Google building maps app for the new iPhone

However, there's a catch. It probably won't be ready until the end of the year and, once submitted to the Apps Store, Apple will have the final say over whether or not the app is suitable.

Meanwhile, Apple has stated that it is constantly working to improve the service and that as more people use Apple Maps the better it will get due to the fact that it is a cloud-based solution. It has also revealed that it is working with developers to integrate transit apps available in its App Store into iOS Maps to boost functionality.

As criticism of Apple's decision to create its own mapping software continues to build, more news has come to light over the company's motivation for going it alone. According to a story that first appeared on technology site The Verge, and that has since been verified by other news outlets, Apple terminated its agreement with Google one year early partly because unlike the Android equivalent, the iOS Google Maps app didn't offer turn-by-turn navigation and it felt that its users were being left behind.