To taste, colors. And applications for different needs. Fortunately, there is a large list of applications compatible with Android Auto, and this number continues to grow over time. Speaking of supported navigation applications, my favorite in terms of real-time updates and community is Waze, even above the ubiquitous Google Maps.

If you are looking for a simple and reliable navigation app Here’s a good candidate for a smooth transition from point A to point B in Android Auto. It’s not for everyone, but it has functions that are unrivaled.

Maps.me is the simple browser you’ve been looking for for Android Auto

It’s called Maps.me, and while it has a cleaner interface and fewer options (which ultimately makes it easier to use), stands out because it only offers offline browsingThis is not only a problem for planned trips and also eliminates possible interruptions, skips or direct failures for places where the connection is bad or we do not have data (for example abroad) or where we simply do not have it. Perhaps we want to spend because our fee is set.

As we mentioned above, Maps.me is a simple navigation app that works with offline maps. It is also completely free and available for both Android and iOS. The database from which the cartography is obtained is OpenStreetMap. guarantee of reliability, updates and coverageBecause it is an open and collaborative project.

All you need to do to use Maps.me is Download the app to your mobile phone and when you get in your car with Android AutoThe icon will now be ready to use because yes: it is compatible with the Google infotainment system.

Of course, you can use it in the car or on your mobile, but not both at the same time, although downloads and calls are preserved (something that makes sense on the other hand, since Android Auto is still a reflection of what we have on our mobile). So if you want, you can do it Find the route in advance and download the map to have at hand later.Or do it while getting in the car.

Why is this an app I would recommend to my dad? To be honest, this recommendation is comprehensive for those who are not very technologically savvy or do not want to complicate themselves with apps full of options while traveling. Here you enter the destination, the app guides you step by step and very little is left.

When you look at the screen above these lines, several things catch your eye: how well the route is displayed on the map, the clarity of the indicators shown in large letters and, finally, how the locations of points of interest are indicated to help you navigate ourselves and that you will not see adjustments anywhere …

…as long as you don’t touch the screen. Unless you do that, the interface is the clearest and most intuitive I’ve ever tried.. Because some of them appear when you touch the screen: zoom in or out on the map, change the route, activate or deactivate the sound volume, end the trip, save the screen (ideal for later transmission) and enter a gear in the settings.

But I already told you that adjustments are quite sparsefocuses on visual and possible detours: three map styles, two colour themes to mark the route in green or blue, perspective and detour configuration. This last point was where I got frustrated, because beyond the easy-to-understand ‘End’, the options when entering this screen are not translated, so they appear in English (for example, the option to avoid a toll or toll roads).

Beyond this half-translation of settings that don’t actually change very often, everything else Designed to make the experience as easy as possible. Of course, there is one thing to highlight about working with offline maps: we will not be able to get real-time information about traffic jams or incidents on the road. But it fulfills its mission of getting us from point A to point B effortlessly.

Maps.me

MAPS.ME: Offline GPS Navigation

Free download

Cover | Get it with Maps.me

Xataka on Android | I used Magic Earth with Android Auto on a trip and will never play it again: I still prefer Waze and Google Maps