Apple Adds Facebook, Drops Google Maps For Mobile Devices

Users of Apple mobile devices will need to find a different way to get around.

The company has decided to drop Google’s mapping services as a built-in feature on most iPhones and iPads, technology news service NewsFactor reported. Apple also dropped Google’s social network, Google+, in favor of Facebook.

The changes were on display at a developers conference in San Francisco this week, where Apple showed off its upgraded mobile operating system. Google Maps will now be replaced by an alternative software developed by Apple that will be released in the fall, NewsFactor reported. This new mapping system will have a voice navigation feature, real-time information about traffic and include three-dimensional map images compiled by helicopters Apple hired to fly over major cities.

Users loyal to Google Maps will have to find and install it themselves, the report said. The split between Apple and Google is sign of a growing rift between the software and technology giants, the Christian Science Monitor noted, one that has been fueled recently by the success of Google’s Android operating system.

At the conference Apple also showed off the more than 200 features its iOS 6 software will have, the Christian Science Monitor reported. The software will have better integration with Facebook, Apple officials said, allowing users to post from a variety of apps and linking Facebook’s calendar of birthdays and events to the one already on the phone.

Apple’s iOS 6 system will also have upgrades to Siri, a program that interprets voice commands and talks back to the user, the Christian Science Monitor reported. Apple officials said Siri will now be able to field more questions about movies, restaurants and a host of other topics.