Apple Maps sucks but DDG is also terrible (in languages other then En) and both make dubious claims about protecting customer privacy. So this is match made in heaven.
I have given up on Apple Maps long time ago and I have given up on DDG after many failed attempts.
I am using Qwant https://lite.qwant.com/ which is surprisingly good for general search terms and embarrassing for specialized search terms (like programming and such).
Interesting that Qwant says "the only search engine that respects your privacy" without giving any backing to that claim. I had to nav out of the "lite" URL, then navigate to "Philosophy" to see why their claim had any merit.
According to Wikipedia, they still pipe your searches through Bing except for FR/DE (though anonymized), and it's not who the backend search engine is there.
I have given up on Apple Maps long time ago and I have given up on DDG after many failed attempts.
I am using Qwant https://lite.qwant.com/ which is surprisingly good for general search terms and embarrassing for specialized search terms (like programming and such).