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Leaked images allegedly show Google's iOS Maps app

Blurry images of an iOS device running a native version of Google's mapping app accompany post detailing some of its alleged features.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil
Google's standalone iOS Maps app running on an iPhone. Ben Guild

Blurry images that surfaced today purportedly show Google's Map app for iOS, suggesting that the Web giant is already making progress in developing a standalone app.

Ben Guild

Developer Dan Guild posted what are allegedly leaked photos of an iPhone running a native version of Google Maps, which he described as being in the alpha stage.

Guild said the new app was vector based, with the ability to use two-finger rotation to achieve any angle. He also said it was "super fast" and supported the height of the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen.

Apple ignited consumer fervor last month when it opted to dump Google Maps from iOS6, forcing users to switch to Apple's app, which many users found to be underwhelming or inaccurate when compared with Google's offering. Google has reportedly been "scrambling" to finish a replacement Google Maps application.

The situation led CEO Tim Cook to issue a rare apology for Apple's beleaguered map application, saying that Apple was "extremely sorry" for the frustration felt by customers and vowed to improve the program.