Moving from Android to an iPhone is the easy part. The annoying surprise comes later, when you open Apple Maps and discover that the coffee shops, trailheads, clients, and half-planned trips you saved over the years are still sitting in Google Maps.
There is no official Import my Google Maps list button in Apple Maps. Apple's own guide documentation covers creating a guide, adding places one by one, and sharing the finished guide, but not bulk KML or CSV import. So this is not a direct transfer. It is a two-hop job:
Google Maps list → KML file → Apple Maps Guide
The first hop is handled by ExportMyMap. The second uses GoToAppleMaps, an independent converter that accepts KML and returns a link Apple Maps understands.
Before you start: what actually transfers
This method is useful because it saves you from searching for every place again. It does not make Google Maps and Apple Maps sync.
What you can reasonably expect to move:
- the place name;
- its latitude and longitude;
- the collection as an Apple Maps Guide, or several guides if the list is very large.
What may not survive cleanly:
- private notes and Google-only place details;
- your original list order;
- custom icons or categories;
- businesses Apple and Google identify differently.
That last point matters. The converter has to match each exported pin to a listing in Apple's database. A famous museum is easy. A restaurant that changed its name twice is less predictable. Keep the Google list until you have checked the result.
Step 1: Export the list from Google Maps
Open Google Maps in Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Arc on a computer.
- Install the ExportMyMap Chrome Extension.
- Open Google Maps and sign in to the account that owns the list.
- Go to Saved, open the list you want to move, and launch ExportMyMap.
- Let the extension finish scanning the places.
- Choose KML and download the file.
KML is the useful middleman here: each saved place becomes a placemark with a name and coordinates. If you want to see exactly what the file contains, the separate Google Maps to KML guide goes into the format in more detail.
The free version covers the first 10 places; a paid plan is required for the full list. If you prefer Google's no-install route, Google Takeout can also produce a Saved Places CSV, and GoToAppleMaps says it accepts that file directly. Takeout is free, but the archive and filenames are less pleasant to work with.
Step 2: Turn the KML into an Apple Maps Guide
Open GoToAppleMaps and drop the KML file onto the converter. It currently accepts KML alongside Google Takeout CSV, GeoJSON, GPX, and several other location formats.
The file leaves your browser for this step. GoToAppleMaps says it processes uploads in memory and deletes them after conversion, but it is still a third-party service, unaffiliated with either Apple or Google. We cannot independently verify its deletion process.
Service check, July 2026: the web converter and its Apple Maps Guide links were working when this article was reviewed. It is not our service, so its availability, limits, or policy can change. If the list contains home addresses, client locations, or anything else you would not upload to an independent site, skip the converter. Create a Guide in Apple Maps and add those places manually, or use a browser-based share link instead.
Once processing finishes, the site gives you an Apple Maps Guide link. Open that link on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. If a normal browser page appears instead of Maps, copy the link to Safari on the Apple device and try again.
Step 3: Spend two minutes checking the result
Do not inspect all 300 places one by one. A small, deliberate sample is usually enough:
- one well-known attraction;
- one small local business;
- one place you saved a long time ago;
- two places with similar names;
- a pin outside a town or on a trail.
Check that each one opens in the right city and at the right address. If those look sensible, the rest of the guide is probably in good shape. If several are wrong, go back to the KML and make sure the coordinates exist; our free KML validator will tell you whether the file contains usable placemarks.
Why not import CSV or KML straight into Apple Maps?
Because Apple Maps does not expose that import workflow. It can create and share custom Guides, but the consumer app does not let you choose a KML, GPX, or CSV file and turn it into a guide. The converter bridges that gap by resolving the exported points against Apple Maps and generating a guide link.
That distinction is also why this workflow may need maintenance in the future. It depends on a third-party converter and on Apple continuing to understand its generated Guide links. Treat the KML as your durable backup; the guide link is the convenient destination.
If you only need to share the list, stop before converting
Sometimes “move this to Apple Maps” really means “send these places to someone who uses an iPhone.” In that case, an Apple Maps migration may be extra work. A browser-based map or a printable list is easier for a mixed Android/iPhone group. The guide to sharing Google Maps starred places compares a live Google link, a standalone share link, PDF, and data-file options.
For a genuine switch to Apple Maps, though, the KML-to-Guide route is the practical one. Export the list, convert it, check a handful of matches, and only then treat the Apple guide as your new copy.