[sgiitk]

Garmin seems to be lost in history. One big plus of Google is that it is updated live. Also, the maps are pretty good. So I have switched from Garmin.

[SreeT]

I switched from Google Maps to Sygic due to the better privacy a paid service offers.

I find that Sygic has a better and well thought out UI for driving than Google maps, and it doesn't annoy me asking me to rate my destination or any stops I add, distracting me from driving. I also find downloading the maps on Wifi and forgetting about it for about 6 months very convenient.

I still don't have an alternative for finding restaurants etc. to Google maps, it's unfortunate that people put their business details only on Google.

[sgm]

I use Google maps though it has given me really scary experiences a few times. The issue is it doesn't ask if you would like a comfortable good road or any route with shortest time for travel. Larger sedans and low ground clearance vehicles can get into real trouble.

Once during a return trip from a vacation, google maps routed me through a short cut to avoid a small town area and the way became so narrow that it was not enough for my car to pass and I got trapped then I had to reverse quite a long distance before finding a place to turn back. The path was enough for small hatchbacks, may be a few used that route and google re-directed me to use the same route. I faced a few more of these scary experiences while passing through completely unknown areas.

[docprashant]

For me it has been Google Maps hands down. The real time traffic update is indeed a valuable feature to have. The inbuilt maps in my Elantra, though visually stunning, lack this vital piece and thus is rendered almost useless.

Apple Maps are just not that accurate in picking up locations manually as google maps are in Delhi.

[Kosfactor]

There are some features that I have seen in a Verna`s OE maps that I wish google maps had - It clearly shows a pop up with which road to take when you reach a flyover, climb the flyover or take the exit. It also shows early warning when approaching a toll booth to keep the cash ready etc. Some of the OE maps like XUV5OO have a dedicated button to navigate back home which I find very useful.

Certainly now with Google maps, there is no need to use anything else...er...Except when you are off the city roads - country side, forests etc. Its good to ask the locals when google maps suggest you take the narrowest roads available, there may as well be a much better road that the locals would know. I have been through many such excursions, many for the kick of it and has come across some truly beautiful places.

There were a few instances where we found ourselves cruising through paddy fields, came across a dam, water crossings etc on Bangalore-Mysore road, google maps was trying to get us across some gnarly traffic jams.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

There are some features that I have seen in a Verna`s OE maps that I wish google maps had - Some of the OE maps like XUV5OO have a dedicated button to navigate back home which I find very useful.

If your 'Home' location is saved in Google Maps, it should automatically give you a 1 click option to navigate to your home as soon as you open the app.

When I open the app, depending on my location, it displays a shortcut tab to navigate to your Home/work, and few other most visited places.

[EVMAN]

Originally Posted by GTO

Added a poll to know the choice of BHPians . Google Maps dominates the scene because it's so damn good + free + dependable traffic updates + Android's market-share.

and even on Apple phones most of us prefer Google Maps.

[Rajeevraj]

No doubt that this will be a heavily skewed poll in favor of google maps. I too voted for the same. None of the other can come close to Google Maps of today. Having said that even google maps struggles to keep up with the dynamic nature in which the congestion pattern changes especially in places like Bangalore.

Several map providers like Here Maps are moving towards the HD Map concept which are primarily being built for autonomous driving scenarios. Some of the features of HD Maps like the infrastructure mapping elements, ability to do road quality scoring, pothole detection etc can become layers on top of the regular maps to provide better quality of mapping data for end users.

This is an area that other providers can work towards creating a niche for themselves.

[vivekz]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Google Maps

What can still improve[list][*]The road event reporting does not allow reporting speed cams, may be in alignment with the interest of law / road safety.
[*]No support for music controls, yet.

I remember Google Maps introducing speed camera alerts (user sourced) last year. You could mark an accident/ speed camera on the map and other users can get the symbol denothing these on their maps.

Also I had switced to using Andoid Auto which brings in Google Maps in conjuction with an easy menu for music control and even caller menu. Works well most of the time.

[nandrive]

I use mapfactor application. The free version uses maps based on open street org. There a paid version of TomTom maps as well, I have never used paid version. The offline maps are very space efficient. I have used the same application in multiple countries. It's pretty easy to edit/add new routes on open street org and you get the update in less than a month time.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ctor.navigator

[asethi]

Google maps has become the default choice, especially after Carplay support. Now just connect the phone & drive away! But Google map is as good as your mobile network! I've been in a situation where I was almost lost in western ghats jungles without any mobile network for 150+kms and hence no Google maps, add to that not a single soul around to tell if I'm on right track!

Google does have offline maps, but it just takes a lot of space on phone! And saving whole state map, like Karnataka, is not a possibility!

After that incident, I now have Here offline maps as a backup on my phone, just in case Google decides to cheat!

[nagr22]

Though I voted for Google Maps, there have neen umpteen times when it has directed me into narrow village roads, off-road trails, roads that look like they're modelled after the martian surface etc.

In one such horrific incident, I was driving my colleagues from the States to visit Bannerghatta National Park and I was using google maps. Somewhere enroute it was showing traffic as red and a grey route that said 15 minutes faster if I take the next right. Somehow without a thought I took the right and it looked like an off-road trail and my colleague even joked that we are having an off-road adventure in India. Only then did I looked closely at the maps to my horror it was a route that cuts across a lake !!
I was already halfway in and now I started getting scared about what if there's some slush and my car gets stuck! Mind you, this was in a sedan! Somehow I continued without telling my colleague about what just happened and I was able to safely get out.
Later I realized that the lake was under renovation by BBMP and the route that I took was frequented by tractors carrying mud from the lake!
Till this day I avoid faster route suggestions by google because of this incident!
I have made this crude picture to explain what happened. Yellow is the road, red is what I should have taken and grey is what I took. I am still glad that there was no water or slush that day!

[ts1506]

Voted for Google Maps, its free, its seamless and quite accurate. However, it does have a tendency to route me into smaller back roads, which are not necessarily faster and definitely not safer (especially in night time).

My EcoSport comes with MapMyIndia inbuilt, and it is quite good, much better than people give it credit for. The place where it falls flat, is if there is a road closure/diversion, it tries to get you to do a U-turn and go back to the closed road.

Another one which has made incredible strides is Apple Maps. I love how it integrates with the Apple Watch, and it is my go-to for walking and cycling navigation. Their map data and live routing has gotten quite good over time, and I'd rank it an easy 2nd place after Google Maps.

[klgiridhar]

Voted for Google Maps. But still think that Here Maps are one of the best when it comes to Lane Assist features. Best example is the in-built navigation system in Kia Seltos.

Can completely relate to the not so effective Lane Assist feature in Google Maps. Recently, I missed to take the flyover in KR Puram in Bangalore because of this. The bend shown in the map is so tiny that it can be easily missed by many.

[StarrySky]

I use both Google Maps and Waze. When I am driving around the city, I don't usually use navigation, but keep the map on screen on Android Auto. I particularly like that Waze allows me to report any incidents even when the navigation is not on. I don't know of any way to do this in Google Maps. In the same way, Waze also warns of stopped cars, police presence or objects on the road even when the navigation is not active and even if Waze is not the active app on the screen. I haven't yet seen such warnings from Google Maps.

When I travel out of the city, I tend to use my dedicated Garmin device. I don't prefer leaving my phone connected via Android Auto for long as it sometimes tends to overheat my phone.