Mobile Phone as Sat Nav

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Honey_Badger
Honey_Badger Posts: 767 Forumite
in Motoring
I'm in the process of changing car from one with a built-in sat nav to one without. As I've a fairly decent smart phone I'm thinking of using that.

I wonder if anyone can recommend a phone cradle that will mount on the new cars dash. My phone is one with a 5.5 inch screen.

I don't use sat nav a lot except when away on holiday, am I likely to need an additional data allowance on the phone?

Thanks in advance of any replies.
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  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,554 Forumite
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    Data allowance will depend on which map app you use.

    Most you can download some if not all of the maps you require.

    I like the Here Now maps which used to be Nokia's OVI maps many moons ago.

    Recommend a cradle, thats hard when you dont mention the exact make/model of phone and the car and how/where you want to install it?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • TadleyBaggie
    TadleyBaggie Posts: 6,056 Forumite
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    Personally I always use Brodit cradles and mounts.
  • Tyler_Du
    Tyler_Du Posts: 712 Forumite
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    The Nokia maps are good if you don't have enough data allowance, make sure you download the maps / areas you need over WiFi before you travel.
    For convenience I use a magnetic style dock which fits into the air vents
  • Honey_Badger
    Honey_Badger Posts: 767 Forumite
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    forgotmyname wrote: »
    Data allowance will depend on which map app you use.

    Most you can download some if not all of the maps you require.

    I like the Here Now maps which used to be Nokia's OVI maps many moons ago.

    Recommend a cradle, thats hard when you dont mention the exact make/model of phone and the car and how/where you want to install it?

    Thanks for the reply, the phone is an iPhone 6S plus and the car is a Honda Jazz 2018 model. I would like to mount it so it's easily visible but otherwise I'm open to suggestions as exactly the best location.
  • DUTR
    DUTR Posts: 12,958 Forumite
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    Honey_Badger wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply, the phone is an iPhone 6S plus and the car is a Honda Jazz 2018 model. I would like to mount it so it's easily visible but otherwise I'm open to suggestions as exactly the best location.

    It's not as if you are foolish enough to leave the thing in situ when you are away from the vehicle, also any self respecting theif will remember the apple maps saga and move onto stealing something of use :o
  • Honey_Badger
    Honey_Badger Posts: 767 Forumite
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    DUTR wrote: »
    It's not as if you are foolish enough to leave the thing in situ when you are away from the vehicle, also any self respecting theif will remember the apple maps saga and move onto stealing something of use :o

    Wasn't that 6 years ago? There's always people who hate Apple products, I like them, we'll just have to differ.
  • JP1978
    JP1978 Posts: 527 Forumite
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    TadleyBaggie wrote: »
    Personally I always use Brodit cradles and mounts.

    +1.

    Brodit Pro-clips clip onto your dash using existing panel gaps or slits between panels, on most cars you can get 2 or 3 different options/positions. The Pro-Clip gives a flat surface to mount a cradle, whether that be one of Brodits own or 3rd party.

    Brodit support most phones and have device specific cradles for them and the more popular phones will have options to fit phones with & without cases.

    If your phone has wireless charging, you can buy compatible holders for the car from ebay / amazon - Samsung for instance have their own.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,554 Forumite
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    I like the Bury products, fitted their universal handsfree kits to several cars now having bought a car with it already fitted, i thought thats a good idea.

    Silly people dont advertise them properly and i pick them up for pennies.

    £70 for the bluetooth cradle attachment, err no the blackberry bluetooth one for £2.50 worked equally as well with my nokia phone at the time.

    Most of the time the phones in my pocket and fully charged so the bluetooth was more important.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • AnotherJoe
    AnotherJoe Posts: 19,622 Forumite
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    I've got one of these which works well on a 7s so the same size as your phone.
    Bought it for a foreign trip where the cost of sat nav to rent was more per day than buying this http://amzn.eu/chaUuUc

    It's a sucker type though not a clip into heater vent type.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    Another for Brodit Proclips. You buy it in two separate parts. First part is a plate that is made specifically for your car and attaches without the need for any screws. The second part is the cradle for your phone which you screw into the plate.

    They're well strong, I use one to mount my amateur radio head unit.

    The plate (those screws go into a bit of plastic in the kit that hooks behind the top of the silver plastic):
    mondy3_zpscd6396b1.jpg

    The head unit (on the left of the picture). It easily weighs 10 times what my phone does and doesn't move even when going down rough country lanes.

    5847d9cf-cad0-42f5-b474-fc7c8192edc1_zps40e62a38.jpg
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