Find your way around with these great apps
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Navigation apps have become essential on everybody’s smartphone, and Google Maps is among the most popular.
Sygic
Waze: Plan Around Real-Time Road Conditions
Near real-time road conditions.
See amenities around you.
Hazards are sometimes inaccurate.
Sygic
Little advantage in areas with few users.
Waze is a unique navigation app focusing on the social aspect of driving.
Where this app excels is in its real-time traffic alerts.
Waze makes driving an enjoyable experience.
Ideal for walkers and tourists.
Useful features like augmented reality, fuel prices, and heads-up display.
Premium membership required for many features.
POI icons detract from map view.
If you like to have most of your maps saved offline, Sygic is a great app.
Citymapper: Your Public Transit Guide
Provides info for many major cities.
Updates with local public transportation issues.
View charge levels for nearby e-scooters and e-bikes.
Available only in huge cities.
Routes not based on current conditions.
Doesn’t show nearby restaurants.
Are you in a large city where you rarely use a car?
Citymapper is an excellent alternative to Google Maps for getting more information on public transportation.
MapQuest: Simple and Reliable
Easy to find amenities.
Turn traffic alerts on or off.
Ability to change the map style.
Speedometer for checking how your speed compares to the posted limit.
Can be a little slow.
No public transit directions.
MapQuest was a lot of people’s go-to before Google Maps entered the scene.
It’s simple to use: enter the destination and go.
Maps.me: Access Offline Maps
Create routes with multiple destinations.
Topographic and subway map layers.
Daily map updates via OpenStreetMap.
Navigational alerts can be slow.
No display of speed limit.
Maps.me is a great option for those who don’t want to use data for navigation.
CoPilot GPS: Route Planning for Large Vehicles
Routes can be optimized for different vehicles.
Maps can be downloaded and used offline.
Lengthy setup that requires a user account.
POI search somewhat lacking.
UI could use an update.
CoPilot fixes this issue, giving you the best routes no matter what kind of vehicle you drive.
These features make CoPilot especially great for long road trips.
Pocket Earth: For Hiking, Biking, Boating, and More
Highly customizable.
Offline and off-road maps available.
Detailed trips and map plotting.
Includes metro and public transit details.
Not available for Android.
Free only for one offline city map.
It’s an excellent app for navigation, no matter where or what you’re doing.
FAQ
There are several ways toplan an alternate route in Google Maps.
TapDoneto apply the changes and select a route.
You canchange the voice in the Google Maps app.
Go toMenu>tweaks>Navigation tweaks>Voice Selectionand choose an option fromSuggested VoicesorAll Voices.
