Apple Maps uses less data than Google Maps, says study

Apple's Maps app on an iPhone 5.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET )

Apple Maps has taken it on the chin for its faulty data, but a new study cites one advantage for the beleaguered app.

Apple Maps chews up less data -- just one-fifth as much -- than does Google Maps, according to Onavo. Running both apps through a series of scenarios, the analytics firm found that the average amount of data downloaded by Apple Maps was around 271 kilobytes. In contrast, Google Maps consumed around 1.3 megabytes on average.

In certain cases, such as zooming in to a specific spot, Apple Maps proved seven times more data efficient than Google Maps, according to Onavo.

Why all the data downloads? As Onavo explained it, each time you zero in on a new location, the app has to download the street map data that appears on the screen. If you move or zoom in or out, new data needs to be downloaded to refresh the view.

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