Android mapping/satnav

Not having a built in screen and therefore relying on my galaxy for navigation are there any viable alternatives to Google maps, I've heard of Waze but it seems to have very mixed reviews from a user interface and accuracy point of view not that maps is perfect? It's just that at the end of the month I have a drive down to south Wales on the motorway with a trailer and I am wanting it to be as smooth as possible without loads of diversions through residential areas to allegedly save 2 minutes here and there on a 6 hour drive.

Ok so I have tried Waze. No.

Any other alternative?

Waze is run by Google maps!!!
Spend a fortune on a TomTom.
Some free Apps are slow to update (road closed, ect ect.)
Sorry not much out there for free.

Is a Tom Tom or Garmin stand alone worth the effort and price compared with Google maps?

I've used Copilot GPS on my Android phone for years. I think it's about £25 for worldwide maps. The maps are stored on the device, so don't need an internet connection to work. You just download the areas you're going to drive in (ideally over WiFi ).

I also have an Android head unit on my Gen4 and either use Google Maps, or Copilot GPS on that if the internet connection is ropey.

In addition, I pay about £12 a year for the live traffic information in the CoPilot app. It gives a nice colour coded time line at the right side of the map so you can see where heavier traffic is over your journey and also estimates what the current delay will be. If this delay is too long the app will suggest an alternate route if possible. 10/10 from me.

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alk.copilot.mapviewer

Colin

Forget Garmin
TomTom you need to spend £200+ to get a good one
You can get the TomTom app for your phone but its not free to use.
Co pilot premium app is rated the best, that's about £30 a year.
All depends on how much you hate Google maps that's free.

I've had a Garmin for years now (about 10) and never had a problem with it, came with free lifetime map updates as well.

Lambert wrote: Is a Tom Tom or Garmin stand alone worth the effort and price compared with Google maps?

IMO no.

I’ve not really found anything to better Google Maps. Apple Maps is probably as good, albeit not an option for an Android user. And I do like that I can run Google Maps in satellite mode.

Google Maps isn’t perfect. But by and large any complaints I have are minor with it. What issues are you having making you want to look for other options?

OSMAnd might be a option. And if you are willing to update your maps manually then it is free of charge.

For hard core navigating off-road QuoVadis is a good option. You can create your own maps, arrange them, overlay them so that you can use various maps at the same time. It takes some time to learn and you would need a windows tablet.

+1 for Garmin - it knocks the crap out of my wife's TomTom so much so that she borrows my Garmin now

The Garmin model I have also has a built in camera, so thats only one device instead of two, cluttering up the windscreen

300bhpton wrote:

Lambert wrote: Is a Tom Tom or Garmin stand alone worth the effort and price compared with Google maps?

IMO no.

I’ve not really found anything to better Google Maps. Apple Maps is probably as good, albeit not an option for an Android user. And I do like that I can run Google Maps in satellite mode.

Google Maps isn’t perfect. But by and large any complaints I have are minor with it. What issues are you having making you want to look for other options?

It has a bit of a habit of trying to save time if it thinks that the motorway or main road is blocked by sending me down smaller roads and sometimes through housing estates often in areas I don't know especially well and because I have to believe it when it comes to potential road traffic issues I will usually follow it within reason and this is fine in Dreadnaught but on a potentially 12hour round trip to Wales in the bigger Grand Vitara with a trailer on I don't want to be having to potentially negotiate back roads anymore than I have to but equally I don't want to be having hours added on my journey by ignoring requests to leave the motorway to avoid hold ups. If there were like a truck setting for the directions that kept you on the biggest roads for the longest time that would be great but I can't find it in Google maps if it exists.

There are free Truck sat nav downloads for android in google play store on your phone. Happy hunting.