There is a bit of a David and Goliath fight happening at the top of list of the Apple App Store’s free apps in the Navigation category for iPhones in India. Mappls by new Delhi-based MapMyIndia is at number two position, closely behind Google Maps at number two position. And for a short period of time on Tuesday, the positions were temporarily reversed. “No one may have thought it would be possible to topple the global giant, especially in the category of Maps - but Mappls MapmyIndia has done it - completely organically and on the back of being a much better product, with tons more features and more accurate maps,” said an official release by the company when its app temporarily overtook Google Maps. But the celebrations were short-lived as Google Maps took back its top position almost immediately, with Mappls’ reign at the top lasting less than a day. Founded in 1995, MapmyInida is tech company that builds digital map data, telematics services , location-based GIS (geographic information systems) and more. Apple Maps in India uses map data from MapmyIndia. MapmyIndia pitches Mappls as a “swadeshi” alternative to Google Maps, emphasising how the app is indigenously developed. The company has leaned into this image heavily in the past. For example, in 2022, it launched a series of printed “Ramayan Maps.”
