One of the great advantages of Android Auto is the number of compatible applications (especially compared to Apple CarPlay) and if we talk about navigators that support Google’s infotainment system, there are some very interesting ones such as TomTom AmiGo, Maps.Me and of course, the legendary Google Maps or Waze. Another good candidate is Mapfactor Navigator, which I have downloaded it on my Android phone to try it on Android Auto: this has been my experience.
Mapfactor Navigator is a GPS navigator available for both Android on the Google Play Store and iOS on the App Store. Is it free? Well, it depends: as soon as you install it and open it, there are two map options: either buy TomTom maps or use the app. the free version, which uses the maps of OpenStreetMap. This is the version I tested.
I have to admit that I really like TomTom for navigation, but the free version is also of good quality. However, we are dealing with an open and collaborative project. Reliable, with great coverage and regular updates.
Important: To use this application it is It is essential to download the maps beforefor which it is advisable to install the app at home with Wi-Fi and open it to download the areas we need.
The good thing? You don’t use up any data and if there is poor coverage or you are outside your roaming area, nothing happens. The not so good thing is that you have to do all this in advance and it takes up a lot of space. For the tests I downloaded maps of ‘Europe’ > ‘Spain’ and the areas of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre + Asturias, Basque Country, Cantabria, Castile and Leon, Galicia and La Rioja, something like 1.29 GB.
Although the mobile app has quite a few options, The experience is reduced to the bare minimum in Android Auto. In fact, as far as configuration from the car screen is concerned, the only thing it allows access to is the download of maps. Every cloud has a silver lining: you avoid distractions resulting from changing options, although I would prefer to be able to change some things directly from here without resorting to the mobile.
The good thing is that it is compatible with Coolwalk, so you can be seen together in mosaic form with other messaging or entertainment apps (in my case, I have used it with Spotify and then what I have received from WhatsApp and Telegram).
When you open the app, a search box appears where you can Enter your destinationwhether it is a postal code, municipality or address, you type it with the keyboard or out loud if you touch the microphone and little else: it finds it quite well and shows you the way.
However, it doesn’t show different routes, but only suggests one, although if you don’t follow it, it will modify it based on what is most convenient. As for the interface, it is quite classic, so learning to use it is very simple: two dialog boxes appear where the directions, estimated time of arrival, required time and how many kilometers you are going to travel are shown. You can also zoom in and change the view mode, going from the directions to the general route. Finally, tapping on the ‘x’ cancels the previously entered destination.
In a nutshell, The interface is classic and suitable for anyonewith minimal distractions and no ads, which is appreciated for a cleaner, more streamlined experience.
I was pleasantly surprised by both the quality of the maps, as well as the detail they offer and how well the different types of roads are identified and the route, as can be seen above. In the municipalities, the names of the streets appear to guide better and in interurban journeys it is easy to see what type of road it is.
Mapfactor Navigator does not forget about radarsalthough it is limited to fixed ones, displaying them with a camera icon and a sound notification so you don’t miss it. It is effective, but after having tried other browsers, more types are missing, such as those for sections or mobile ones.
But of course, being an offline application, We lose real-time information about incidents on the road, such as traffic jams, roadworks or police checkpoints.
In short, it seems to me to be a good application to get from point A to B without much complication, with simplicity and clarity being its greatest virtues, but I am short on options, routes and warnings. All in all, I would only recommend it to people looking for simple, basic navigation.
Free navigator with TomTom or OpenStreetMap maps
Cover | Eva Rodríguez de Luis