Apple Maps has been subject to all kinds of jeering and finger pointing over the last year or so, and for good reason too – its made numerous high profile mishaps since it was first released. For example, the app was said to be potentially “life threatening” by police in Australia after a number of drivers were given wrong directions in the outback, causing them to become stranded without food or water. Then there were the more humorous mishaps, such as Taiwan being labeled as a province of China.

Someone even created a Tumblr page devoted to the numerous mistakes in Apple Maps, which could certainly leave one feeling a little lost. The shot of Big Ben at the UK’s Houses of Parliament showing different times on its clock is unusual, while the epic fail that is this picture of Sydney’s Aztec Bridge could easily have had people heading for their bunkers, convinced that the city was about to fall into the sea amidst an earthquake of epic proportions.

But though everyone’s been poking fun at Apple for losing its way, it looks like the Cupertino company could well have the last laugh, with reports saying that Apple Maps has been stealing users from Google Maps left, right and center over the past few months. According to these reports, Apple Maps has stolen four out of every five users from its deadly rival – in other words, almost 80% of those using mapping software have migrated to Apple’s native app at the expense of the previously untouchable Google Maps. The data was reported by The Guardian and came from web analytics firm comScore.

Sydney’s Aztec Bridge collapse on Apple Maps

In its report, The Guardian also took note of the numerous errors that befell Apple Maps follwing its September 2012 launch, but revealed that all has been forgiven, with iOS users flocking to use the app in their droves. To be sure, Google didn’t help its cause one bit when it refused Apple access to its voice-driven map navigation, a move that led to Apple booting it off iOS and scooping up 23 million US users alone.

Apple Maps still has a long way to go before it becomes the most dominant mapping software on iOS however. The Guardian says that some 35 million iPhone users in the US used the native app in September 2013, compared to 58.7 million iOS and Android users that preferred Google Maps. However this is a big decrease from the 81.1 million iOS and Android users that were using Google’s app back in September 2012.

So how has Apple pulled this off? Undoubtedly its been working hard to improve its own software, but that’s not the whole story. Few would contend that Apple Maps is actually better software than Google’s, but key for Apple is the high level of integration its maps have with its other services. Apple Maps is closely tied to programs like Siri and Safari, and so its far more convenient to access than Google Maps. To get directions in Google Maps using an Apple device, you need to copy paste or manually enter the address into the search bar, rather than just asking Siri or tapping on a link. Easy access seems to be the key, and that’s why Google is losing ground no matter how superior it may be.

According to AppleInsider, all of this bodes very well for Apple, which is aiming to become iOS user’s number one travel companion:

“Apple’s Maps are also a strategic component of the company’s plans for iOS in the Car, slated to begin rolling out on new cars in 2014. Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook called the auto initiative a ‘key focus’ for the company,” said the website in its own report.