The desktop version has gone downhill, too. There are so many things that can trigger pop-up windows if you hold your cursor over them for even a fraction of a second. It's hard to just pan around and explore without encountering those distractions.

Also, Google Maps is way behind on how it depicts transit systems. I had occasion to use Apple Maps the other day, and it is such a better experience for exploration. Google Maps does have some non-Western transit systems that Apple Maps doesn't, but the crispness, detail, and consistency with Apple Maps is so much better now.