Develop Bugs

NoOb questions about GPS on HTC Desire...

1) I don't use a data plan on my card. Can the GPS work without a data plan on Google Maps?
2) I've seen a few offline maps apps. If I use one of those, will GPS work independent of internet/data access on my phone? (same Q as the first but about offline maps apps)
3) Is there any offline maps app providing turn-by-turn navigation? (m sure it'd be paid! )

1. No as Google Maps aren't stored on the SD card, they're downloaded as you go
2 & 3. Yes, if you have an offline navigation client it should work. E.g. CoPilot

So it uses data only to download map data, right? GPS "Positioning" or "navigation" is not charged for data/subscription?

thehrushi said:
So it uses data only to download map data, right? GPS "Positioning" or "navigation" is not charged for data/subscription?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is like you use the gps for cars, your phine receives the data from sattelites so it doesn't use the 3g or anything else "data plan".
Obviously, the use of gps sattelites is free but you need an offline map to be able to see where you are on Earth ^^.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Imho:
Navigon and iGo are currently the best navigation apps for android.
I chose iGo for better maps coverage where I live (central europe).
For offline google maps, search google or this forum for brut maps. Or something like that. I forgot the exact name, sorry. But once you try navigating with one of the above apps, you'll forget it too ;-)

Actually lots of reviews sites such as this one say that Sygic or Copilot is best application:
http://mobile.jack-frost.co.uk/android_sat_nav_apps.php

Thanks a lot for your help! I'd definitely try those apps out!

spile said:
Actually lots of reviews sites such as this one say that Sygic or Copilot is best application:
http://mobile.jack-frost.co.uk/android_sat_nav_apps.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried them all (but Copilot), and I still think what I have written above.
I don't understand how iGo gets a lower rating than, say, Sygic... ;o)

You can use Google map's brut mod for offline navigation.
You have to explicity enable maps caching after u install the app and then have to load map once. Next time it will be loaded from cache.
Google Turn by Turn navigation works fine but u need data connection to get directions for the first time.
check my blogpost on it.
http://levelx.me/technology/google-maps-android-worldwide-navigation/

[Q] Navigation / Maps / Data

Hi all,
I'm going on holiday to South Africa and would like to use my DHD for navigation whilst I'm there however I don't want to incur any data charges if I need to download the maps. I've read on some places that you can pre download the maps somehow, how do I do this ?
Thanks,

Firstly, remember that you have to pay for navigation...
What you do is load Locations, then press "Show on Map" at the top.
Then press the menu button and select "Upgrade"
Then move to the Navigation tab (2nd one) and select South Africa and pay for however long you need it for. It should then download the map and everything it needs in advance.

You can download them from the phone, but there is a charge. IIRC around $6.99 for 3 month usage.

dazultra2000 said:
Firstly, remember that you have to pay for navigation...
What you do is load Locations, then press "Show on Map" at the top.
Then press the menu button and select "Upgrade"
Then move to the Navigation tab (2nd one) and select South Africa and pay for however long you need it for. It should then download the map and everything it needs in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all this information. I think I might be confusing myself, you have mentioned "Locations", I thought this was an app to find restaurants etc. however I've opened it now and noticed that you can navigate using it, what is the difference between this navigation software and the Google Maps Navigation software. I was under the impression the Google Maps Navigation software was free or am I getting them mixed up.
When I load "Locations" I see "Powered by Route 66" everywhere ?

Google maps is free, but downloads the maps as you go - therefore, data costs would be incurred.
Locations is HTC's own navigation app, which pre-loads your maps but you have to pay for the navigation (though regular maps are free).

dazultra2000 said:
Google maps is free, but downloads the maps as you go - therefore, data costs would be incurred.
Locations is HTC's own navigation app, which pre-loads your maps but you have to pay for the navigation (though regular maps are free).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to pay for voice navigation, although you could download the maps before you leave and get a short term subscription eg one month for cheap.
You can get directions without voice free though. Just gotta download the maps.
Sent from my Desire HD

dr.m0x said:
You can get directions without voice free though. Just gotta download the maps.
Sent from my Desire HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Directions, yes, but not turn by turn navigation. Might as well print directions off from full Google maps...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

dazultra2000 said:
Directions, yes, but not turn by turn navigation. Might as well print directions off from full Google maps...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except if you do that you wont get a real time updating display showing your current location, and the directions won't update themselves when you make a wrong turn.

So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?

eozen81 said:
So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it, the gps navigation works fine without data connection. You just should download the maps for the location your going to beforehand (or at a free wifi) so you don't get data charges. The part you pay for in the navigation app is the voice guide, wich IMO is pretty useless.

eozen81 said:
So can not we use any navigation apps in a different country to guide us as free with Android liek TomTom or IGO My Way (as I am using free in Iphone and only drains GPS data no romaing)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly what I wanted to know. When I get to South Africa I'm going to want to pull my sim card out of my phone to avoid been charged for any accidental data that might be downloaded as when I'm roaming in South Africa T-Mobile charges £7.50 a MB !!!!!! Question is will the navigation work without the sim card, I would like to think that it will only require GPS.
I'm going to do some testing here before I go, I will download the maps then pull the sim card out and see if it works.

MarkieSA, let us know the test results for Locations.

Wil-j said:
As I understand it, the gps navigation works fine without data connection. You just should download the maps for the location your going to beforehand (or at a free wifi) so you don't get data charges. The part you pay for in the navigation app is the voice guide, wich IMO is pretty useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't that the whole point of satnav? You're not just paying for the voice...you're paying for the turn by turn navigation. Without it you're just looking at a map. There's no directions (other than the list, which is hard (and illegal) to read when driving).
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I'm not in your league gents but using your build on HD2. I tried out this new Locations app and noticed it can build a route but the current location did not move along with my drive. I havent bought/paid for anything yet. I'm assuming once I do then the recalculation and the pointer will move with current location. Need to know cause DHD is arriving in the next few days
I'd leave your SIM installed and use a widget to disable the APN. I use Curvefish widgets.

For what it's worth, I recently took my car on the ferry from the UK to Ireland, so decided to use the pre-loaded Ireland maps to navigate my way to my destination.
I found that Locations worked ok, once it had a GPS lock, but found it difficult to find the perfect zoom level to look ahead to upcoming turns, while still seeing where I was. Basically I was looking down on myself on a map, whilst trying to follow the route drawn out on the map. It was nowhere near as using Google navigation with data, but it was adequate. I would have found it a lot easier if I had someone else in the car yelling out directions, as I was concentrating enough driving in the dark with the rain lashing down!
P.S. You don't need to worry about data charges while you're away, just make sure data roaming isn't selected in your Wireless and Network settings.

eozen81 said:
MarkieSA, let us know the test results for Locations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right then I'm back from my holiday and this is what happened. Before I went on holiday I pre downloaded the South African maps using HTC locations and bought navigation for 30 days in South Africa.
When I got to South Africa I took out my T-Mobile sim card and inserted a local operators sim card with no data plan, when I fired up HTC locations and went to navigation it said to me that my maps were not up to date and it had to download the latest maps As I had a sim card in that had no data plans it did not work. After a few days I was in a WiFi hotspot and thought I would try and get this working again, I downloaded all the updated map data etc however after that the phone struggled to pin point my location. I tried again a few times after this then gave up.

using gps lock on without service

I am thinking of purchasing a Motorola droid with a car mount/media station for cheap (probably around 100$) and i was wondering if i could use it as a gps without cell phone service?

i wouldn't see why not... gps is simply a signal just like wifi(if its free of course) it would be just like buying a tomtom i would imagine... try putting ur phone into airplane mode and testing the gps

Of course, do keep in mind that both Google Maps and Sprint Nav need a data connection at least initially to download the route information. The new GMaps is supposed to be able to work offline once it does the initial route, though you may need a connection if you veer off course.
There is at least one app that works off maps on the SD card, but I can't recall its name right now.

Visionikz03 said:
i wouldn't see why not... gps is simply a signal just like wifi(if its free of course) it would be just like buying a tomtom i would imagine... try putting ur phone into airplane mode and testing the gps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will tomorrow.
bkrodgers said:
Of course, do keep in mind that both Google Maps and Sprint Nav need a data connection at least initially to download the route information. The new GMaps is supposed to be able to work offline once it does the initial route, though you may need a connection if you veer off course.
There is at least one app that works off maps on the SD card, but I can't recall its name right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think of it, please let me know!

CoPilot Live lets you store the maps on your SD, or so they claim. The reviews on the market aren't too great though.
http://www.alk.com/copilot/android/
There are others as well, a quick search yields:
http://www.mapdroyd.com/
http://www.ndriveweb.com/products/product/96/
http://www.sygic.com/index.php/en/how-to-buy.html
Perhaps others too. But I can't vouch for any of these. I'm fine using GMaps even with the data connection requirements. Especially now that you don't need a data connection all the time -- only when generating a new route. I'm not sure whether it can handle simple missed turns without a connection or if it doesn't cache anything outside the route. I haven't tested that yet.

I've never found a maps or navigation program that I like other than Google, and I've tried pretty much all of them. They're a hassle to get maps for. The new GMaps does cache tiles, though I haven't tested it extensively, and I don't know that it caches maps in the Navigation program (which I use all the time as well).
GPS will lock even with no cell service. But unless you find a good offline map app, you'll just have your nice little blue arrow showing you exactly where you are on a plain gray featureless map.

Best Offline Navigation App?

Don't have a data connection. Google Maps offline doesn't work with navigation. Looking for an offline navigation solution for Canada/US. Let me know if you know of any.

Try Sygic it has a 7 day free trial.

Try Navigon. I like it

Navigon works give it a try

Copilot is really good too. The turn by turn you have to pay for but the offline maps is good.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Navigon by far when you have no data connection.
Sent from my S3

How well does Navigon integrate with the rest of the Android ecosystem? For instance, I tried iGo in the past because I've used it on my standalone GPSs. However, I couldn't use it at all on Android because it was TOO standalone. I couldn't easily get addresses to flow into it, and the interface was too much like the standalone GPS and didn't use the familiar Android type menus at all. It didn't want to share with any other apps on the phone.
I would love to give Navigon a try, but the price is a bit steep. I've also seen a lot of talk about in-app purchases that get it more to the standalone GPS quaility (overviews, 3D maps, etc).
Finally, I've seen complaints in the app review that maps are out of date (Lots of one star ratings because of no Puerto Rico, but not a problem for me). Can anyone comment on map accuracy?

Try SyGic

I've tried apps mentioned here plus Copilot and Tomtom.
Sygic has best looking views, best voice and poi are not outdated. You can select to have smaller map sets to keep disk usage down. Editing startup file permits extSdCard or sdcard for map storage. There is pc program to download and store maps to transfer to device.

The google maps don't need data when on the move. you just need data/wifi to set the locations i.e. start point and end point... and then gps does the work.

I use sygic. It is awesome
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Last time I tried Navigon it needed data so i got rid of it. I have tried them all and IGO wins in the end for me. I'll have to try navigon again

Try navfree. You can download state maps and do offline route calculation.
No need for wifi or data signal.
Its free. So try it.
It has not let me down so far.. and i use it a lot.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

+1 Sygic is nice
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

rvash said:
Don't have a data connection. Google Maps offline doesn't work with navigation. Looking for an offline navigation solution for Canada/US. Let me know if you know of any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NAV Free is the best for what I need. I travel into Canada and was able to download all of Canada (about 700MB for for the map)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navfree.android.OSM.ALL
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

New google maps always resets to main maps search screen (thus unusable)

Hey Guys,
I've searched and searched and searched (albeit I admit I suck at searching), and cannot find anyone talking about this. Thus here I am. Even the Google Product forms seem to have zero answers for me (and no one answering me there), and thus why I'm here. I also don't know if this is the right place to ask, but here goes anyway:
The new (pretty) Google Maps/Nav works on my S3 on Cyanogen mod: as in, I can search the map, use it and start using navigation ... BUT, if I switch to a different app (desktop screen, check sms, mail, settings, anything that isn't the navigation app) while live navigation is running, it'll reset back to the nav search screen BUT live navigation will keep running in the background (voice + GPS still running) and the map will NOT show any navigation.
To recreate for me the steps are:
1) Load up navigation and navigate somewhere, anywhere.
2) Switch to a different app.
3) Go back into navigation. Instead of being presented with the route (live nagivation) I'm presented with the nav search screen.
If I click the 'back' button, I get a regular ol' map. Searching for any route while the old nav is running will cause the Maps app to crash. The only error message I get if I get it to crash is: "Google Maps has unexpectedly closed."
I have tried re-installing the new Google Maps. I have even tried doing a complete phone wipe, also didn't help.
The only thing that sort of seems to do 'something', is if I clear the Google Maps/Navigation cache, force stop it, and then start again. Then I'll be able to use the quick app switch (pressing home button for a few seconds) to switch in and out, but that's about it .. and that only works for one nav route. After that first one if I try again it'll start crashing again.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Or point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
p.s. I did post in the google product support form, no responses there yet

piotrkrzyzek said:
Hey Guys,
I've searched and searched and searched (albeit I admit I suck at searching), and cannot find anyone talking about this. Thus here I am. Even the Google Product forms seem to have zero answers for me (and no one answering me there), and thus why I'm here. I also don't know if this is the right place to ask, but here goes anyway:
The new (pretty) Google Maps/Nav works on my S3 on Cyanogen mod: as in, I can search the map, use it and start using navigation ... BUT, if I switch to a different app (desktop screen, check sms, mail, settings, anything that isn't the navigation app) while live navigation is running, it'll reset back to the nav search screen BUT live navigation will keep running in the background (voice + GPS still running) and the map will NOT show any navigation.
To recreate for me the steps are:
1) Load up navigation and navigate somewhere, anywhere.
2) Switch to a different app.
3) Go back into navigation. Instead of being presented with the route (live nagivation) I'm presented with the nav search screen.
If I click the 'back' button, I get a regular ol' map. Searching for any route while the old nav is running will cause the Maps app to crash. The only error message I get if I get it to crash is: "Google Maps has unexpectedly closed."
I have tried re-installing the new Google Maps. I have even tried doing a complete phone wipe, also didn't help.
The only thing that sort of seems to do 'something', is if I clear the Google Maps/Navigation cache, force stop it, and then start again. Then I'll be able to use the quick app switch (pressing home button for a few seconds) to switch in and out, but that's about it .. and that only works for one nav route. After that first one if I try again it'll start crashing again.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Or point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
p.s. I did post in the google product support form, no responses there yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't reproduce the issue you are having (I'm on TW 4.1.2, though), but I have had my own set of issues with it. If you disable wifi and network location (to keep the Nlp wakelocks under control), sometimes when the GPS locks it still shows and old location. Only way to fix is to wipe data.
Since the fix is the same, I'm going with bug in the app. Old version was better in pretty much every way.

Don't forget that recently google made a lot of changes to maps. I'd imagine they know about a lot of the bugs people are having and will probably fix in the near future.
When you try to go back to navigation, do you select it from the notification area?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

DocHoliday77 said:
Don't forget that recently google made a lot of changes to maps. I'd imagine they know about a lot of the bugs people are having and will probably fix in the near future.
When you try to go back to navigation, do you select it from the notification area?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I selected it from the notification area.
IF, and ONLY IF, I clear the Google maps area will navigation still work if I reselect it from the notification area and/or the quick switch thingy. But that niceness only lasts for one route :-/ After that, it's back to always search menu for me.
It all really sucks because for work I do get a lot of texts or calls, which means if I'm using navigation ... yeah ... I basically have to reset navigation every single bloody time I get a notification :-/

I've never used it, but what about Samsung Drive Link? Isn't that supposed to provide an interface for when you're driving? Maybe using it will allow you to switch normally. Thats just a complete guess, like I said, I've never used it.
Only other option, and probably the best one, is to use an older version of maps. I posted one in a similar thread to this in the Themes section.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

DocHoliday77 said:
I've never used it, but what about Samsung Drive Link? Isn't that supposed to provide an interface for when you're driving? Maybe using it will allow you to switch normally. Thats just a complete guess, like I said, I've never used it.
Only other option, and probably the best one, is to use an older version of maps. I posted one in a similar thread to this in the Themes section.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took your advice and found the old google map APK. <sigh> I already miss the integration and style of the new one, but heck you are so right: the old one works perfectly! Keeping that.
Thanks for the idea!
Now if we could only get Google to fix the new maps app bugs.

I'm under the impression they are working on it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I have been having the exact same issue ever since the big Google Maps interface update.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, stock.