Import a Shared Google Maps List into Apple Maps (No Takeout)
Short answer
Copy the list's share link in Google Maps, open the GoToAppleMaps app on iPhone or Mac, choose Paste a Google Maps List Link and convert. The app reads every place from the link and builds an Apple Maps Guide. You do not need a Google Takeout export, and the list does not have to be yours.
Step by step
- Copy the list's link. In Google Maps open the You tab (called Saved in older versions), open the list, tap Share and copy the link. It looks like
https://maps.app.goo.gl/…. - Open GoToAppleMaps. Get it from the App Store for iPhone (iOS 26 or later) or Mac.
- Paste the link. Tap Paste a Google Maps List Link, paste, then tap Extract Places. The app shows how many places it found.
- Convert. Name the guide, look through the places and tap Start Conversion. Each place is looked up in Apple Maps on your device.
- Save it. Tap Open in Apple Maps, then Add to Places in Apple Maps.
Shorter still: in Google Maps tap Share on the list and pick GoToAppleMaps in the share sheet. The list opens in the app without copying anything.
Why a list link needs the app
A link to one place carries the place's name in its address, so any converter can read it. A list link carries only the list's ID. The places have to be fetched from Google, and Google does not hand list contents to web servers such as ours. The app asks from your own iPhone or Mac, the way a browser would, and gets the whole list in one request, with the coordinates of every place.
Those coordinates matter: each place is searched in Apple Maps right at its own position, which is far more reliable than searching a bare name.
Link or Takeout: which one you need
| What you have | What to use |
|---|---|
| A link to one shared list | The app: paste the link |
| A list someone else shared with you | The app: paste their link |
A Google My Maps link (google.com/maps/d/…) | Quick Convert on this site, or the app |
| All your lists at once, or a list you cannot share | Google Takeout, then the file converter |
What to expect
- The list must be shared. The link has to open for anyone who has it. If a list has no Share option, export it with Takeout.
- Big lists work. The largest list we have tested had 747 places and came through in one request. Apple Maps holds about 365 places in one Guide, so a bigger list becomes several Guides.
- Notes stay behind. An Apple Maps Guide cannot hold a note per place, so your notes are not carried over.
- Not every place matches. Places Apple Maps does not know, or knows under another name, are listed as unmatched or marked for you to check.
The app says the link is not a list
Check that you copied the link from the list's own Share button, not from a place inside it, and that the whole link was pasted. A link to a single place is imported as one place.
The app found no places
The list is empty or no longer shared. Open the link in a private browser window: if Google asks you to sign in or shows nothing, ask the owner to share the list again.
FAQ
Do I need Google Takeout to move a list to Apple Maps?
No, not for a list you can share. Copy the list's link in Google Maps and paste it into the GoToAppleMaps app. Takeout is only needed to export all your lists at once, or a list that has no Share option.
Can I import a list someone else made?
Yes, if they shared its link with you. The app reads any Google Maps list whose link opens without signing in.
Why can the website not open a list link?
A list link carries only the list's ID, and Google does not hand list contents to web servers. The app fetches the list from your own device instead. Paste a list link on this site and you get a button that opens it in the app.
Does this work on Android?
No. The result is an Apple Maps Guide, and the app runs on iPhone and Mac.