Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 2026

The short version

Maps Instead collects no data. None. There are no analytics, no crash reporters, no advertising identifiers, no accounts and no servers run by us. The App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected", and the source code is public so you can check.

What the extension does

Maps Instead is a Safari extension. When you tap a Google Maps link, it rewrites that link into an Apple Maps link on your device and opens it. The conversion happens entirely inside Safari, in plain JavaScript you can read on GitHub.

What it stores

Two values, kept only on your device in Safari's local extension storage: whether the extension is switched on, and a count of how many links it has redirected so you can see it working. Deleting the app deletes them. Nothing is synced or sent anywhere.

The one network request

Google's shortened map links (maps.app.goo.gl, goo.gl/maps, g.page) sometimes do not contain the destination; it is only revealed when the link is followed. For those links, and only those, Maps Instead asks Google's redirect service where the link goes, in the same way Safari would if you simply opened it. Google sees that request as it would any visit to the short link. Maps Instead sends no cookies with it and adds no identifying information. Maps Instead never contacts any other server.

What it can see

Safari only lets Maps Instead run on the websites you allow. Maps Instead asks for Google's domains and Google's short-link domains, nothing else. It cannot read or change any other website.

Apple Maps

Once a link is handed to Apple Maps, Apple's own privacy policy applies to what you do there.

Children

Maps Instead collects no data from anyone, including children.

Changes

If this policy ever changes, the new version will be published at this address with a new date, and the change will be visible in the project's public source history.

Contact

Questions: open an issue on GitHub or see the support page.