I know in Waze at least there is an option to enable tricky junctions, I don't think Google Maps has any such concept.

Google will assume all tertiary roads are equally passable. Apple’s algorithm appears to deprioritize such roads unless there’s no other possible way.

> This seems like a personal anecdote and not a software feature.

It might be.

> How does one even define that?

One example would be a road that is very narrow, but not one-way. Basically so narrow that only one car can drive there. Where I live, there are many such roads on the country side. They tend to be used as shortcuts so that one doesn't need to take the main roads (shorter total distance). But they are dangerous in the sense that you have to pay much more attention when driving there. Google just tends to prefer those for some reason.

> You're saying that there are special roads that Apple knows not to travel bug Google does?

No. I am saying that the directions suggested by Apple Maps tend to avoid those roads, while Google Maps oftentimes doesn't even display an alternative.

> That seems odd, since the real world doesn't really mark its roads like that.

Ever driven on a gravel road slowly to not get stones hitting your car? I am sure there is a way to index the road quality and that this is even easy based on satellite and air photo data.

I believe what you noticed is true. That Google Maps does have a tendency to prefer slightly more difficult roads as "shortcuts".

For example, Waze, which is another decent GPS app that Google owns and sources data from, even has an option for this!

It is called something like "avoid difficult roads/intersections".

The user might mean that Google decides to encourage side roads or dirt paths where Apple sticks to main thoroughfares. This could be related to the input it gained from acquiring Waze, which often took people down residential roads to avoid main road bottlenecks. https://www.streetlightdata.com/waze-traffic-effect-4-steps-...

Google maps is very eager to re-route around traffic which ends up taking you down back roads (atleast in the US). Which are narrow, not controlled-access, poorly lit, and maybe windy and poorly maintained depending on where you are. And it does all this to save a couple of minutes at best. Everyone is using Google maps and getting the same rerouting suggestion so the backroads get filled and slow down eliminating any benefit.

Apple Maps is much more likely to use the “typical” option which is usually a controlled access freeway which are MUCH safer (in my opinion and I believe the traffic accident rates support it).

* * *

Two examples with Google Maps:

1. In the US, driving in a rural area, Google took me down a five-mile stretch of gravel road between two farms. It's questionable whether this was actually a public road, as I got an odd look from a farmer on his tractor. Admittedly, this saved about 30 minutes.

2. In the UK, Google Maps routinely tries to lead me down narrow country lanes to save 1-2 minutes. In many cases, it will take me off an A road (read: main route) onto a single-lane country lane flanked by hedges. It's bad enough that when I'm using Google Maps, I specifically look at the map at each turn it suggests to see if it has an alternate route highlighted that keeps me on the main road, and I choose that route instead.

I don't experience these things as much with Apple Maps, which seems tuned to keep me on main routes.