maps app doesnt let me click on the map for details

[amoses113]

is there soemthing wrong with my ipad or is this the way it really is...sorry i just got mine yesterday.....

on the maps app that was included with the ipad, i am unable to click on the map to get details about anything - for example, click on a restaurant to see the website, phone number, etc. or click on a subway stop to see what trains go there. if i go to maps.google.com, i can do everything, but on the app itself, the only way i can access SOME information is if i actually do a search for whatever the place is, and it comes up with a pin, and then i tap the pin. in that case, some info comes up, but far more info comes up when i'm actually on the google maps website, not the app. and when i'm just looking at the map on the app, with no search, i cant tap on different things to get more info.

it seems like it wouldnt make sense for the website to be more functional than the app. am i wrong?

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[twerppoet]

Never mind. Either you added info with your edit, or I misread it. The following is redundant, but possible educational for others, so I'll leave it.

After you've done a search there should be some red pins for each result. If you tap on a pin you'll get the Name of the place and one or two icons. Tap on the left, orange, icon and you go straight to Google Street View, if it is available.



Tap on the blue 'i' icon and you'll get more options and info.

[twerppoet]

As far as being better than Google Maps, not for everything, no. Just because Apple (and hundreds of other companies and developers) use Google Maps, doesn't mean they will implement everything. Though I think Maps has about the best Street View mode I've ever seen.

[amoses113]

Never mind. Either you added info with your edit, or I misread it. The following is redundant, but possible educational for others, so I'll leave it.

After you've done a search there should be some red pins for each result. If you tap on a pin you'll get the Name of the place and one or two icons. Tap on the left, orange, icon and you go straight to Google Street View, if it is available.

Attachment 9585

Tap on the blue 'i' icon and you'll get more options and info.

Attachment 9584

i am aware that you can get those red pins and the brief info they give you when you do a search for a specific thing, but i am talking about just being able to look at a blank map and click random things that are on the map. on the website, you're able to click literally anything on the map and it gives you in depth info on it. on the app, it only lets you do that if you search for something specific and the pins show up on the thing you're trying to click on (as your pictures show). and even in that case, the info that shows up is far more limited than the info that shows up on the actual website.

[twerppoet]

i am aware that you can get those red pins and the brief info they give you when you do a search for a specific thing, . . .

I realized that on a second read, which is why I added the Never Mind note at the top of my post. I left it in place because I thought it somewhat informative for anyone who might stumbles across the thread in a search, and because I couldn't bring myself to just throw the effort away.

Maps does not have the full functionality of the website. It is what it is. That is why we have an App Store. You can always use the website in Safari or the Google app (< hint).

If you have specific categories of places you are looking for, there are often apps for those things (like restaurants). Most of them are free, and put Google to shame for detail, within their own specialty of course.

That is the state of mobile computing. Apps and websites tend to be more limited/targeted/specialized; pick your favorite word. You generally shop around for apps (and mobile sites) that do exactly the task you have in mind, or several apps that do in in complimentary ways. Prices reflect this, since apps (when not free) are a fraction of the cost of the computer counterparts.

Part of this is because the mobile app market is new and it takes time to feel your way into a fully functional app (or site) with a good interface. The rest is the constraints of the hardware and interface (screen size). Things are going to keep getting better, but they may not be exactly what you expect compared to how things work in the larger computer world.