Since summer is officially here, many of us are going to be hitting the road for our summer vacations. Most phones these days have navigation apps that will help us reach our destination, but keep in mind these apps aren't perfect. On a number of occasions I have had my map app drop me off in the middle of nowhere, or take me to the back entrance (staff only) entrance to the park I wanted to visit. On these occasions, it is nice to have a reliable backup. Maybe I am paranoid, but I currently have three navigation apps installed on my phone. What can I say? I like to be prepared!
If you are using an iPhone, you undoubtedly have the Apple Maps app. I love the voice over interface with this app because unlike some of the others, it plays loudly enough to be heard clearly in the car, and that is the reason this is usually my go to map. I also like how graphically appealing it is and love the food and restaurant options right there in the app. However, I have found that I definitely need a backup for the weird instances it takes me out to the middle of nowhere! For some reason it likes to drop me off in the back of the state parks I visit. This has happened in both Michigan and Iowa. In Nebraska it took me to the service entrance of the zoo I wanted to visit. While these detours were amusing and a great chance to sight see, it isn't always the most efficient. Which is why, I recommend backups!
I have two other map apps installed on my phone: Google Maps and Waze. Both are great free apps and have features that can be helpful. For instance, I love that Waze includes traffic updates. It's warnings about congestion, construction, and emergency vehicles, are very helpful so that you know what to look for and maybe when to move over a lane. It will also let you customize the voice, so yay for options! Google maps has always been extremely accurate for me. Whenever I have ended up at the back of a state park, Google was able to get me back on track. My one problem with Google is that when you are searching for places to eat, or other destinations while using the map and you get that wonderful offer to Map the destination on the website--they use the google map app which wants to cancel my current mapping destination. My other problem with the google map is that despite turning the volume to loud, I still have trouble hearing the voice sometimes over the road noise.
My advice for any navigation apps you try is to test them out--specifically, try them out at home first so you can learn their quirks in an environment where you don't have to risk getting hopelessly lost!
- Name of App: Google Maps
- Audience: All
- Platform: iOS, Android
- What the App Does and why we recommend it: This app will help you find your way to your destination. Google maps tend to be very accurate, but I wish the volume could be increased.
- What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS
- Cost (at time of review): Free
- Name of App: Waze
- Audience: All
- Platform: iOS, Android
- What the App Does and why we recommend it: This app will help you find your way to your destination. Waze is wonderful about current traffic updates and I love that you can choose the voice.
- What platform we used to recommend the app: iOS
- Cost (at time of review): Free
If you are interested in exploring more navigation apps there are some great articles and app recommendations online. Here are a couple to get you started:
10 Best GPS App and Navigation App Options for Android
The Best Free GPS Apps for Your iPhone
Here are some comparisons between Apple Maps and Google Maps
iOS 10 Maps vs. Google Maps: Which Guides The Best?
Google Maps vs Waze vs Apple Maps - Who wins?