At long last, Google has released its own iPhone maps app to compete against Apple's homegrown version introduced with iOS 6. For three months, iPhone users have been limited to Google's functional-but-lacking mobile mapping site, and their reaction to the new app tells us all we need to know: people really missed native Google Maps support.

Pushed late Wednesday night to the App Store, Google's offering isn't just a re-release of the Maps app we grew familiar with on iOS 5 and earlier. The app has been made over in the new Google style, with the maps drawn in vector graphics for faster (and smoother) loading. In addition to old features like built-in transit directions, Google also offers new features like spoken turn-by-turn driving directions.

There's plenty to like here, but also some glaring omissions. Let's take a look.

Good

As we mentioned in a recent hands-on with the new Gmail app for iOS, Google has been on a tear lately, making all its mobile apps mirror the overall style of its Google Plus app. This means menus sliding in from all directions, colors to highlight things Google wants to call to your attention, and an overall clean interface. You may or may not like it, but you will certainly notice it; the new interface is the first thing to grab your attention when loading up the new app.

The maps load quickly and searching for addresses or businesses works well (as one might expect, since Google isn't new to the mapping game). Users can pull a tab out from the right side to expose things like street traffic, public transit lines, satellite view, or Google Earth, which can all provide extra context.

Gloriously, Google has included built-in transit directions, bringing back one of the huge features Apple decided to leave out when building its own Maps for iOS 6. Apple said it wanted to open up this market to third-party developers, but while some have stepped up to the plate, the overall sentiment of transit riders I've spoken to has been disappointment. As summed up by Dan Sinker of Knight-Mozilla OpenNews, "[I]t turns out people wanted public transit data inside their maps after all. What a fucking shock."

Unlike the old version of Maps, the new app lets you differentiate between different types of transit—helpful if you're the picky type who doesn't like busses, or if you have a strict train phobia:

You can access the above screen after getting directions between two locations and tapping the transit button—after the app displays your options for how to get there, there's a way to change when you plan to depart or arrive, as well as transit modes and routing priorities. Thank goodness, too, because I'm a person who likes the fewest transfers possible even if the trip takes me 10 extra minutes, and now I can prioritize that option.

Google's view for showing you the steps needed to get somewhere via transit has been updated as well. Under the old Maps app, you were limited to either looking at the map itself or just a list of less-specific directions, but now there are screens (similar to what you'd find on Google Maps on the Web) that spell out each step in case you're not familiar with the area.

But enough about transit. What about drivers? Reportedly, one of the details that Google and Apple couldn't agree on was the inclusion of turn-by-turn driving directions in older versions of Maps—this is part of why Apple decided to strike out on its own with its turn-by-turn directions in iOS 6. But now Google has come back with its own spoken turn-by-turn directions, and so far they seem as capable as those offered by Apple.

I was only able to perform one test using Google Maps' driving directions (so far), but I came away happy with what I saw. The app speaks aloud, just like Apple's version, and gives you a more zoomed-in view of the streets (still in vector form) when you're actively driving them. But my favorite part is the fact that Google tells you which route might force you to deal with traffic, before you take off:

Although I appreciate this addition to Google Maps, I do think it's more likely that users will stick to Apple's Maps for this purpose, simply because it can do things like display your next steps on the lock screen while driving. Then again, if you're one of those who have run into trouble with Apple Maps leading you astray, you may want to stick with Google's version.

There are other nice-to-have things included in this app, such as satellite view (present before, but still nice to have)...

...and Google Street View (where supported).

And if you sign in to the app with your Google login, you can do things like save your home address, work address, and other locations for easy access from your Google profile.

But while this little feature is nice to have, it is also sorely incomplete, as we'll talk about in the next section…

Bad

A perplexing omission from Google Maps for iPhone is the inability to import your contacts—from anywhere. I very much expected Google to request access to my iPhone's contacts (just like every other iOS app on Earth, it seems), but it didn't. Therefore, I couldn't begin typing in my friends' names in order to get their addresses pulled into the app, forcing me to manually look up addresses first before typing them in by hand. Yes, it's a #firstworldproblem, but it's a real usability issue that adds unnecessary and inconvenient steps that users need to take.

What makes this worse is that Google doesn't even let you bring in your Google contacts from things like Gmail or Google Plus. What's the benefit of signing into your Google account if you can't make use of data that's stored in your Google account? Right now, it seems the only benefit to signing in is the ability to save your home address, which makes it barely worthwhile.

One friend pointed out that you can use Google Maps as a routing app for Apple Maps. Yes, this is convoluted, but it will work in a pinch: if you go to Apple Maps and type in your contact's name, then press the transit button, Apple will list out Google Maps as an app that can provide directions:

When you choose Google Maps, it will bring in your friend's address automatically, at which point you can either route yourself there via transit or choose other options like driving or walking. It's ridiculous to have to go through these steps, but the process does work.

Another complaint I've heard: while Google Maps on iPhone is superior to the mobile site, it "pales in comparison" to the Android version. One of the reasons for this is that the Android version has an offline mode, so the app continues to function when you've gone outside your coverage area. Not so for the iPhone version—and to be fair, Apple's Maps don't work particularly well offline either—which leaves some Android converts wanting.

Finally, this version of the app is designed for the iPhone (and/or iPod touch) only. iPad users who want to make use of Google Maps will either have to keep using the painful mobile site or simply use this app at iPhone size and resolution. This isn't particularly surprising, since Google tends to like staggering its app releases with a priority on iPhone (and the company has promised a future iPad version), but it's still a disappointment.

Ugly: It's always gotta be about privacy

The privacy-conscious should pay special attention to this section, because users may not be aware that Google can and will store your Google Maps location data while you're using this iPhone app. On the upside, you can turn this setting off; tap on the person icon in the top right of the main Google Maps screen, then the gear icon on your profile. At the bottom of the next screen, there's an "About, terms & privacy" button, then another button called "Terms & privacy" after that. From there, there's an option called "Location data collection"—tap that, and you'll finally make your way to a switch:

It's not particularly discoverable, and it's clearly not meant to be. Tsk tsk, Google.

Good app, despite shortcomings

Despite the annoyances, I still consider the Google Maps app to be quite capable, and I'm happy to have a good alternative to Maps on the iPhone. When Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for iOS 6's Maps shortcomings in September, he listed out several alternatives in the App Store. But when we looked at those alternatives in October (which included Google's mobile site), we weren't quite as impressed as we hoped to be. This release from Google makes up lost ground.

As for Apple, it has some serious shoes to fill. The company reportedly fired its head of the Maps team in November, so it's possible Apple's app will greatly improve in future updates. iOS 6 Maps never had a pristine reputation among users, but public opinion has been worsening lately thanks to some high profile incidents. Even non-techie friends and family are catching onto the fact that Apple's Maps aren't ideal—I have family from all walks of life who will take any opportunity to tell me how iOS 6's Maps led them somewhere confusing or couldn't provide the info they wanted (usually in the form of transit, but sometimes business listings and other searches).

Google is almost lucky—if you can call getting booted off the iOS default app installation "lucky"— that Apple has stumbled so publicly in this area, because it makes Google's product look that much better in comparison. Your move, Apple.