Google has reportedly begun testing its own mapping application for iOS among outside users, further supporting rumors the company plans to submit it to the App Store in the near future. The Wall Street Journal cites unnamed sources that claim Google is in the process of putting "finishing touches" on the app before submitting it for approval through Apple. Not only will the app use Google's own data—like the default Maps app under iOS 5 and earlier—it's also said to include turn-by-turn navigation. That feature was not previously available under Apple and Google's partnership.

Google stated in September—just after the release of iOS 6, with Apple's own version of Maps—that it had no plans to release its own mapping app "yet." Soon thereafter, sources claimed a Google Maps app was in the works and would hit the App Store before the end of 2012. Sources later stated Google was "not optimistic" that Apple would approve such an app, but it appears the company is forging ahead anyway.

Neither Google nor Apple confirmed the WSJ's report on Thursday, though Google did acknowledge its goal is to "make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system." (That's not-technically-a-denial if I ever heard one.) But WSJ did point out Google's new app would have the same kind of turn-by-turn driving directions as Apple's new Maps app: "The turn-by-turn navigation feature didn't exist in the previous Apple-device version, partly because of various disagreements between the companies over other aspects of the Apple-controlled app."

Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote a public apology for iOS 6 Maps in late September, acknowledging that Apple "fell short on this commitment" to make the best products for its customers. He suggested users try a number of alternatives available on the Web and the App Store, which we examined last month. If and when Google releases its own mapping app, we'll be sure to take a look at what's old, what's new, and what's different from Apple's own app.