Apple Maps brings Nearby feature in India; should you switch from Google Maps?

Apple has updated its Maps app with a feature that lets users search for nearby essential services like grocery stores, medical shops, petrol pumps, restaurant and food delivery services, etc.

The Nearby feature is quite similar to what Google Maps has been offering in India and other parts of the world. On Apple Maps, users can find nearby grocery stores, medical shops and other essential services simply by tapping on the search field, reported Gadgets360.

Alongside India, the feature has been expanded to 30 new countries, namely Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Macau, Mexico, Montserrat, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam.

The Cupertino-based tech giant has also pushed the real-time transit feature to Canada, England, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. The feature was initially launched in limited cities across the US to offer detailed transit schedules, live departure/arrival times, the current location of a bus or train en route, etc.

While Apple falls short in terms of India-specific features, the rolling out of the Nearby feature brings it a step closer to Google Maps.

Google's navigation app is very popular in India, mainly due to the feature set and its wide user base of Android smartphones. Google recently added the Plus code feature that lets users easily share a location which are hard to be located. The feature is currently available only on Android and could soon be available on the iOS app.