The best alternative maps apps for Windows 10 Mobile in a post HERE world

[Kimmo Toivanen]

I have used Here Drive and Sygic (paid) for driving, both are OKish and both suggest sometimes utterly stupid routes.

I have also used Here Transit in a city I don't know and got where I wanted without any problems. MS Maps transit part looks bad and difficult to use - unnecessary complexity to the process. It has no way to plan/check routes in advance. Sygic does not have public transport.

As long as I stick with WP8.1 there is no problem, but after that - unless MS makes radical changes to transit part - I have to take android phone with me to be able to get through the right bus, trolley and subway routes

 

[zack251]

Sygic does offer choices for routes. I rarely use Here Transit but I can see how it is a big deal for some people especially in big cities.

I have used Here Drive and Sygic (paid) for driving, both are OKish and both suggest sometimes utterly stupid routes.

I have also used Here Transit in a city I don't know and got where I wanted without any problems. MS Maps transit part looks bad and difficult to use - unnecessary complexity to the process. It has no way to plan/check routes in advance. Sygic does not have public transport.

As long as I stick with WP8.1 there is no problem, but after that - unless MS makes radical changes to transit part - I have to take android phone with me to be able to get through the right bus, trolley and subway routes

 

[Mad Cabbie]

Been using sygic this morning in my cab. Great at routing etc, and every piece of info you need is there. Downside? 950xl gets really warm and battery gets eaten. Here and win maps is much easier on the hardware

 

[zack251]

I just check the Sygic website and they have 70% discount now until 10 April 2016. I am not in any way a Sygic representative.

 

[ali80]

I didn't find how to share location offline through sms in Sygic

To do it, i needed gMaps+ to share

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Isn't there also a report floating around that there's a big update coming for Microsoft maps?

For those having issues with poor data for areas, it is dependent on how good the local mappers are and how often they add and update map entries.

I did some mapping for here maps in 2014 and made about 18500 edits. But since then I haven't added any more as I don't have internet or time or the incentive

 

[Axeelant]

Here maps are really nice, i love them. I use mainly in the city i don't know, mostly for orientation and walking. That is why eyesight feature is crucial to me, and will miss it if they are gone. Sometimes I also use MS Maps, and they seem to work just fine.

My question is this: On 8.1 i had installed Here maps. Great, when upgraded to W10M they migrated with no problem, continued to use them to this date. If i am constantly making backups, will I still be able to get them when i recover backup to some new, future device? I'm asking because it has happened before when people couldn't download Lumia camera app (or wasn't even listed in store), but since i had it backed up, it automatically restored when i did a hard reset. Is there a possibility it will work like this, or will they completely remove Here?

 

[zack251]

Suggest them the feature or use both apps Just bought GMaps Pro based on suggestion here. I just need the google map data and can use Sygic as a voice navigation app.

I didn't find how to share location offline through sms in Sygic

To do it, i needed gMaps+ to share

 

[Ten Four]

Maps has been my go-to map app since last year. HERE started to deteriorate, at least on Windows, quite some time ago, and I almost never use a driving app--they are dangerous! Seriously, if you drive with any type of display distracting you, especially at night when it ruins your vision, you are just asking for an accident. #1 best substitute is a good paper map--gives you a big picture while at the same time giving great detail. You simply can't get that combination on a tiny screen, and zooming in and out is not the same. Gmap is OK, especially for Street View, which is usually better than Microsoft's Streetside simply because of coverage. But, when Streetside is available--take a look at Seattle for example--it is pretty close to Street View. On my Lumia 640 Streetside scrolls faster and smoother than Street View on Gmap. As to map accuracy--very hard to say. They all have their major failures, and they all have areas where they are fine.

 

[AndyD33]

Edit: Is the new Maps on windows 10 different? does it have turn by turn voice nav built in?

Yes, it's worlds better than the default app on 8.1

It has turn by turn voice nav built in, and is basically on par or superior to Here Drive/Maps in most regards that I've tried.

 

[tomseys]

Yes, it's worlds better than the default app on 8.1

It has turn by turn voice nav built in, and is basically on par or superior to Here Drive/Maps in most regards that I've tried.

Wow great thank you. Do you know if it offers multiple routes?

 

[RumoredNow]

I'm trying to use it, but it seems completely broken. Search doesn't work. On the same phone, with the same maps, HERE maps works fine.

Example: search for "home depot". On HERE maps, I get a list of Home Depot stores, listed in order of proximity to my location. On Microsoft Maps, I get two irrelevant results (neither are Home Depot stores) in Oregon, and I'm nowhere near Oregon. MMaps does have my correct location, so that isn't the problem.

Working for me on W10M 10586.164.

I only have 1 Home Depot anywhere close so I went for the omnipresent McDonalds for my example. This was a search from inside Maps (no Cortana initiated issues ether.) Seems to me that #1 result might be a tad further as the crow flies, but faster to drive given traffic and light conditions...

 

[llckll]

I'm on .164 and Maps does not give me any driving navigation or sound. The map doesn't fully render either.

Anyone else?

 

[ntice_521]

This is so weird...I searched for "mcdonalds" and it worked (for the first time, I've never seen Microsoft Maps work before). Great. So I tried the "home depot" search again...fail. Then I tried "mcdonalds" again....no results.

I don't get it. Whatever the problem is, I hope they fix it before June 30 (HERE maps defenestration day).

While I'm complaining, why doesn't Maps show search suggestions? C'mon guys, it's 2016, not 2001.

 

[avengerxp]

I'm from Sri Lanka. Used to HERE, tried maps yesterday and it was a complete disaster. I set the route while i was getting to the car, 5 mins into driving, it couldn't locate my position and update the route! (even if I completely exited it and restarted maps, it was unable to find location. I feel like I'm using a damn test device that works sometimes...

 

[mary beth hale]

Got curious after reading these posts as I rarely use voice navigation. Using Maps app tried 3 different locations that were not in my favorites list. Got search suggestions and when I chose directions, got voice navigation as well. Unlocked AT&T 640 running W10M .164

 

[ali80]

This is so weird...I searched for "mcdonalds" and it worked (for the first time, I've never seen Microsoft Maps work before). Great. So I tried the "home depot" search again...fail. Then I tried "mcdonalds" again....no results.

I don't get it. Whatever the problem is, I hope they fix it before June 30 (HERE maps defenestration day).

While I'm complaining, why doesn't Maps show search suggestions? C'mon guys, it's 2016, not 2001.

Try another place and see.

Mcdonals not healthy and it could be the reason why it didnt work with you

 

[ali80]

I'm from Sri Lanka. Used to HERE, tried maps yesterday and it was a complete disaster. I set the route while i was getting to the car, 5 mins into driving, it couldn't locate my position and update the route! (even if I completely exited it and restarted maps, it was unable to find location. I feel like I'm using a damn test device that works sometimes...

This is happening with me with HERE and I thought its something with wp8.1. Because I was swapping with the two apps.

I guess its because you turned off the location and then turn it on again?

 

[Loco5150]

Here again we see a result thats caused by Micrsosoft own ****ery. Like they stated in the blog, they would have to re-write the whole app for Windows 10, so they are pulling it. Microsoft has done this several times with WP. They start over, they make changes that essentially need tohers to work also from the ground up. Bunch of morons, here was great, although it seems to be better on Android, all the different apps are in one app, but still, it was a good thing for WP.

 

[avengerxp]

This is happening with me with HERE and I thought its something with wp8.1. Because I was swapping with the two apps.

I guess its because you turned off the location and then turn it on again?

nope.My location is set to always on. HERE maps / HERE drive picks up the location accurately! but MS maps app sucks balls.