Free Sat Nav App for iphone/ipad from itunes (Nav...

[revpeachy]

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/navfr...391334793?mt=8

NAVFREE The world's first FREE 'onboard' professional GPS navigation software, with turn-by-turn directions, voice guidance, auto-rerouting, live ‘Google’ Search, for the iPhone and iPad. The best GPS navigation software for the iPhone/iPad for FREE

Official MoneySavingExpert insert: If you've got an iPhone, simply download this free app which works as a sat nav.

MSE Darren tried this a couple of years ago and his view was "it works well as a sat nav, though some of the maps aren't 100% up to date. If you're doing a cross country trip it should get you there, but for accurate traversing of small road you may have some problems. Still if you don't have a sat nav, and don't need one, but would like one for back up - its a cracker for the price (ie free!)"

Also, it says on the iTunes app page for this that "No data connection is required for downloading maps".

Thanks to Revpeachy for posting.

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[Li0nhead]

Great find.
Just checked my local area, several street names need changing, which i am doing via the "map feedback tool" on the program.

Remember the "map feed back tool" because just think if we all update the errors it will be the best mapping system in the world. As nothing beats local knowledge.

[liv1975]

How does this compare to Skobbler? I've been using that on the iPhone for a while now and find it very good.

[demondoctor]

I used this and it took me on a much longer journey (added about 0.5 hours to a 2 hour journey) and ended up going across a toll bridge I didn't even know existed. I believe it's because it has the speed limits for most roads wrong so when set to fastest route, it takes you on roads it thinks are faster.

[expressman33]

does this work on ipod touch ?

[Li0nhead]

Originally Posted by expressman33

does this work on ipod touch ?

Yes.

But unless you could maintain a Wi-fi connection for the full journey its hard to use as a GPS in the car.

[MissLead]

I have downloaded this and will have a go. Have been using Google Maps quite successfully up until now but it isn't a substitute for a true satnav system, at least I imagine so! I will post again when I have used it! Thanks for the tip!

[fat_tony]

Despite being quite into technology, ive never had sat nav on my iphone or ipad. Does it require an internet connection when out and about, or just a phone signal? The reason I ask is that I live very rurally, and nether the phone or internet can be taken for granted. My slow broadband is taking forever to download the app, im interested to know if its even worth it for me (ie will I be able to use it?)

Thanks for any info

[helenhugs]

Fantastic thanks great for hubbys phone no iphone for me though unfortunately.

[theitguy]

I suppose you should ask for much when it's free but this app doesn't even show my town in any detail at all. No roads at all for my town.

The GPS location just shows me as being in the middle of nowhere.

[zipman23]

I've just bought an iPhone so I might try this app!

I used Google Maps Navigation on my old phone for a simple journey just to see how it worked. When it should have told me to stay in the left hand lane, it told me to stay in the right hand lane and took me through the Tyne Tunnel (it was too late to get back into the correct lane as it was too busy). Anyhoo...the guy at the toll on the other end found the funny side of it and stopped all the traffic so I could do a u-turn and go back through!

Worst thing is that for a new product it didn't know very much as the roundabout in question has been closed for over 2 years!

[Fairy-Home]

Both NavFree and Skobbler use the OpenStreetMap mapping system (http://www.openstreetmap.org/) which I quote:

OpenStreetMap is a free editable map of the whole world. It is made by people like you.

OpenStreetMap allows you to view, edit and use geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth

The whole point is that YOU can improve the maps and everyone will benefit.

So if you find an error, please learn how to use OpenStreetMap and correct it. If you don't feel technically savvy enough then at least use the reporting tool in the apps to report the error so that someone else can correct the map.

But please don't complain - what do you want for FREE?

I've used both, but prefer Skobbler, and sometimes it does direct you some strange ways - when I check the maps it is often something that just needs correcting on the map, not a problem with the application itself.

Use and enjoy.

[ali1511]

My 4 year old tomtom go packed up half way to Manchester recently, it wouldn't hold any charge and the battery was flat.

All I had was the maps on my iPhone. I never keep a map in the car (I would need an A-Z of Manchester and every other town in the country!).

Fortunately I had a colleague with me who could just about follow the iPhone map allbeit with difficulty as it didn't update quickly enough.

So I'm downloading this free app, in case my new tomtom goes faulty. I do 30,000 business miles a year so I can't manage without reliable satnav!

I will test it out and update the database if I find errors. These things are only as good as their contributors

I don't think you can expect the same quality from a freebie as something you would pay £100's for, but if it gets me where I'm going evetually, that's got to be better than being lost in the middle of nowhere. (which did happen to me and was terrifying- hence the original tomtom purchase)

[Lisaberry]

Will this suck data like nobodys business? I downloaded this a while ago but worry that no free data on the iPhone is no more I will end up using my allowance very quickly??

[pedro43]

it doesn't know the best or quickest routes, spent 40 minutes with someone else driving following this satnav compared to the route i was telling the driver to take, my router 20 minutes, satnav 40.

use with caution.
plan your route in advance.

[cleveden]

Originally Posted by theitguy

I suppose you should ask for much when it's free but this app doesn't even show my town in any detail at all. No roads at all for my town.

The GPS location just shows me as being in the middle of nowhere.

Do you live in the sea?

[Sachin_Joshi]

Thanks for this - but I already have Skobbler and if they both use the same source for maps, I don't think they will be any different.

Can someone explain why Skobbler uses a fraction of the memory (~ 4MB) on the iPhone as compared to this (~ 295 MB) if they are both sourced from the same data?

[biggad]

Originally Posted by Guanajuato

Just thought I'd add, for the benefit of people using Android phones, WAZE is free and pretty good. It uses OpenStreetMap as well.

isn't google navigation better and also free?

[Simon_c]

Hi,

I've used this app for a couple of weeks now, and although it's good for the price, it's not fool proof, which is a shame for a satnav, which you'd only use in areas where you've no idea anyway.

It once even tried to direct me to drive across the Thames !

On the plus side, it does download all the data to the phone, so you can used it even when out of 3g signal area, but it's data is out of date. There's several places where it's wrong, but the underlying openstreetmap data has already been corrected.

It's speed limits are also wrong. It seems to use the same figure for calculating the time it takes to get somewhere, as the speed limit for the "driving too fast" warning.

I'm guessing they will ultimately try to add some paid for content like live trafic updates etc ontop of the free data. It's a good effort, but only really useful at a pinch, and be careful of rivers

[davester]

Noone has mentioned the danger of sticking your ipad on your winscreen to use as a satnav, It would probably be illegal to do due to the loss of vision