Phone GPS

two travelers wrote:
Our GPS is starting to give us problems. Looking into new ones. Wonder does Google Maps have an option to give you voice directions, speed and time to destination on our smart phone? Can't seem to find this on Maps. Are there any other progams to consider?

Most smart phones will do that. I believe their is an app on maps. Mine offers it.

But do be aware. A dedicated GPS uses satilites, and they are always up there. A phone uses cell towers, and they are NOT always where you need them.

BTW Best Buy had a really good Garmin on sale for 99 bucks. Down from 150. Has junction view, and all. Lifetime updates as well.

The problem with smartphone APPS are that on most if you have no cell phone service they do not work. So in the Adirondacks and parts of the Northway north of Albany and out west you have no guidance.
There are large areas in Texas , New Mexico and Arizona without cell service.
Even spots on the Natchez Trace and in Louisiana have no cell service

Terryallan wrote:

two travelers wrote:
Our GPS is starting to give us problems. Looking into new ones. Wonder does Google Maps have an option to give you voice directions, speed and time to destination on our smart phone? Can't seem to find this on Maps. Are there any other progams to consider?

Most smart phones will do that. I believe their is an app on maps. Mine offers it.

But do be aware. A dedicated GPS uses satilites, and they are always up there. A phone uses cell towers, and they are NOT always where you need them.

BTW Best Buy had a really good Garmin on sale for 99 bucks. Down from 150. Has junction view, and all. Lifetime updates as well.

Modern cell phones do use the same GPS satellites as the dedicated GPS units. Most phones are also capable of using cell tower triangulation as a backup, since the gov't requires that there's always a locator signal available, but the primary locator is the built in GPS receiver chip. That said, there some mapping apps that do need a cell connection to download the appropriate map segments as we move around, but others, such as the CoPilot GPS apps can download complete country maps. My CoPilot installation has the complete US and Canada maps stored locally for instance, and does not need a cell phone signal to work, just for updating. CoPilot is our backup GPS in case our dedicated Garmin GPS fails.

I frequently use Google Maps navigation on my iPhone 6s for travel, both business and pleasure. I have had a couple of glitches over the past couple of years, but I find it to be very reliable, overall. It does have the requested features.

two travelers wrote:
Wonder does Google Maps have an option to give you voice directions, speed and time to destination on our smart phone?

Yes, mostly.
Google Maps give me directions and time to destination, but I can't recall it ever speaking or showing me my current speed.

I have an older Android phone - a Samsung Galaxy S5. My kids have cheaper Android phones ($20 Alcatel to $50 Huawei) and they all do the same.

The google maps app gives voice directions on my (cheap Android) phone. Maybe it depends on what version of Android it's running or something like that. You do have to press a button to have it start giving guidance.

The convenience of the phone just can't be beat. Tap the microphone icon and say take me to the address then it "OK, Lets go" Job done.

There is a BIG difference between a Goggle map, and a REAL GPS App that is completely self contained within the phone. I use an app called NAVIGON, that is owned by Garmin, and it works exactly like a real GPS and needs no cell service whatsoever. I also have it sync' with iCloud so any additions or changes I make with my waypoints will migrate to my iPad as well as keeping the waypoint file in a cloud backup in the backgroun
I carry a Garmin GPS in my flight bag for business travel and haven't pulled it out in at least three years since using NAVIGON. There are lots of GPS apps out there, but you get what you pay for.

cell phone has GPS and uses satellite positioning, it also use augmented location via cell tower

the problem arises(using google maps) when you no longer have a data signal connection to get the map data for your location, the phone has the co-orientates, but no map data to show you the location
there are GPS mapping programs that will download and store map data
but its NOT automatic, you have to choose the areas and have that program DL that data for the maps, before you travel to an area with no cell signal
for people that really depend on GPS, buying a dedicated GPS is a good idea

i like having a map app to show me where i am on the highway
but i prefer real paper maps for route planing
and i don't use turn by turn directions
tried a couple of times, did not like it
i trust my self and paper maps, a lot more than a computer giving me directions

I have been using Google Maps and WAZE during my last couple of long RV trips getting from Denver to Athens, GA in 4 days. If you are traveling along an Interstate highway most anywhere in the US you are going to have cellular data. Momentary loses will not effect your travels or your navigation as many miles of data are already on the phone and the routing is done with the GPS satellites and not a cellular connection.
If you fear you will be in an area with no cellular for an extended period of time you can pre-download the maps covering the area you will be traveling. Loss of cellular will have no effect on your travels. The only thing you will lose is the live traffic data.
FOR ME, it's the traffic data that makes this the only choice for me. Yesterday was a perfect example. I had plans to visit a campground near Chattanooga, TN yesterday. The plan was to take exit 176 and then 1 mile to the campground. My GPS showed taking exit 161. When I looked ahead on the map, I24 was at a stand still for many miles and it I took the planned exit I would be sitting in traffic on the Interstate for an hour to go the next 15 miles. I looked at the road the GPS suggested I take it showed as a nice rural road. So the choice was 15 minutes of back roads or an hour sitting on the Interstate. We took the back road. Ahead of us and behind us were 2 tractor trailers so I knew I had made the right choice. It was a nice easy drive with a 55 mph speed limit (which I didn't do most of the time) and we were still in place and parked before cocktails after a 350 mile drive. I also looked at how much data the phone GPS's use and it is so little as to be dismissed. On a trip of approx. 250 miles Google Maps only used 7Mb and Waze used around 15Mb. This won't have any impact on anyone's data plan.