Nokia pulls Here Maps from iTunes, says changes in iOS 7 harmed user experience

Nokia has pulled its popular Here Maps from iTunes app store citing iOS 7 as the reason, claiming that it was harming the 'user experience'.

The Indian Express reported the news first and notes that Here Maps on iOS had a bug that froze the app when users tried to zoom in and out of the app. Further, the report states that in case the app didn't freeze while trying to zoom in or out, the iOS version of the Here Maps responded strangely and also made it hard to find alternative routes or directions.

The report claims that the Here Maps was tested on three Apple devices before being pulled down and it describes the app as 'unusable' on all the devices.

The report also cites a statement from a Nokia spokesperson that reads, "We have made the decision to remove our Here Maps app from the Apple App Store because recent changes to iOS 7 harm the user experience. iPhone users can continue to use the mobile web version of Here Maps under m.here.com, offering them location needs, such as search, routing, orientation, transit information and more, all completely free of charge."

Nokia released its Here Maps app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in November this year. The app features Maps for around 200 countries, including navigation and traffic data in many countries (including India). Some of the features announced in the iOS version of Here Maps included map views, which offered live traffic view, public transport line view or satellite view of a location; save map areas and wander without data coverage and organize favourite places into collections.

Nokia Here Maps are available on all Nokia Lumia devices and also on some Asha phones. It's worth pointing out that Nokia Here Maps is one of those divisions that will stay with the Finnish giant even after the Microsoft deal is closed.

Nokia unveiled the Here mapping and location-based services platform last year, powered by the Internet 'cloud' to work across an array of devices and operating systems.