Question

I am building an app that can open the Maps app with directions from the user’s current position to another position. The code looks like this:

- (id)resolveDirectionsFromCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)startCoordinate toCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)endCoordinate
{
    NSString* url = [NSString stringWithFormat: @"http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=%f,%f&daddr=%f,%f",
                 startCoordinate.latitude, startCoordinate.longitude,
                 endCoordinate.latitude, endCoordinate.longitude];
    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL: [NSURL URLWithString: url]];

    return nil;
}

Thos works well in iOS 5.x. In iOS 6, however, this brings up Safari instead, since Maps no longer uses Google Maps.

Does anyone know which URL I should call in iOS 6?

Answer 1

The Apple Documentation recommends using the equivalent maps.apple.com URL Scheme

so use

http://maps.apple.com/maps?saddr=%f,%f&daddr=%f,%f

instead of

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=%f,%f&daddr=%f,%f

to be backwards compatible your code would be

    NSString* versionNum = [[UIDevice currentDevice] systemVersion];
    NSString *nativeMapScheme = @"maps.apple.com";
    if ([versionNum compare:@"6.0" options:NSNumericSearch] == NSOrderedAscending){
        nativeMapScheme = @"maps.google.com";
    }
    NSString* url = [NSString stringWithFormat: @"http://%@/maps?saddr=%f,%f&daddr=%f,%f", nativeMapScheme startCoordinate.latitude, startCoordinate.longitude,
                 endCoordinate.latitude, endCoordinate.longitude];
    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:url]]; 

Alternatively you could also use the maps://saddr=%f,%f&daddr=%f,%fscheme but it does not appear support the full range of parameters.