Ford will use Apple, not Google, to power maps for its $30,000 EV pickup truck

Apple CarPlay in a Ford Maverick pickup truck.Credit: Ford Published Jul 23, 2026, 12:21 PM EDT Jon is a seasoned journalist who has written definitive coverage of consumer tech at publications like Engadget, Android Authority, and BetaKit. He's an expert on making tech accessible ranging from mobile and PCs to emerging platforms like wearables. When he's not writing, he's going on adventures with ihis family and is an avid photographer. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Apple Maps was a joke magnet when it first launched, but it's now good enough that one of the world's largest automakers will depend on it. Ford has revealed that Apple Maps will underpin navigation in EVs based on the company's new Universal Electic Vehicle (UEV) platform, including the highly touted $30,000 electric pickup truck. The integration will make use of Apple's new MapKit for Automotive to provide navigation directly on car displays, complete with natural voice commands, live traffic information, and EV-friendly routing that factors in charging stops. Ford's Latitude AI team will also use Apple Maps road data to help build its "next-generation" BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system. The company didn't say what features this might enable, although the existing technology already makes lane changes and adapts to the position of nearby cars. A victory for Apple over Google Google Maps is no longer the absolute champion Credit: Jason Montoya / How-To Geek The Apple Maps tie-in will launch alongside UEV and the electric pickup sometime in 2027. The truck is meant to be affordable through the combination of UEV's simpler manufacturing process as well as a low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Teasers and spy photos suggest the truck's dimensions will be closer to the compact Maverick than the "midsize" truck Ford has pitched so far. Ford's choice reflects a major turnaround for Apple Maps in the 14 years since its debut. When Apple's in-house technology replaced Google Maps as the iPhone's default map service in September 2012, users criticized it for directions that were sometimes wildly inaccurate, "melting" 3D views, and an overall feature deficit. Many people stuck to Google Maps on iPhones, and it simply wasn't an option on Android. Apple fixed its accuracy in the years since, however, and has largely caught up on features. While Google Maps still has the most comprehensive data, its Apple counterpart is now reliable for navigation and might be preferable if you either live deep in the Apple ecosystem or simply prefer its looks and voice feedback. A blow to Google's automotive strategy Ford is the only car manufacturer to adopt MapKit for Automotive so far, but this is still a major hit to Google's influence in car tech. Multiple brands use Android Automotive to power their cars, including recent Ford and Lincoln vehicles as well as GM and Volvo models. Those cars frequently revolve around Google Maps for navigation unless you're using Apple CarPlay. It's unclear if other marques will follow suit. However, Ford's Apple team-up makes clear that Google now has real competition—it can't assume that it will power non-proprietary maps for your next car. Source: Ford