Voice-Guided Directions Dispute Torpedoed Google Maps for iOS 6

Still bitter your iPhone 5 or newly-upgraded-to-iOS 6 device doesn’t have Google Maps? Wonder why?

You’re now stuck with the screwy, much-maligned Apple Maps app because Google and Apple couldn’t reach and agreement about voice-guided, turn-by-turn driving directions, according to an AllThingsD report.

People who use Google Maps on Android mobile devices have long since been able to get voice-guided driving directions. But iPhone users of Google Maps have never had that. As the rivalry between Apple and Google/Android has ramped up recently, the competitive disadvantage that discrepancy created for Apple became a bigger deal.

“There were a number of issues inflaming negotiations, but voice navigation was the biggest,” a source close the the negotiations told the Wall Street Journal site. “Ultimately, it was a deal-breaker.”

Apple tried hard to convince Google to provide it with the necessary data for spoken turn-by-turn directions to iOS, ATD reports, but Google would not simply hand over the valuable data to an Android competitor.

Google, meanwhile, wanted to get in-app branding and add Google Latitude for iOS users but Apple wouldn’t budge.

Given the stalemate, Apple began focusing more intently on building its own maps app — one with turn-by-turn voice directions. It succeeded in that quest and announced Apple Maps at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June.

Safe to say this isn’t the Maps debut Apple envisioned, though. The app has been plagued by complaints of dysfunction, and a popular Tumlbr popped up shortly after it launched to collect geographical botches. Just 10% of related tweets reflect positive sentiment, and even Hitler has come out against Apple Maps. Apple, for its part, says its “just getting started” with the new product.