--- description: As it turns out, Apple's Maps debacle led the company to offer public betas for new iPhone software. title: How Apple's Maps Disaster Led to a Big Change for the Company image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51eafba93f7a4dfd/6988a1afa988ca14916b905c/gettyimages-146177705.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Apple's Maps Disaster Led to a Big Change for the Company  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 9, 2016 2:00 PM CUT  Apple Senior VP of iPhone Software Scott Forstall demonstrates the new map application featured on iOS 6 during the keynote address during the 2012 Apple WWDC keynote address at the Moscone Center on June 11, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Apple Senior VP of iPhone Software Scott Forstall demonstrates the new map application featured on iOS 6 during the keynote address during the 2012 Apple WWDC keynote address at the Moscone Center on June 11, 2012 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 9, 2016 2:00 PM CUT When Apple Maps replaced Google as the iPhone’s default mapping service in 2012, it was nothing short of a disaster. It struggled to locate even the most basic addresses. It sent drivers down roads that didn’t exist. It didn’t support public transit, a huge drawback for urbanites. It was such a mess that Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a rare public apology, while an Apple manager who oversaw Maps was [fired](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/apple-fires-maps-manager/ "undefined"). Four years later, Apple Maps is greatly improved — enjoyable to use, even! This week, a new [profile](http://www.fastcompany.com/3062090/tim-cooks-apple/playing-the-long-game-inside-tim-cooks-apple "undefined") of Cook and other Apple executives in _Fast Company_ offers fresh insight into how the Maps fiasco changed the company’s approach to software. As it turns out, the Maps debacle led Apple to offer public betas for new iPhone software, which it hadn’t done before. The theory: People who download pre-release software will find and report bugs that smaller teams inside Apple might miss. --- > “” --- Also of interest to Apple watchers: Cook is _very_ intrigued by Apple’s potential to shake up the healthcare industries. We’ve already seen a bit of that with the Apple Watch, HealthKit, ResearchKit and so on, but it sounds like there’s much more in the pipeline that hasn’t been discussed publicly yet: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4444673/apple-maps-ios-public-beta-iphone/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4444673/apple-maps-ios-public-beta-iphone/"},"headline":"How Apple's Maps Disaster Led to a Big Change for the Company","datePublished":"2016-08-09T14:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:50:21.743Z","description":"It's the reason Apple now offers public iOS beta","url":"https://time.com/4444673/apple-maps-ios-public-beta-iphone/","keywords":["Tech","Apple","Smartphones"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51eafba93f7a4dfd/6988a1afa988ca14916b905c/gettyimages-146177705.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51eafba93f7a4dfd/6988a1afa988ca14916b905c/gettyimages-146177705.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Apple's World Wide Developers Conference Begins In San Francisco","caption":"Apple's World Wide Developers Conference Begins In San Francisco","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4444673/apple-maps-ios-public-beta-iphone/","name":"How Apple's Maps Disaster Led to a Big Change for the Company"}}]}] ```