How badly was the Google Maps app for the iPhone missed? After arriving in the iOS App Store last Wednesday evening, in just 48 hours, the app was downloaded 10 million times, Google announced Monday.
It was clear by Thursday morning that the app was going to be popular. By that time, Google Maps had already shot to the top of the App Store’s free iPhone download charts. But the release of the exact number helps illuminate the demand for Google’s app after Apple dropped it from automatic inclusion in iOS 6.
The number is just downloads — it doesn’t indicate how many people are actually using the app since grabbing it from the App Store. Users desperate to recreate the previous experience of having Google’s maps be the default when looking up directions on the iPhone were likely disappointed, however. Apple Maps is now the default navigation app, but some third-party app makers can set their apps to detect if Google Maps is installed and use directions or location data from Google instead of Apple.
Some iPhone users may be using Google’s new app whenever possible. Others may find they just want to have the trusted mapping app as back up.
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