Nokia’s HERE Maps service provides maps, turn-by-turn directions, transport information, and trip planning for smartphones. This summer the company launched the first Android version of HERE Maps, but it was only available for Samsung devices at the time.

Now HERE beta is available in the Google Play Store, and it’s a free download for devices running Android 4.1 or later.

here maps

HERE provides navigation in 118 countries and the new Play Store version of the app includes performance and stability improvements, among other updates.

Sure, most Android phones sold in the US and Europe come with Google Maps, but it’s always good to have another option if you’re in a location that’s not well covered by Google’s free service. Here also supports offline maps and real-time location sharing through Glympse,

An iOS version of HERE is also in the works, and is expected to launch in early 2015.

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9 replies on “Nokia HERE maps hits the Google Play Store”

  1. I tested HERE yesterday afternoon on my drive home. At least through my phone, the female voice wasn’t loud enough for me to hear her clearly. Also, I felt the voice doesn’t alert you far enough in advance to prepare you to get ready to take turns or exits. She also seems to be a bit wordy, and I found her English accent to be difficult to understand at times. (I’m American.) Overall, I found trying to listen to her to be confusing.

    At this point, I just don’t feel comfortable counting on HERE for turn-by-turn directions compared to Google Maps. Two years ago, when I first used Google Maps, it instantly felt natural, comfortable, and assuring to listen to (which was a pleasant surprise to me). I experienced no such feeling of ease using HERE for the first time. There is a psychological component at play here which I think Google has done a much better job at honing. For each step, the HERE voice seems to ramble detailed direction info with a proper speaking voice, while the Google Maps voice tells you only what you need to know at the moment and says so in an assuring, friendly manner.

    I will be visiting the UK soon, so maybe I’ll download the off-line UK map. Perhaps HERE works best for offline use in countries outside the US?

  2. Been using since first released as beta, and it’s all I use now 🙂

    1. How much space do the maps take on your phone? How’s the real-time traffic, if it has it?

      1. No real time that I’m aware of.

        Maps can be large if you download an entire country. I did one one state 250mb, 5gb for USA. Larger than open street maps.

      2. The USA maps says it is taking 4,970.8 MB on my phone. I don’t think it has real time traffic.

    2. Is there anyone else out there who wants to chime in on this? Curious about how well it compares to Google Maps in the US/Canada, featurewise and in terms of the quality of navigation.

      1. Just noticed it needs a ton of permissions. Not really sure why. Google and their weird permission model, man.

      2. I’ve used it while before it was on the play store. It let me down a couple of times, and was straight up wrong a few times when it came to which side of the freeway an exit was on (I’m in Phoenix). I still have it, but I don’t use it. The only way I could see myself using it again is if I don’t have signal and I have the entire USA downloaded in that app.

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