Switch from Apple Maps to Google Maps: Links, Saved Places and the Default App

  • ⏱ About 2 minutes
  • Free, no sign-up
  • iPhone, Mac or any browser
  • Updated October 2026

Short answer

Three things move. Links: the Decoder turns any Apple Maps link or shared Guide into Google Maps links. Saved places: Apple Maps has no export, so share each Guide as a link and decode it; favorites have to be re-saved by hand. The default app: only changeable in the EU (iOS 18.4+) and Japan (iOS 26.2+).

Apple Maps shares maps.apple.com links, which Google Maps cannot open. Paste one into the Decoder below and you get the place — or every place in a shared Guide — with a Google Maps link each. Save them in Google Maps with Save on the place.

2. Saved places

Apple Maps has no export for Guides or favorites, and Google Maps has no file import for its Saved lists (My Maps can import KML or CSV, but those appear as separate maps). What works:

  • Guides you made: open the Guide in Apple Maps, tap Share, copy the link, paste it into the Decoder. Each place comes back with a Google Maps link; save them one by one.
  • Favorites and recents: no link to share, so re-save them in Google Maps by searching for each place.
  • Lists from other people: ask for the Guide link and decode it the same way.

3. The default app

Settings › Apps › Default Apps › Navigation lets you pick Google Maps — but only in the EU on iOS 18.4 and later and in Japan on iOS 26.2 and later. Elsewhere there is no setting; Google Maps links already open in the Google Maps app, and addresses tapped in Apple's own apps keep opening Apple Maps. Details in make Google Maps the default.

Turn an Apple Maps link into a Google Maps link

The Decoder reads any maps.apple.com link — a place, a pin or a shared Guide — and gives you the places inside it, each with a Google Maps link.

Open the Decoder →

Going the other way? Convert a Google Maps link to Apple Maps.

FAQ

Can I export my Apple Maps favorites to Google Maps?

No. Apple Maps has no export for favorites or Guides. A Guide can be shared as a link and decoded into a list of places with Google Maps links; favorites have to be re-saved by hand.

How do I open an Apple Maps link in Google Maps?

Google Maps cannot open maps.apple.com links. Paste the link into the Decoder on this site to get the place with a Google Maps link, then open or save it there.

Can I make Google Maps the default on iPhone?

Only in the EU (iOS 18.4 and later) and Japan (iOS 26.2 and later), under Settings › Apps › Default Apps › Navigation.

Will my Apple Maps Guides keep working?

Yes. Nothing is removed; decoding a Guide reads the link and leaves the Guide in Apple Maps untouched.

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