Google Maps iPhone App: How To Get It On Your Apple Device

The Google Maps app returned to the Apple iPhone and iPad via Apple's App Store on Thursday, to great fanfare among Apple customers who were upset in September, when the tech giant pulled the megapopular Google Maps software off its devices.

It's very simple to get the Google Maps app on your iPhone or iPad. Here are the steps that will have you back on Google Maps when you need to find out where the nearest Starbucks is:

1. Go to the App Store. Apple's App Store app comes installed on iPhones and iPads, so flip your app icons until you find the App Store, which is represented by a light blue square containing a white "A" made of a ruler, paintbrush and pencil. Click on the icon to enter the App Store.

2. Search for the Google Maps app. While within the App Store, look at the bottom of your screen, where you will find a magnifying glass icon with the word "Search" underneath it. Click on that icon. At the top of the screen you will see a search bar, with a magnifying glass at the far left. Type "Google Maps" into that search bar and press the blue "Search" button at the bottom-right of your screen. Click the top search result, "google maps."

3. Download the Google Maps app software. The first app that comes up after searching for "google maps" should be the new Google Maps app, which is denoted by an image of the Maps software with a red location indicator and a cursive "g" for Google. Click the button that says "FREE," and then click "INSTALL APP" when the button turns green.

4. Log into your Apple account. If you are not already logged in with Apple, simply enter your login information when the screen prompting you to do so appears. You will then begin downloading the app, which will automatically install on your device, and will provide a Google Maps icon on the last page of your homescreen icons.

5. Set up Google Maps. First, find the Google Maps icon on your homescreen's last page of icons. Accept the terms of Google Maps by clicking "accept" on the page that appears. You may have to turn on "Location Services" by going into your device settings, scrolling down to the "Privacy" section and opting to turn "Location Services" on. Once you've done so, return to Google Maps. If you are prompted to do so, log into Google by entering your Google login info and pressing enter.

6. At this point your Google Maps app is all set up and ready to be used. Happy navigating!

The return of the Google Maps app to the Apple devices was be a relief for many users who have complained that the Apple map software that replaced it when iOS 6 was released in September is vastly inferior to Google's app.

The eagerly anticipated Google iOS Maps app reunites Apple device users with the industry-standard Google Maps software at long last, after rafts of complaints came in about the Apple Maps app in the wake of its release.

The reintroduction of Google Maps to the iPhone brings Apple users back to what they once had, as it came pre-installed on Apple iPhones until iOS 6 dropped it.

The Apple Maps app was found to be so faulty that police in parts of Australia even recently advised motorists not to use it when navigating Down Under, as it had led a number of motorists to find themselves stranded in the wilderness.