Mobile navigation app comparison

[kolaval]

Guys with Garmin on the dash are like guys that walk around with a bluetooth in one ear in a mall.

 

[Dolby]

Apple maps is fine … and it can have wrong locations.

So a navigation ‘is fine’ even it has wrong locations?

 

[wingnut771]

Option B - use a dedicated Garmin GPS instead - it has free lifetime Map Updates, a speedometer display, fastest route or shortest route planning options, traffic alerts for sharp curves, speed changes, school zones and more, and provides real-time services such as live traffic and weather.

View attachment 1693105

Garmin Drive™ 53 & Traffic, EU

Live traffic with smartphone app

www.garmin.com

Pity the battery doesn't last the lifetime.

 

[backstreetboy]

So a navigation ‘is fine’ even it has wrong locations?

Yes I submit bug reports and they actually get back to me unlike Google Maps.

 

[HAL 9000]

Pity the battery doesn't last the lifetime.

Indeed so - my 7-year old Nuvi 55's battery only lasts for a few minutes now - but I only use it when hard-wired with a USB cable into the 12V power socket adaptor of my car...

 

[SauRoNZA]

Who writes these articles? Stevie Wonder

View attachment 1692737
Works on every system if you use duckduckgo.com. Apple maps is fine albeit not as hyper local and it can have wrong locations.

I wouldn’t say wrong locations, just not there locations or out of date ones.

However they seem to take feedback more seriously than all the rest and have quickly updated things I’ve added in a matter of days.

I use Apple Maps exclusively in the car when I use it and as a secondary in my AirPods when on the bike and going somewhere I haven’t been before to supplement the piece of **** Garmin.

It’s the only one that seems to understand volume levelling and cross fading properly so you don’t skrik your **** off.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Have actually started using Apple Maps for my local trips around town. Waze still for anything that has me on the freeway for longer than 20min though.

It’s actually pretty decent. Very little on the UI to distract you, just wish their “Add Stop” functionality worked a bit differently but overall happy.

How’s the Add Stop function different?

I’ve only used it once so don’t really remember how it worked.

 

[RedViking]

 

[wingnut771]

Indeed so - my 7-year old Nuvi 55's battery only lasts for a few minutes now - but I only use it when hard-wired with a USB cable into the 12V power socket adaptor of my car...

I even bought special screwdrivers to try open my nuviCamLM but it looks like I need a hammer and chisel.

 

[RedViking]

Google Maps has my home address in the middle of a quarry, and reporting it hasn't helped. Which makes home deliveries impossible.

I can probably update it for you. Not sure if they work on a rating system. But I have done a couple of "suggest and edit" and then it was updated almost immediately.



In Google maps, go to contribute and then the option should be there.

 

[Tim_vb]

Waze every time i leave the house, its the only one that shows me three different routes I can choose from

 

[Dolby]

Yes I submit bug reports and they actually get back to me unlike Google Maps

So although it's core function is mapping & navigation and it has wrong locations & bugs - they get back to you when you tell them?
And that makes it the best navigation platform out there, although it's buggy with wrong locations?

I guess it makes sense :/

 

[Dolby]

I use Apple Maps exclusively in the car when I use it

I'm guessing you've never had an issue, right?
And you've been using it from day 1 and it's been flawless?

 

[wingnut771]

Any good phone holder suggestions for Audi B8?

 

[wingnut771]

I'm guessing you've never had an issue, right?
And you've been using it from day 1 and it's been flawless?

We all know day one wasn't flawless.

 

[backstreetboy]

So although it's core function is mapping & navigation and it has wrong locations & bugs - they get back to you when you tell them?
And that makes it the best navigation platform out there, although it's buggy with wrong locations?

I guess it makes sense :/

Quick post another picture…

 

[Pegging]

Anyone using TomTom on Apple CarPlay?
Looks like it’s R372 a year for a subscription.

 

[Pho3nix]

How’s the Add Stop function different?

I’ve only used it once so don’t really remember how it worked.

If I choose my stop ala Work but need to add another stop aka Creche it is added last. Waze will allow me to pick where that stop is (next or last). So it wants me to go to work and then to creche :| huh? You need to cancel the route to get it right.

Only big issue I have with it during my daily commute. Freeway as mentioned is Waze because of the Cop alerts.

@Dolby I haven't had any issues with wrong locations. I'm in North JHB so maybe that's why but yeah :|

For walking somewhere, Apple Maps is muuuuuch better than Google Maps though as well.

 

[SauRoNZA]

If I choose my stop ala Work but need to add another stop aka Creche it is added last. Waze will allow me to pick where that stop is (next or last). So it wants me to go to work and then to creche :| huh? You need to cancel the route to get it right.

Only big issue I have with it during my daily commute. Freeway as mentioned is Waze because of the Cop alerts.

@Dolby I haven't had any issues with wrong locations. I'm in North JHB so maybe that's why but yeah :|

For walking somewhere, Apple Maps is muuuuuch better than Google Maps though as well.

Aaah yes I do remember that now.

It's a CarPlay specific issue though as you can move it around on the phone app no problem, but yes it does stupidly expect you to "pre plan" and add these in a row as every new addition goes in at the end.

Because I use Siri most of the time I just tend to ask for a route to X without even thinking about a stop and then just say where I want to go next when I leave there again, but I remember this being annoying when I had planned a longer distance trip over multiple days.

Did a tour from Cape Town to Augrabies on the bike end of last year and never had any issue with Apple Maps except when I went into a low signal area and had forgotten to make the offline maps bigger.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I'm guessing you've never had an issue, right?
And you've been using it from day 1 and it's been flawless?

No it certainly wasn't flawless and was pretty crap in the beginning for obvious reasons of being brand new and not having millions upon millions of historical data up its sleeve that it harvested from customers. It's never taken me somewhere completely wrong but it did sometimes take some odd routes to get to places and once took me to the wrong side of wine farm where there was only a service road and not real public access.

But in 2024 and the last couple of years it's been pretty good.

Compared to Google Maps who will still push Scammers to you happily and not remove them even when requested...

Apple Maps simply integrates much better with everything and is much "cleaner" in doing so with the usual Apple polish.

Also the fact Google Maps is trying to be Twitter or something is deeply annoying. Google Maps voice quality is shockingly low like it's AM radio or something and also sounds like a braindead robot at the same time. There is no volume levelling or cross fade and it just kills your music to scream at you and then ****s off again.