Google maps desktop style - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Is there any way to make google maps behave just like as you use it on desktop in windows?
Basically a way to move around departure (not lock to your location). Basically a way to help travel planning (going to japan in a week). I also like that in windows, google map gives me routes by JR line (since I'l be buying a JR pass), when selecting transit. Any way to get the same on android?
Thank you.

Related

Comparisons between various Navigation Systems?

I have bought TomTom BT GPS & European Maps & it's pants!
Bad points :-
1. Even with several maps loaded on a 512mb sd it isn't possible to navigate from one country to another. I have to find the route on Autoroute, find the border crossing, then look for it on TomTom's map & set it as destination. Then open the other country and do the same to set as Departure! As I need to travel through up 4 countries a day, this gets to be a bit of a chore!
2. You can't plan route via somewhere, I want to use a particular stop-off but no way to do it unless you plan it in several parts.
3. Change to map view & it doesn't centre on your position! Duh?
4. Downloading maps off the 8 CD's (YES! 8!) is a total nightmare! Choose a disk, (they are not marked! Except disk #1-8 ) then say downlöad map of....Italy, remove disc and Quit insert Disk 5, insert disc 5 & choose Italy, do you want a 32, 64 or full map?, quess what? remove disc & quit. replace with disc 6. Then it asks every time what is the format, then it asks every time where you want to store it. It never remembers it as default!
5. Remove a map & you lose all your favourites
6. Try to find out how to get any accessories extension antenna, fixing magnets etc. on the web site and you'll find 'Jack****'
7. There is no way to see the street names in navigation view.
8. There are only very basic descriptions of signs in navigation view
(take direction -----)
9. At a lot of very obvious junctions on motorways it says keep left etc. then you come to a complicated junction in town & it says turn right when it should say bear left then turn right. Or worse still it says nothing at all!
10. The usual 'turn left in 200 metres' comes in on a straight stretch of motorway, or 'Turn around when possible' on a dead straight route.
These are a few of the negatives that I can remember. got to go now as I'm losing my connection. There's more.......... :evil:
So does anyone know of an objective comparison between the various Navigation systems? TomTom, Kane etc.
Thanks guys! 600 Quid poorer & still having to use MS Autoroute along side TomTom! Grrrrrr!
Not exactly side by side comparison (well except for the Tomtom/Navman compare) but it has a few reviews of some others...
http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/menu_gpssoftware.php
GPS not good yet
The same in here, I being trying to buy a GPS for ages but I keep hearing bad things all the time
just hope that GPS get develop properly ASAP please
TomTom 3 is announced :
Major ways to plan route between countries
can use navigation points to pickup something/someone
etc...
kitarolivier said:
TomTom 3 is announced :
Major ways to plan route between countries
can use navigation points to pickup something/someone
etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Olivier, Thanks for the info. but looking @ the details it seems the new version is still on 8 CD's! I think these TomTom people are spending too much of their time in the 'coffee shops'!
I'm also a bit miffed that even though the new version is on sale, we, the owners of version 2 won't even get the link to allow us to pay for the upgrade until mid April. On the earlier TomTom route-planner it had a facility to add an overlay, on which you would store all of your favourites, & extra info in a seperate file. The new versions seem to lose saved data every time you remove the sd card to change to another! Grrrrrr! :twisted:
I have done some checking, too and would decide for Mobile Navigator 4 which will be available towards end of April.
Will us BT, you can use your fingers to navigate, voice, across all of western Europe, etc.
I have just purchased CoPolit in Australia - it ROCKS!
Hi,
I bought this product after checking out this site:
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/awards/category.asp?catid=43
CoPolite works a treat and is very accurate, intelligent and quick. You can do stuff like route planning, pull in addresses from outlook contacts, store an address in contacts when your actually at a location, find points of interest (like hotels, food, recreation etc,etc) ... and the list goes on.
Only down side - my Radio Stack is corrupt **every time** I use this software :evil: ! Nothing that a hard reboot doesn't sort out :shock: !!
(That's how I came to be apon this site.. I am trying to figure this out. )
Saw your post and thought I could add 2 cents (or pence) :wink:
Rgds,
Scott
Can you explain what you mean by " my radio stack is corrupt every time", how does this corruption manifest itself on screen, a corrupt radio stack would not be fixed by any number of hard or soft reboots. Which com port is the hardware/software. What message appears to let you know of this corruption etc. How have you managed to sort it out and use the naviagtion?

Google Maps Question

Im going to be visiting Purdue in a couple weeks and was wondering if i could pull up this map through google maps mobile: http://tiny.cc/purduemap
is this possible? it would make finding my way around campus so much easier
thanks
why not just use google's sat view?
well i could pull up a general map of purdue through sat view but it doesnt have the buildings labeled (http://tiny.cc/purduemap <= this map does)
IDK, i doubt you would be able to open that file with google maps. have you tried to see if those are listed as POI's in google maps or if you can add them as POI's?
try that link in opera mobile, it may display if u have everything up to date

Google Maps Mobile favourites from GB Ordnance Survey coords

I recently upgraded to HTC HD2 from a Nokia N95. I use my phone a lot for work when finding exact coordinates, and on the N95 I was able to input GB Ordnance Survey coordinates into a program (UTMData) and it would convert them to at least 10 other grid systems and, most importantly, insert a favourite into Google Maps.
There was also a function where inserting a placemark into Nokia maps would result in the same thing - a place in Google Maps. I realised today I almost can't get by without this functionality so I'm pretty desperate to know if anyone has produced a similar...something...that will replace my old phone?
In summary, I'm looking for a program that can convert OS coords into lat/long or UTM format, and ultimately place them into at least Google Maps(or a KML file), or additionally into OV2/CSV (for CoPilot Live 8 - when the POI functionality is updated), preferably in fewer steps as possible and defenitely WITHOUT the aid of a computer - I just don't carry one with me.
Cheers

[APP] Standalone navigation app for Wear OS!

I made a standalone navigation app for Wear OS! Here's the link to the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.onibaku.standalonewearmap
Here's the full description on the app so you can get a glance at the features:
Users can type in a location, or long press on the map to input a destination. They can choose to travel via walking, cycling or car.
The app will navigate the user from their current location to the destination using turn-by-turn navigation. Each step is highlighted on the path, with text to show you what action to take, and how long until you reach that step. The map rotates along with the device, so will follow the forward-facing direction of the watch.
The app only needs an internet connection for the initial retrieval of the directions. After that, it solely relies on GPS until the user arrives at the destination.
This (obviously) only works on watches that have GPS.
If you have any suggestions at all, I'd love to know them.
The next feature I plan to implement is importing a GPX file in from Google Drive, so you can navigate a more unorthodox/scenic route, which would suits cyclists. I initially developed this for when I go cycling, as we don't usually want to take the fastest route somewhere.
Let me know if there any burning features that are needed in this, and I'll do my best to deliver. This is a small side-project, so I don't have too much time to work on it, but I find it quite useful personally, and I hope others will, too.
Someone suggested I release a demo version so people can try it and see if they wish to buy it. I have released one here
It only has the dropped pin functionality, and only allows walking as a navigation mode. The zoom is also locked.
Gentatsu said:
I made a standalone navigation app for Wear OS! Here's the link to the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.onibaku.standalonewearmap
Here's the full description on the app so you can get a glance at the features:
Users can type in a location, or long press on the map to input a destination. They can choose to travel via walking, cycling or car.
The app will navigate the user from their current location to the destination using turn-by-turn navigation. Each step is highlighted on the path, with text to show you what action to take, and how long until you reach that step. The map rotates along with the device, so will follow the forward-facing direction of the watch.
The app only needs an internet connection for the initial retrieval of the directions. After that, it solely relies on GPS until the user arrives at the destination.
This (obviously) only works on watches that have GPS.
If you have any suggestions at all, I'd love to know them.
The next feature I plan to implement is importing a GPX file in from Google Drive, so you can navigate a more unorthodox/scenic route, which would suits cyclists. I initially developed this for when I go cycling, as we don't usually want to take the fastest route somewhere.
Let me know if there any burning features that are needed in this, and I'll do my best to deliver. This is a small side-project, so I don't have too much time to work on it, but I find it quite useful personally, and I hope others will, too.
Someone suggested I release a demo version so people can try it and see if they wish to buy it. I have released one here
It only has the dropped pin functionality, and only allows walking as a navigation mode. The zoom is also locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is looking really good. I want true standalone navigation on my Huawei Watch 2 4G. It has a sim so loads the route standalone and seems to be able to do everything expected...i'm trying the demo version now.
One question though...unless i'm missing something..how do you exit the app? I'm currently having to force close it.
(And as a side note have you checked out the Wear OS app Ghostracer? You can import a gpx file and follow your progress on a map on the watch. Maps are downloadable to the watch, although ive never tried that. My watch has a sim so updates the map as im riding using the watches data. Heavy on the battery though.)
ruggs1234 said:
This is looking really good. I want true standalone navigation on my Huawei Watch 2 4G. It has a sim so loads the route standalone and seems to be able to do everything expected...i'm trying the demo version now.
One question though...unless i'm missing something..how do you exit the app? I'm currently having to force close it.
(And as a side note have you checked out the Wear OS app Ghostracer? You can import a gpx file and follow your progress on a map on the watch. Maps are downloadable to the watch, although ive never tried that. My watch has a sim so updates the map as im riding using the watches data. Heavy on the battery though.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had not realised that the app does not cease to use GPS whilst it is in sleep mode, so I have added a button to exit the app properly when you drag down. I've just released it now.
I have had a look at it, but it doesn't seem to work unless you have an android phone. I am currently looking into offline maps and importing GPX files. Do you know if it does that via the android app, and how it imports it? I was looking to use Google drive, as that seems to be the only viable storage solution supported on Wear atm.
Gentatsu said:
I had not realised that the app does not cease to use GPS whilst it is in sleep mode, so I have added a button to exit the app properly when you drag down. I've just released it now.
I have had a look at it, but it doesn't seem to work unless you have an android phone. I am currently looking into offline maps and importing GPX files. Do you know if it does that via the android app, and how it imports it? I was looking to use Google drive, as that seems to be the only viable storage solution supported on Wear atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou for the exit button, works great. Having tested the demo app i'm happy, and I will purchase. One further comment, the battery drain is heavy, as expected. Any chance of an ambient mode while the map is running to save battery? I may be pushing my luck, but I can only ask!
Ghostracer does indeed need a companion Android app on the phone. The gpx file is loaded into the app on the phone (using a file manager) then passed to the Ghostracer app on the watch. Maps are treated the same, but I just use the data from my sim in the watch to load maps as I ride when needed. You can follow a gpx route standalone on the watch in a similar way to following the route on your app. I am not connected to Ghostracer in any way, I just think its a wonderful app for cyclists and runners (within the watches battery limitations). And the free version allows you to test all its features. It might not be right for you, but it was worth a mention based on what you said earlier. (And the map screen has an ambient mode.... )
ruggs1234 said:
Thankyou for the exit button, works great. Having tested the demo app i'm happy, and I will purchase. One further comment, the battery drain is heavy, as expected. Any chance of an ambient mode while the map is running to save battery? I may be pushing my luck, but I can only ask!
Ghostracer does indeed need a companion Android app on the phone. The gpx file is loaded into the app on the phone (using a file manager) then passed to the Ghostracer app on the watch. Maps are treated the same, but I just use the data from my sim in the watch to load maps as I ride when needed. You can follow a gpx route standalone on the watch in a similar way to following the route on your app. I am not connected to Ghostracer in any way, I just think its a wonderful app for cyclists and runners (within the watches battery limitations). And the free version allows you to test all its features. It might not be right for you, but it was worth a mention based on what you said earlier. (And the map screen has an ambient mode.... )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great . I did play around with the ambient mode, but it was just the same as the standard google maps ambient mode. It takes away the turn-by-turn, location, and path. If I could persist these, and set the GPS to update every 30 secs - 1 minute, I'd probably keep it, but I'm not sure how. I'd like to stick in options to set the GPS update frequency, or have the screen turn back on only for upcoming turns.
That's really cool! That's essentially what I would have liked on my watch but standalone. I really don't like the idea that you HAVE to use a companion app, especially when it's not available for iOS. I know they're competing watches, but I love the price point of android watches compared to Apple's, and their features shouldn't pale in comparison by way of hardware.
How does their ambient map work, if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to look into it. What does their paid version allow you to do? I only had a paid version before someone mentioned to put the free one on, just to give people a flavour of it. I tried to emphasise the main bit, which was the turn-by-turn navigation. The search and other transportation modes were secondary.
Cheers for the feedback and suggestions, though! I really do appreciate it! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like.
Gentatsu said:
Great . I did play around with the ambient mode, but it was just the same as the standard google maps ambient mode. It takes away the turn-by-turn, location, and path. If I could persist these, and set the GPS to update every 30 secs - 1 minute, I'd probably keep it, but I'm not sure how. I'd like to stick in options to set the GPS update frequency, or have the screen turn back on only for upcoming turns.
That's really cool! That's essentially what I would have liked on my watch but standalone. I really don't like the idea that you HAVE to use a companion app, especially when it's not available for iOS. I know they're competing watches, but I love the price point of android watches compared to Apple's, and their features shouldn't pale in comparison by way of hardware.
How does their ambient map work, if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to look into it. What does their paid version allow you to do? I only had a paid version before someone mentioned to put the free one on, just to give people a flavour of it. I tried to emphasise the main bit, which was the turn-by-turn navigation. The search and other transportation modes were secondary.
Cheers for the feedback and suggestions, though! I really do appreciate it! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ghostracers ambient map is black background with white markings until you lift your wrist...but that might not work when using your app while driving (watch off the wrist?).
I've now purchased your app (Google made that hard work!)...all still good. One question...when I zoom the map in the map un-zooms straight back. Any way to make the zoom stick?
ruggs1234 said:
Ghostracers ambient map is black background with white markings until you lift your wrist...but that might not work when using your app while driving (watch off the wrist?).
I've now purchased your app (Google made that hard work!)...all still good. One question...when I zoom the map in the map un-zooms straight back. Any way to make the zoom stick?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do the markings include the path/trail? I've used the black background one before, and the building outlines are (kinda) white. Yeah, I do have my watch affixed to my handlebars on my bicycle.
Great - Thanks! It's much appreciated! How come it was hard work, if you don't mind me asking? Ah, yep. That was one of the first things I forgot to change! I completely forgot about it! I've made it so that if you zoom/pan, it'll stick unless you press the "my location" button again.
Huawei watch 2 built-in GPS not working anymore
ruggs1234 said:
Thankyou for the exit button, works great. Having tested the demo app i'm happy, and I will purchase. One further comment, the battery drain is heavy, as expected. Any chance of an ambient mode while the map is running to save battery? I may be pushing my luck, but I can only ask!
Ghostracer does indeed need a companion Android app on the phone. The gpx file is loaded into the app on the phone (using a file manager) then passed to the Ghostracer app on the watch. Maps are treated the same, but I just use the data from my sim in the watch to load maps as I ride when needed. You can follow a gpx route standalone on the watch in a similar way to following the route on your app. I am not connected to Ghostracer in any way, I just think its a wonderful app for cyclists and runners (within the watches battery limitations). And the free version allows you to test all its features. It might not be right for you, but it was worth a mention based on what you said earlier. (And the map screen has an ambient mode.... )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ruggs1234, it was a long time since you wrote your experience with this app. I downloaded the demo today and I tested it. Looks like since last Google's update, the huawei watch 2 doesn't use its built-in standalone GPS. Please, would you mind to check whether you are having this problem now? The only way I got it work was by connecting the watch to a phone through Bluetooth.
Kind regards, Angel
angelrc96 said:
Hi ruggs1234, it was a long time since you wrote your experience with this app. I downloaded the demo today and I tested it. Looks like since last Google's update, the huawei watch 2 doesn't use its built-in standalone GPS. Please, would you mind to check whether you are having this problem now? The only way I got it work was by connecting the watch to a phone through Bluetooth.
Kind regards, Angel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Angel,
The app still works ok on my watch, I tested it yesterday.
With my phone switched OFF I use my watches inbuilt sim to start the route (the app needs data to download the initial route, it can use the connected mobile but mine was switched off). I then switch off the sim in my watch and follow the route using only the gps in the watch. The app worked as it always has.
HOWEVER, my watch isn't running the latest version of Wear OS (it's running Wear OS 2.0, Home app 2.16). I never update anything Google if i'm not forced too, their updates often break more things than they fix. Everything I use on the watch works great and i'd like it to stay that way....
Hi,
well, I gave it a test (full paid version) - TicWatch 3 Pro 4g/LTE (all up to date). It doesn't work. All tested in standalone mode (no phone involved).
- app crashes when there is no GPS fix (GPS is on, but no fix yet)
- when I set an route to navigate (pin or search) it just endlessly shows progress circle and nothing else happens (GPS on with fix, LTE on and working)
So...
BR, Doman.
I installed the Demo version on my ticwatch 3 pro gps (updated everything to current versions and no modifications (yet))
App is starting, map is not showing, just the gps location button on the left and a white/grey screen. I can pin a location on the white screen and its actually getting a location next to me and tries to route there - but without any map showing.
Any app for Gear S3 ?

[App request] HUD GPS Map app

I'm running a stock Moto G7 Power (Android Pie) (no root)
I'm looking for an app that offers a mirrored interface for a cheap reflective HUD gadget with something like Google Maps' driving mode (it shows a map, with my location on it, and [here's where apps like HUDWAY Go and most of what I've found falter] it needs to show street names of the upcoming streets, not just the one I'm on).
I have weird use case, I know, but I'm not looking for turn-by-turn navigation. I'm making a lot of residential stops so that's mostly not even an option (I haven't seen an app that can handle 50 residential stops well [and I don't want to go into why various approaches won't work unsolicited (eg only putting some of them in, futzing around with the routing, etc., if you really feel the need, I can explain of course)]).
I'm tempted to put in a request to an open source app like OSMAnd for the feature, since adding it to a map view can be bodged with `SetRotationY(180)` pretty easily, and for a proper dev, adding a setting menu entry for it would also be pretty easy (an elegant solution would probably take a few hours) or even just forking it and doing the bodge job myself. I figured I'd ask first if anyone knew of an easier or off the shelf solution.

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