Nokia has quietly removed Here, an ambitious — but poorly implemented — mapping application for Apple's iOS. Here Maps debuted last November, a little less than two months after Apple rolled out its Google Maps replacement inside iOS 6. The software was part of a larger effort by Nokia to bring its services to other device makers, including iOS and Google's Android. At the time, Nokia said that very strategy would result in better, more up-to-date services. Yet, Here Maps on iOS languished, receiving no updates in the past year. That might have flown in the early days of smartphones, but not when there were a number of befuddling bugs in the app, and in times when operating systems are adding new features every few months.

The app is no longer here

That long delay without any attention became even more of an issue with iOS 7, a thorough redesign that Nokia cites as an issue that affected its app. In a statement to Engadget, the company pointed to "recent changes to iOS 7" that "harm the user experience." In a follow-up meant to smooth over that jab, a Nokia spokesperson told CNET it didn't "want to blame Apple," and that "the app was simply not optimized for iOS 7 so we decided to remove it." In the meantime, Nokia's pushing iOS users to the mobile version of its site (m.here.com), without promising that the software will return.

At the time of its departure, Nokia's app had pulled in nearly 1,500 user reviews, with an average of just 2.5 out of 5 stars. Many users chided the company for a buggy, and sometimes confusing experience. Here Maps lives on, of course; the software's still available on the web and for Windows Phone 8 users. Nokia also maintains separate maps apps for Windows Phone 7, and some of its older devices.