Run Google Maps Web App In Full-Screen With Original Icon On iPhone 5 / iOS 6

Although you can bookmark Google Maps on your iOS 6-running device’s home screen, but the experience is somewhat hampered since the web app opens up in Mobile Safari. We have come across a way on how to run the web app in full-screen mode along with the old iOS Google Maps icon for an even better, immersive Google Maps experience on iOS 6.
If there is one thing we do know; it is that a lot of people simply don’t like change, and even though the mobile Google Maps experience is extremely powerful, it does come with its fair share of drawbacks. The first one is that it doesn’t offer a full-screen experience, thanks to the tinted Safari toolbar that sits at the bottom of the browser. In addition to that, it places a rather ugly web app icon on the home screen instead of the well-known and loved Google Maps iOS icon that has been present since 2007. Both of these issues can be overcome through the installation of a simple profile that has been created by Ben Guilds.

Step 1: Open up Mobile Safari on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Navigate to the website of the profile creator by clicking here.

Step 2: The blog post gives a small amount of information about the process and provides links to the relevant profiles depending on what device you are using. Select your device accordingly. Clicking on these links on the device will force a prompt to install an unsigned mobileconfig file.
Step 3: Select Install at the top right hand corner of the display before selecting the Done option when the profile has been installed. If the installation requests for a password to be entered then supply the device’s password.

Step 4: After pressing the Done button, head on over to the device’s home screen and look for the Maps app/bookmark. The extremely familiar looking Google Maps icon will be on the screen. When invoked, the Google Maps web app will run in full-screen as a replacement for Apple’s native Maps app.

It may not be a perfect mapping solution, but for those who prefer the familiarity of using Google Maps, this full-screen web solution is definitely a powerful alternative.

Apple no longer calls iOS6 Maps ‘the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever’

As noted by iDaily.de, Apple has not only begun recommending competing mapping services but it removed some superlatives from the Maps page.

All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.

Changed to:

All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease.

iOS 6 tip: Wake up to any song in your library

Instead of starting your day to the sound of an annoying tone, set your iPhone's alarm to wake you with a song.

With iOS 6, you can roll out of bed to a mellow reggae beat or leap out of bed to thrash metal -- your choice.

If you use your iPhone as your alarm, you likely have grown tired of starting your day to the same marimba tone. You may not have noticed yet that after installing iOS 6 you can set the alarm to play a song instead of a tone.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET )
Open the Clock app and choose Alarm. When you add a new alarm or edit an existing alarm, tap Sound. Here, you'll see a new Songs section. Tap "Pick a song" and you'll see a list of the songs in your music library. Choose a song and that's what you'll hear to start your day or end your nap.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET )
If you use iTunes Match and have it set to display both locally stored songs and those in iCloud (Settings > Music > Show All Music), you can choose a song from iCloud as your alarm. Be careful, however, with choosing a song from the cloud -- if you lose Internet connectivity while sleeping, your alarm will be silent. I tested this by selecting a song that I hadn't downloaded to my iPhone, set the alarm, and turned on Airplane mode. When the alarm went off, it was silent. A best practice here would be to download a song to your phone before using it as your alarm.

This new feature is available on the updated Clock app for the iPhone and the new Clock app for the iPad.

For more on Apple's new mobile operating system, check out our complete guide to iOS 6.

The bottom line: The transition to Apple Maps is rough, but new features and a ton of tiny tweaks make iOS 6 a must-have update. Read Full Review

Don't Miss

Join the conversation! Add your comment
It's about time. No pun intended...

Correct me if i'm wrong because I've never had an iPhone, but how is this different what most other OS do?

It is not an exclusive feature, or meant to be one. CNET just wanted to share a tip...

It's not. iPhone never had this feature, so CNet was just sharing it so iPhone users can know this feature is now available.

when Nokia invented its first Symbian phone they have same future in it.Apple you need to think more and stop adding stupid future like map.let expert do their work don't try to be over smart.

dont forget that during the song that plays, the phone vibrates the entire time which is really stupid. i need vibrate turned on for both silent and ringtones when i get calls, emails, txts and other notifications but for an alarm there should be an optin to not vibrate if its playing music. 4 minutes of vibrating to a song is very annoying and probably bad for the phone too to be vibrating continuously for that long

does anybody know if there is a way to remove the song if you change your mind and don't want to use it as an alarm? Or do the songs stay in the alarm function for good?

this feature doesn't work for me? i tried different songs and nothing plays when the alarm goes off (luckily my husband turned his on as well so I wasn't late for work!). Any idea why this might happen? using the iphone 5 so assume its not the phone!

Facebook Messenger 2.0 Delivers New Design, iPhone 5 Support And More

Launched a little over a year ago, Facebook Messenger is a standalone app that serves as an extension of the main Facebook iOS client.

As its name indicates, Facebook Messenger is focused on the popular social network’s messaging service. It lets you send messages with one of your Facebook friends or a certain group thereof.

In addition, it lets you include your location, share your photos, and see who’s seen your messages.

Version 2.0 of Facebook Messenger introduces a few noteworthy features.

Frequent users of the app are likely to notice the app’s new design for conversations. Basically, the app now makes use of chat bubbles for individual messages in conversations, akin to those in the Messages app.

Apple: AAPL stock going down?

According to OSX Apple Fans report APPL stock going down last few days.

There are lots of short-term explanations for why Apple’s stock is going down:
• The broader market is falling.
• It broke its 50-day moving average.
• It had to fill the gap.
• It’s just profit-taking; people have made a ton of money.
• The jobs numbers were terrible, but not bad enough for QE3.
• The law of large numbers will kick in.
• The company provided a conservative outlook for the June quarter.
• Apple has some tough comparisons ahead.
• Sell in May and go away.
• Europe is in turmoil. Sarkozy lost and the pro-bailout Greeks got tossed.