the menu bar in the top left corner.
- Navigate and scroll down to tap the “Settings” option.
- Tap on the “Default Apps” option.
- There will be two menus: “Navigate from your location” and “Navigate between locations”. Tap on “Google Maps” for both of these options.
After that, you can send an address link to your Gmail account. It will always ask between Apple Maps and Google Maps, and you can select the latter.
Directly Opening Google Maps From the Address Link
Using the address link, you can use another trick to directly open an address on Google Maps.
- Whenever you see an address link on your iPhone, long press the address, and a pop-up menu will appear.
- Select the “Copy Address” option from the menu.
- Launch “Google Maps”.
- Paste the copied address in the Google Maps search bar to open it directly through the app.
Jailbreaking Your iPhone
Before opting for this option, you must know the risks of jailbreaking your iPhone. If your iPhone runs iOS 11.4.1, jailbreaking the iPhone will easily allow you to make Google Maps a default app.
If you have a higher version than iOS 11.4.1, you can install the Mapsopener plugin from the Cydia Store. Whenever you click an address link with this plugin, it will always open through Google Maps.
The Bottom Line
Apple always wants its consumers to use built-in iOS applications. However, some people prefer to use other apps as default, like Google Maps. Apple doesn’t allow making Google Maps default from iOS 9 onwards.
However, you can still make Gmail and Chrome your default applications. Now, you can send an address link to Gmail, which will open through Google Maps. You can also directly paste an address link in the Google Maps search bar. You can also jailbreak your iPhone if you want to set Google Maps as default.
