Google Maps in iOS6 [closed]

Question

Coming back on this Google Maps support on iOS 6.

This is a serious and constructive issue that has to be addressed for a lot of apps developers who already released their Apps on iOS 5 and tied to legal compliance towards Google terms of service http://code.google.com/apis/maps/iphone/terms.html.

The fact is the following: applications using Google Maps API Web Services must relate to the display of information on a Google Map. Use of the service in an application that doesn't display a Google map is prohibited.

Say some developpers have an application available for download on the App Store, users have downloaded it and are using it. When the users will update their phones with iOS 6, Apple Maps will be displayed in place of Google Maps, breaking all of a sudden the Google terms of license.

The application becomes 'de facto' from a Google license stand point, thousands of users will use an app which has become illegal and I can't think of a technical way to prevent this.

How do we deal with this this?

• Can google be kind enough tolerate old apps can still be used in this context?
• Is google preparing their own Mapkit API we could use on iPhone could it be available on previous IOS releases so developers could update their apps before IOS6 is released?
• Can Apple provide an option to still display Google Map to bridge the gap until their provide similar Web services?

Any constructive ideas are welcomed?

PS. I am also posting those questions to Google and Apple.

Answer 1

Good question!

(And to potential close-voters: The fact that Apple will provide their own mapping is public)

I'd suggest you file a radar with Apple, and duplicate it on http://www.openradar.me/

As to your questions:

Can google be kind enough tolerate old apps can still be used in this context?

They could, and I believe in practice they probably will be.

Is google preparing their own Mapkit API we could use on iPhone could it be available on previous IOS releases so developers could update their apps before IOS6 is released?

Very probably. But I doubt it'll be ready in time for you to update your app before iOS 6 release.

Can Apple provide an option to still display Google Map to bridge the gap until their provide similar Web services?

I don't think so. I don't think they'd want to, and I think their licensing contract with Google will expire in the not-too-distant future.

Answer 2

You can use google maps tiles on iOS6, and still use google maps API for places, geocoding, etc. Solution with overlays: https://github.com/mladjan/GoogleMapsOverlayiOS I hope that Google will release Google Maps SDK for iOS as soon as posible :)