Testing how much data Google Maps uses...

On thing to understand with the Garmin units is that the routing will use highways where the road may have a lane or two closed. If the delay is less than 5 minutes the GPS will not put up the delay warning.

I wish Garmin would give us a way to modify routes easily as when using Google Maps. Where we live they are working on all highways at the same time (Construction season between winter seasons).

The routing choice is totally "looney" so I ignore the GPS which eventually corrects the route to my choice after a mile or two on my route. I let Google give me my 3 best choices and modify my preferred choice. Then I print a copy to take along while on the trip.

It is always best to check the Garmin route choice each day against a highway map to make sure it is not sending down a gravel road, unless that road is the only entry to a campground and short.

One feature I like is when either unit is sending you on a goose chase and you turn left because that is really the right way to go according to the paper map and the view out the windshield, Google maps says "oh OK, let's figure out this route while the Garmin has a Big Snit...

Bill.Satellite wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
I probably won't replace it when it dies but my stand alone GPS has real time traffic also (no cell data used).

The real time traffic in my Garmin is nearly useless. It more often reports something that does not exist, exists 30 miles down the road or does not report at all (must be in a big city to receive the FM transmission). It has also never properly routed me around any traffic problem. However, I was using Google Maps yesterday around Austin, TX and it said to stay on the side road for 3 miles rather than get on the Interstate. Of course, I headed for the Interstate only to find that as I approached the on ramp I35 was at a stand still. It has routed me away from the traffic and keep me on a much faster route. Google Maps now reports many incidents and traffic with the information coming from WAZE and apparently WILL avoid traffic problems.

That's odd because mine is usually dead on (also a garmin). It reports incidents and generally does a great job.

I even leave it running when traveling familiar routes just for the traffic.

Reality is they are all using the same data source.

I think you need to do some more mythological research. Double-tap and swipe is how you exit apps on ios 7. My Galaxy has a couple of ways, one similar and the other by using the "back" button, which Apple does not offer.

Dave

I have noticed while on my home computer, the maps tend to take up a lot of memory, and time to download things, especially if I am using google earth and looking at the homes on the ground.

thats not road map data
that IS high res satellite pictures, using millions of pixels

naturist wrote:
I would be careful to make sure you shut Google Maps down after you use it, lest it suck up a lot more bandwidth tracking your every move even when you are not using it. It also uses battery power, of course, if still running in the background.

For folks who don't know about it, apps remain running in the background at all times, unless you shut them down. Here's how you do that on iOS 7 and later: while on the home screen, press the home button twice. A parade of currently running apps will appear. Shut down apps you aren't actually using by flicking them upward so they disappear from the parade. When you want to run one of them, launching it as usual will bring it right up with perhaps a half-second more delay than usual.

Apps that constantly ping both your bandwidth and your battery, such as maps, Siri, email, and many others, as well as any app you use rarely, are best left in shut-down state.

That listing is NOT of currently running Apps! It is a listing of "Most Recently Used" - it is a purely alternative way to get to your favorite apps.

Use of Cell data, Location Services, Background Refresh and Notifications are the primary options many apps have to improve their performance - and THOSE are the options that can drain battery or use data unawares. But it is a myth that the apps you see are running - doing as advised to "kill" them has no impact on the use/non-use of data/battery. All you are doing is removing them from the screen. You have to set the options noted to control their behavior.

jerem0621 wrote:
I have heard this come up recently and was curious myself so I wanted to test it. How much data does Google Maps actually use? We have all heard it described as a data hog... lets see how much water that statement actually holds. ...

I've never heard Google maps described as a data hog. Where did you get that information?

What I think you may have read or heard about Google maps is that it requires a constant data connection in order to retrieve map data. The issue isn't that it requires a lot of data, the issue is that it constantly needs data. If it doesn't have a cellular data connection, Google maps cannot show you where you are on the map. Other apps store their map data on the phone so they don't require a data connection in order to display the map correctly. Google maps chooses to constantly download map data as you drive. This allows it to uses less of your phone's storage while an app that stores it's map data on the phone will use several GB of your phone's storage to save it's map data.

Google maps works great except in those areas with no cellular signal.

Bill.Satellite wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
I probably won't replace it when it dies but my stand alone GPS has real time traffic also (no cell data used).

The real time traffic in my Garmin is nearly useless. It more often reports something that does not exist, exists 30 miles down the road or does not report at all (must be in a big city to receive the FM transmission). It has also never properly routed me around an traffic problem. However, I was using Google Maps yesterday around Austin, TX and it said to stay on the side road for 3 miles rather than get on the Interstate. Of course, I headed for the Interstate only to find that as I approached the on ramp I35 was at a stand still. It has routed me away from the traffic and keep me on a much faster route. Google Maps now reports many incidents and traffic with the information coming from WAZE and apparently WILL avoid traffic problems.

WAZE? I will have to investigate that. I don't think I have tried that app before.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

valhalla360 wrote:
I probably won't replace it when it dies but my stand alone GPS has real time traffic also (no cell data used).

The real time traffic in my Garmin is nearly useless. It more often reports something that does not exist, exists 30 miles down the road or does not report at all (must be in a big city to receive the FM transmission). It has also never properly routed me around any traffic problem. However, I was using Google Maps yesterday around Austin, TX and it said to stay on the side road for 3 miles rather than get on the Interstate. Of course, I headed for the Interstate only to find that as I approached the on ramp I35 was at a stand still. It has routed me away from the traffic and keep me on a much faster route. Google Maps now reports many incidents and traffic with the information coming from WAZE and apparently WILL avoid traffic problems.

Great tips about killing Google Maps (or any data using app) that you are not actively using.

Something that is easily done on the iPhone is that you can turn cellular data off on specific apps. If you look at the last picture that I posted you can see the on/off buttons for the cellular data.

As a long time iPhone user I don't know how to do this on Android, but I am sure you can turn cellular data off on specific apps.

Just wanted to point that out so that if you wanted too, you could turn the mobile data off of the navigation apps until you are ready to use them. That will keep the parasitic drain to a minimum.

I am also a huge proponent of stand alone GPS, but I think with some planning a phone can be useful.

For example.. one of my biggest gripes about using a phone as a GPS is that there always seems be the unintended phone call at just the right moment to really screw up your navigation.

On iPhone at least you can work around this by setting up "Do Not Disturb" on your phone and then customizing who, if anyone can actually call you while you are on do not disturb.

Anyway, one final suggestion if you want to use a phone as a GPS... Invest in a decent windshield mount. I found one in the automotive section of Wal-Mart several years ago for about $10.00 and its been a pretty good mount.

Thanks!

Jeremiah