Here maps leaves the platform that has its most users.

[AlTech]

Here maps (Nokia map service) have announced that they will drop support for Windows Phones and Windows 10, and pull its app from the Windows App Store, dropping its biggest users market share to focus on competing with other apps on platforms, such as Android and iOS instead. So it will try an compete against Apple Maps and Google Maps.

 

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Here Maps announced its plans to  drop support for Windows Phone and Windows 10 yesterday. As the primary mapping service for Windows Phone, it leaves existing users with Microsoft's own lackluster maps app.

 

Some good news for Windows 10 users, is that Windows 10 Maps is actually pretty good to start with. For those who don't know, while I have no actual data, many users claims to have switch to Windows 10 Maps over Here maps.

 

 

 

So it isn't all to bad for the platform. In better news, Microsoft replied to the Here Maps leaving news, with some good news, that they will release a major update soon (probably close to Microsoft BUILD event with reveal of the direction Microsoft will take Windows with Redstone 1 update) for Insiders, which Microsoft claims to bring large improvements such as addressing some big complaints the app has.

 

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Thankfully, Microsoft appears to be ready to improve its own maps situation. In a post on Reddit, a verified Microsoft employee identified as Dave_MSFT reveals that the company has an "exciting update" planned for the Windows 10 maps app.

The upcoming update will include an improved driving mode, which is one part of Microsoft's maps app that has fallen behind the Here version. Microsoft is planning to release the update to Windows 10 testers first, before rolling it out to existing devices.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/16/11243974/microsoft-windows-10-maps-app-update

 

Are you a user of Here Maps on Android or iOS? Have you ever heard about them?

If you are a Windows Phone 8 or Windows 10 Mobile users, are affected by this?

 

This post was editing by GoodBytes, cleaning it up from the mess it was.

 

[Castdeath97]

That has to be the longest title I have ever seen for a topic! Try summarising it please.

[AlTech]

Just now, Castdeath97 said:

That has to be the longest title I have ever seen for a topic! Try summarising it please.

I just did literally half a second before you posted that comment.

[Castdeath97]

Just now, AluminiumTech said:

I just did literally half a second before you posted that comment.

Well done then!.

[CtW]

All I had to do was look at the title then at the OP and know that this was a topic about Windows phone.

[TomvanWijnen]

LOL this is quite funny, but, Microsoft isn't the original owner of Here maps, or what was previously (iirc). Dropping it now though is a bit stupid, as it is a pretty darn good maps, apart from a few little things I can live with.

 

(I use both Here and Google maps on my phone :))

[Kherm]

Here Maps was the best maps app on any mobile platform. Windows maps is a resounding 'decent' 

Oh, and WP was not the 'Best' platform for Here, it was the mandatory platform, because they were owned by Nokia. Now that Microsoft bought Nokia and the 'other' Nokia sold Here, they aren't tied down to WP

[dmegatool]

Back when I bought a Windows Phone to my girlfriend, Here was a major selling point. At the time there wasn't a lot of good software that allowed offline maps. Hope that Microsoft take the ball from now on. 

 

I personally switched to an Android phone last year and Here is still on my phone. It's a good little app, I like it.

 

I'm sad to see them leave. That's bad press for Windows 10. Seems like 10 is taking too much time and by the time it hits the market, a lot of big players will have stopped development on the platform. 

[GoodBytes]

Windows Maps uses HERE maps + Bing Maps.

What is strange in the story, is that for HERE Maps, most of its users, are Windows Phone users, not Android, and iOS, where it is competing with far better map software such as Google Maps, and Apple Maps. So I don't get their move.

 

That being said, Windows 10 Maps software is actually pretty good to start with. I am not going to claim it is Google Maps good, but pretty good none the less. Definitely perfectly usable, and has good map data, and decently good algorithm to find routes. Personally I find it better than Here Maps, perfectly usable, and decently smart when you search as well.

 

 

@AluminiumTech, calm down please.

You are too excited or too mad when you post. If you want to post blog style or express your opinion, post it at the absolute end of your news after mentioning the Source, or on the following post as a reply to yourself. Or don't post it as news. There is a nice Windows 10 Mobile Tester section on the OS > Windows section.

[edit] I have retyped your post, because before would probably get you WP[/edit]

[GoodBytes]

There I fixed your post, @AluminiumTech.

[niccaa23]

Here maps belonged to Navteq/Nokia, I believe they sold it recently over to (german?) auto manufactures.

Engadget has the article.

 

 

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http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/03/nokia-here-maps-sale-bmw-mercedes-audi/

Although Here might not be a popular mobile mapping app, it remains the in-car entertainment navigation service. Last year, Nokia said that four out of five new vehicles sold with built-in navigation were being powered by Here. New owners VW, Daimler and Mercedes all utilize the service, as have many other manufacturers, including Ford, Toyota, and aftermarket GPS companies like Garmin.

 

[nullbot]

So moral of the story is (I guess) every company that develops apps hates Microsoft, except Microsoft. 

 

[niccaa23]

@AluminiumTech @GoodBytes

 

not trying to hate on the verge but I skimmed it and found nothing informative in the article/

read this instead;

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http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/15/here-maps-stops-supporting-windows-devices/

 

Here says that it didn't have much of a choice. If it wanted to continue supporting Windows 10 without that workaround, it had to rewrite its apps "from the ground up." That's a tough call when the entire Windows smartphone platform has just 1.1 percent of the market, if you believe estimates.

[edit] reading your post as well was TLDR and I basically blanked out and looked up the info for myself -teehee-

[dmegatool]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

That being said, Windows 10 Maps software is actually pretty good to start with. I am not going to claim it is Google Maps good, but pretty good none the less. Definitely perfectly usable, and has good map data, and decently good algorithm to find routes. Personally I find it better than Here Maps, perfectly usable, and decently smart when you search as well.

Does it have offline maps ? That's a feature Google and Apple didn't properly implemented yet... And my main feature of HERE

 

* I know you can save some routes on Google maps (the limit is 120,000 square kilometers). We're talking saving whole country here ! 

[GoodBytes]

11 minutes ago, dmegatool said:

Does it have offline maps ? That's a feature Google and Apple didn't properly implemented yet... And my main feature of HERE

 

* I know you can save some routes on Google maps (the limit is 120,000 square kilometers). We're talking saving whole country here ! 

Of course it has, it was the first to introduce it.

And unlike Google map, it doesn't limit you to 30days, and only a specif region. You can download a state/province, and multiple of them, and also are automatically updated by the OS. So it like a real dedicated GPS system with an auto update system (if you wonder, it only checks and update when you are on wireless)

[dalekphalm]

How does this affect the other "HERE" apps, such as "HERE Drive"? I personally use HERE Drive as my daily GPS Navigation app (HERE Map and HERE Drive are separate apps), and it's one of the best GPS Nav apps I've used. Are they killing the entire HERE suite? Granted, I'm still on WP 8.1 (I've been resisting the WM10 update until it's confirmed stable and in an actual release state on my Lumia 830).

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

How does this affect the other "HERE" apps, such as "HERE Drive"? I personally use HERE Drive as my daily GPS Navigation app (HERE Map and HERE Drive are separate apps), and it's one of the best GPS Nav apps I've used. Are they killing the entire HERE suite? Granted, I'm still on WP 8.1 (I've been resisting the WM10 update until it's confirmed stable and in an actual release state on my Lumia 830).

The latest Insider Preview (Fast Ring) build on my Lumia 950 XL, is stable, nice, and solid. I did need to have to reboot it after OOBE passed as it was acting strange, but beside that, it seems fine, so far. Just make sure that the Apps are fully updated. The only issue I have (which I fixed) is the Windows Maps turn by turn navigation doesn't work in Canada. I mean it works, but doesn't tell you street names. I needed to install English U.S Speech to fix it.

 

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

The latest Insider Preview (Fast Ring) build on my Lumia 950 XL, is stable, nice, and solid. I did need to have to reboot it after OOBE passed as it was acting strange, but beside that, it seems fine, so far. Just make sure that the Apps are fully updated. The only issue I have (which I fixed) is the Windows Maps turn by turn navigation doesn't work in Canada. I mean it works, but doesn't tell you street names. I needed to install English U.S Speech to fix it.

 

I'm quite annoyed at the fact that  I can no longer be on the fast ring and that I have to be on "release preview". You're testing out redstone 1 while i'm testing out threshold 2? That's not fair.

[Bouzoo]

To be fair I figured Here Maps would completely die on phones after Audi/BMW/Merc bought them, so they can make it exclusive to cars or something like that. Surprised it isn't. 

[GoodBytes]

25 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

I'm quite annoyed at the fact that  I can no longer be on the fast ring and that I have to be on "release preview". You're testing out redstone 1 while i'm testing out threshold 2? That's not fair.

We can talk about it on Windows 10 Mobile Tester forum.

 

 

[GoodBytes]

10 minutes ago, Bouzoo said:

To be fair I figured Here Maps would completely die on phones after Audi/BMW/Merc bought them, so they can make it exclusive to cars or something like that. Surprised it isn't. 

Very true, and probably that is what they plan to do in the long run. I highly doubt they can touch the market share of Google Maps and Apple Maps to be honest.

[ManIkWeet]

I knew this would be the first thing to happen after Here maps was sold...

 

Honestly the Here maps UI was big and clumsy, but it was a good app.

[FLYING-MACHINE_11]

Here Maps Have A very Outdated Map Here in India.

The MAPS they are showing was 5-6 Years old.

[Tataffe]

Being an intern at BMW Group (one of Here's owners), I'm currently trying out the app on iOS. I have not found any major problems. It's basically like Google Maps with a different color scheme, you can save locations to select them quickly afterwards, also you can download maps for offline use (does Google Maps offer this? I don't know). Because Here Maps will be fed by the built-in GPS systems in the most recent Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz models plus many stand-alone GPS systems, it's going to reach the same or better accuracy in live traffic than Google Maps.

 

TL;DR: In my opinion, Here Maps is like Google Maps with privacy.

[Tataffe]

2 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

To be fair I figured Here Maps would completely die on phones after Audi/BMW/Merc bought them, so they can make it exclusive to cars or something like that. Surprised it isn't. 

 

2 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Very true, and probably that is what they plan to do in the long run. I highly doubt they can touch the market share of Google Maps and Apple Maps to be honest.

 

Why would they want to make it exclusive? They want to collect as much live data as they can get for better traffic information. So Here Maps will likely continue to be available on mobile phones.

 

Because Here Maps will be installed in many built-in GPS systems (all Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and maybe other Volkswagen brands), the user base will be rather large without the users noticing and the overall market share will be rather big. Collecting traffic data and working with it will probably be better than the competitors in the end, when many cars, stand-alone GPS systems and more phones use it.