Google: Free Turn-By-Turn Guidance Not Coming To iPhone

More depressing news from Google. Just after hearing that the Nexus One wouldn't be coming to Verizon Wireless, Google is now informing the world that they have no current intentions of ever putting free turn-by-turn guidance on the iPhone. Earlier reports had made it seem as if Google was evaluating the option for Apple's iPhone OS, when in fact they were simply talking about other platforms aside from iPhone OS.

The news makes sense: one of the biggest competitive advantages to Android is the availability of Google Maps Navigation, and if Google were to pipe this to the iPhone, there's really be no reason to select Android over the iPhone in terms of mapping software. A Google spokesperson told PCWorld the following: "We did not say we would bring it to iPhone, we said to date we've had it on Android and that in the future it may come to other platforms but did not confirm this will be coming to iPhone at all."


So, it looks like it's back to the drawing board for iPhone users. The only way to get turn-by-turn on that phone is to pay for an app that does it, and while options are numerous, most are rather expensive, and certainly more than free. We would have higher hopes that this situation may change in the future, but Google and Apple haven't exactly been getting along recently.