Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Keeping devices connected to the Internet is something we all do these days, and mobile navigation apps benefit from this trend. With a permanent Internet connection, they can upload and download traffic data so they can offer more accurate ETAs, look for alternative routes, and offer warnings when approaching accidents or other hazards.
However, offline navigation continues to be a critical feature, even in modern navigation apps.
A spotty cellular signal or no signal at all, especially in remote areas, could render a navigation app useless. It's one of the reasons Google Maps, Apple Maps, and other similar software solutions integrated support for offline maps, letting users download the maps of a specific area so they can continue navigation when the device is no longer online.
HERE is one of the companies whose software comes with similar capabilities.
As one of the biggest names in the mapping platform battle, HERE fitted its mobile navigation app with offline map integration – and as I said on multiple occasions, it's one of the best implementations on the market. HERE WeGo allows you to pick the country or city to download offline maps, compared to Google Maps and Apple Maps where the selection must be done manually on the map.
The latest HERE WeGo update includes offline maps goodies, as the parent company wants to give users more control over the downloaded data.
Beginning with version 4.12, HERE WeGo allows users to start, pause, resume, and cancel map updates from the app's interface. It's a welcome change that puts users in full control of how offline maps are managed. It comes in handy especially when using a data connection.
The update also includes another minor change that'll significantly improve how users with multiple offline maps downloaded on the device can download a new map version. HERE explains that the application will start showing alerts when users can update all maps in one go, so they no longer have to download each new version manually.
HERE WeGo is one of the best Google Maps alternatives on the market, though, in my time with the app, I missed the high accuracy of traffic conditions. While its navigation engine is top-notch, which isn't necessarily a surprise, given HERE's legacy in the navigation space, the application wasn't aware of multiple traffic jams on my way to the destination, so it didn't reroute me to avoid them.
Meanwhile, Google Maps and Waze benefit from a larger user base, which means the apps get more traffic data and offer better routes. Google Maps is often considered the top navigation app, whereas Waze dominates the navigation space from a crowdsourcing and traffic reports perspective. Waze does not integrate an offline navigation mode, so it needs a permanent Internet connection to do its thing.
A spotty cellular signal or no signal at all, especially in remote areas, could render a navigation app useless. It's one of the reasons Google Maps, Apple Maps, and other similar software solutions integrated support for offline maps, letting users download the maps of a specific area so they can continue navigation when the device is no longer online.
HERE is one of the companies whose software comes with similar capabilities.
As one of the biggest names in the mapping platform battle, HERE fitted its mobile navigation app with offline map integration – and as I said on multiple occasions, it's one of the best implementations on the market. HERE WeGo allows you to pick the country or city to download offline maps, compared to Google Maps and Apple Maps where the selection must be done manually on the map.
The latest HERE WeGo update includes offline maps goodies, as the parent company wants to give users more control over the downloaded data.
Beginning with version 4.12, HERE WeGo allows users to start, pause, resume, and cancel map updates from the app's interface. It's a welcome change that puts users in full control of how offline maps are managed. It comes in handy especially when using a data connection.
The update also includes another minor change that'll significantly improve how users with multiple offline maps downloaded on the device can download a new map version. HERE explains that the application will start showing alerts when users can update all maps in one go, so they no longer have to download each new version manually.
HERE WeGo is one of the best Google Maps alternatives on the market, though, in my time with the app, I missed the high accuracy of traffic conditions. While its navigation engine is top-notch, which isn't necessarily a surprise, given HERE's legacy in the navigation space, the application wasn't aware of multiple traffic jams on my way to the destination, so it didn't reroute me to avoid them.
Meanwhile, Google Maps and Waze benefit from a larger user base, which means the apps get more traffic data and offer better routes. Google Maps is often considered the top navigation app, whereas Waze dominates the navigation space from a crowdsourcing and traffic reports perspective. Waze does not integrate an offline navigation mode, so it needs a permanent Internet connection to do its thing.
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