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Nokia has released a new update for HERE Maps, the company’s technically-sound mapping and navigation solution for Android. First thing’s first — it’s no longer considered beta. Not sure what that means to you, but that’s typically a good sign that the app is in good shape.
That’s not the only thing today’s update brings, though. Nokia made a handful of key improvements in various areas of the app that you’ll likely appreciate:
- Downloading area maps can now be done in the background, so you can exit the app and keep up on the download’s progress by checking the notification.
- You’ll no longer have to check the fastest route to a destination for each type of transit by switching between tabs — HERE will automatically show a few of the fastest routes regardless of transportation mode. Swipe to the left and right to get to different categories if you want to drill further.
- You can now tap on a business on the map to get information about the business. A restaurant, for instance, will now show reviews, images and a phone number.
- Added support for 3D venue maps, such as for malls or sports arenas. You can view from whichever perspective you prefer, and for multi-level buildings you can switch between levels with ease.
And, of course, you’ve got the typical user experience improvements, performance enhancements and bug fixes that tend to come along with these bug updates. Google Maps might be the most convenient navigation option for an Android user who uses Google for everything, but Nokia’s HERE Maps make a strong case to become a primary option for many others. Grab the latest version from Google Play right here.
Get outta HERE Nokia. I’ll stick with Google Maps.
Good luck with that sheep.
You should give ol’ Google Maps a shot. It’s actually really good, donkey.
It’s useless without data. So no thanks.
Google Maps has an offline mode… if that’s what you’re referring to? It’s new for Nokia’s HERE though.
Car Navigation doesn’t work offline. Plus you have to save the map ahead of time, and for some reason every time it updated the map got deleted.
I haven’t actually had to use offline maps so I’ll take these as valid points.
Google has no interest in offline navigation. They just prefer everyone be connected at all times. Their offline mode just doesn’t cut it.
Offline maps are a must when you travel to others countries with a poor cellular network. Google maps allows you to save a small offline map (usually a town or city) but it’s not possible to save the entire country. Other issue with Google Maps (by the way I like and use maps a lot in places with good networks) is the fact that the route is calculated in the cloud, so without data there is no re route if you get lost in the middle of a trip in a spot without signal.
It’s a pain in the ass to store maps offline with Google maps. I wanna download the map of a entire country with a single click.
Offline maps are not supported in every country, like where i live, in Brazil.
Deff gonna try this out now. I hope I’m able to use my own TTS (svox). Blasted Google Maps won’t allow me to change the voice so I’m forced to use an older version. What happened to options Google?
Love Map Apps…
Needs to call it laggy bloated map
Hi I’m Jere from the HERE team. On which device are you having a laggy experience?
Probably the HTC G1/Dream. =p
Pretty smooth on my One M8. MUCH smoother than Google Maps, but not quite as good as Waze.
Any particular reason why an account is necessary to use this?
Would like the option to at least try it out w/o an account/Facebook sign-in/etc……
There is such option. My friend told me the same thing. But when you open the app in the bottom there is a button saying “use it without an account” or something like that. So an account is unnecessary, just look closely.
I hope they fixed the bug
Hi I’m Jere from the HERE team. I’m not sure I’ve heard of that bug before (or if it was fixed already). Could you send us a full bug report at help.here.com/contact ? We don’t want that one creeping in the app any longer than necessary.
Jere, from HERE? Buddy, that’s got a ring to it.
Autocorrect would agree with that statement. You have no idea how many times I’ve signed an email with “Here” by accident.
Volume very low on the HTC M8. Useless.
Hi Tim, I’m Jere from the HERE team. We increased the volume significantly in yesterdays update. Is the volume still too low? When in app, try increasing the volume again. If that doesn’t help, could you help us by sending a full bug report through help.here.com/contact ?