The holidays are just around the corner, which means a lot of people will be traveling. Regardless of the time of year, however, people are trying to get from point A to point B and are using apps to find the quickest way to get there. There are quite a few to choose from, although relatively few popular options. At Android Central, we want to know which navigation app you use most.
Google Maps has been around for a while and is growing with new features every day as Google collects more and more data. The app has basic navigation features that you can tweak with filters to avoid things like ferries or tolls. The app lets you quickly search for restaurants, shops, and more, and even recommends places based on your preferences.
Google is also introducing its new immersive maps, which allow you to “vibe check” a city, neighborhood or restaurant with photorealistic imagery and helpful overlays. You can do a lot with Google Maps and it works as an all-in-one navigation app for Android phones, iPhones and other devices.
Waze is another navigation app from Google, albeit with a slightly different focus and audience. It’s mostly focused on driving navigation, which means you won’t have any luck with other modes of transportation. It does, however, use crowd-sourced data to update you on real-time traffic conditions, which is very useful, as former Android Central author Chris Wedel pointed out last year.
There’s a lot to like about Waze, including the constantly updated navigation voices and integrations with various music apps. It’s no wonder Google Maps has slowly started borrowing features from the app, and now that the Google Maps and Waze teams appear to be joining forces, we might see more of the same.
Apple Maps got off to a rocky start, but the app has grown a lot since its inception. The app, although exclusive to Apple devices, is essentially Apple’s version of Google Maps, albeit with a cleaner, less cluttered interface. It also offers extensions so users can use other apps like Yelp and Uber without leaving Apple Maps. The biggest difference between Apple’s and Google’s offerings is availability, with Google Maps being available essentially everywhere.
This is where WeGo has come through quite an evolution since it was first made available on Symbian devices in the early 2000s. It was branded as Ovi Maps, Nokia Maps, Here Maps and eventually settled on Here WeGo after Nokia sold the software in 2015.
It offers many navigation options, but one of its most compelling features is the ability to download full maps of states, countries, and even continents to your device for offline use. This makes it very handy when you are in unfamiliar territory and mobile data is not an option.
Which do you prefer to use? If there’s an app you’d like to call, drop it in the comments.
