Google, Apple remove offline navigation app MAPS.Me after government orders

Google and Apple have removed MAPS.Me – offline navigation app from Play Store and App Store. According to a report by MoneyControl, the app wrongly depicted the external boundary of India. In December 2024, MAPS.Me was sent a notice under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, by the Survey of India (SoI) to Google's nodal officer, Priyadarshi Banerjee. The notice highlights inaccuracies in the depiction of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the app.

The Google Play Store landing page of the app now shows the message: “We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server”. Although the report says SoI has sent notice to Google, it remains unclear whether a notice was sent to Apple too, as the app is also unavailable on Apple's App Store for Indian users.

What the govt notice to MAPS.Me says

The publication has accessed the letter through Lumen Database. It states: “It is evident that the subject map in the maps.me app available at Google PlayStore depicts Indian map with erroneous external boundary of India which jeopardises the sovereignty and integrity of India. The depiction of incorrect map of India is an offence under sub section (2) of Criminal Law Amendment (Amending) Act, 1990.”

“The government of India considers that map published for use in the country should contain accurate and reliable information, particularly with regard to the external boundaries and coastlines of India, as wrong depiction of these amounts to questioning the territorial integrity,” the notice said.

“It is thus requested that the incorrect map depicted in maps.me app available to download at Google Play Store at para (1) above may be blocked/disabled expeditiously.”

In 2020, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) designated the Survey of India (SoI) as the government agency responsible for directing intermediaries to “disable access to incorrect maps of India.” Acting on information provided by MeitY, the SoI issued a notice to Google in 2023, stating that the World Map Quiz app on the Play Store inaccurately depicted the territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

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