In this video we look at free sat nav apps for smartphones. There are tonnes to choose
from, but the very best offer real time traffic information, they're simple to use and they’re
free to download as well. So what we are going to do in this video is run
through our favourite three on the market now. We are going to show you some good points,
some bad points and also how to use them, but for more comprehensive rundown of these
apps and many more visit “whatcar.com” for our full review. “Here” is the company
that provides the map information for around 80% of new in-car sat navs. They also have
a smartphone app that provides sat nav called "Here WeGo". So they’re a very well established
company for in-car stuff and the good news is that all that experience translates across
pretty nicely to the smartphone app. It’s pretty simple to use, very functional layout
- lets go to Bristol. It offers you a few different options and also there is public
transport and walking - I don't think I am going to walk to Bristol today. It also includes
the traffic delay it expects as well. So a real plus is that it is very easy to set up,
but let’s see what it's like on the move. The directions are clearly laid out, gives
you a nice view of the road and at the top of the screen there it gives you a view of
what your next direction will be. It's a bit obstructive to the view but I'd say it is
better to have it there than not. At the bottom of the screen you've got the speed you're
going, you've got the arrival time you're set to get there and also it shows you any
traffic delays as well. so "Here WeGo" is good, but it's not anything particularly special.
Second place in our free sat nav app test is probably the one you've all heard of, "Google Maps".
So let’s have a look why it's so popular. Because it's powered by Google you don't have
to be too specific with your destination so it will use a Google search to find
out where you mean, which is a really really good addition, but obviously it will eat into
your data. When you input your destination very handily it gives you a layout of the
different routes available to you. You can put a stop
in, so you can add somewhere you want to go on the way or after one of your destinations.
Again lets see how simple it is to use on the move. Same as "Here WeGo" it's a very
very clear layout. The directions at the top of the screen is a bit smaller so you see
more and at the bottom of it it tells you how long there is to go and it's not distracting
from the road at all. So I think one of the reasons it is so popular is because it's so
simple to use. You can just pick it up, put in a destination and go and you don't have
to be a tech wiz at all to operate it. So it is brilliant and it's reliable as well.
But it doesn't do anything particularly fancy that some of the other apps can offer and
points of interests aren't that obvious as well. So that just leaves top spot and for
us the best free sat nav app that you can get on your phone is "Waze". It's a brilliant
sat nav app that enables users to report traffic incidents that they see along the way. So
the routes it suggests are based on real time traffic updates sent in by people actually
on the roads. Type in your destination. Like the others you don't have to be too specific
and it will automatically bring up what the best suggestion it thinks is, based on the
real time traffic information provided. If you want to look at some other routes that's
available as well and then it calculates some alternatives. It's all pretty quick and you
either get the list view or a map view, which is really good to interchange. On the move
it's brilliant. It's really simple, clear instructions and it also shows speed cameras
very clearly. The other apps do that as well, but if there's a vehicle stopped on the hard
shoulder, if there's a police speed camera out and about or if there's even an object
on the road you can report it on the app and it lets other users know and because so many
people use this app it's really accurate and it's very simple to use. now it might sound
like that's quite a distraction from driving, but actually once you put a couple in, it's
very very simple to work out how to use and it's not not a distraction at all. If you're
based in a city it could revolutionise your journey to and from work. Another handy feature
is remembering where your car's actually parked so that you can go and find your car without
any problems. So there you have it “Waze” gets top spot for our free sat nav app product
test. To read our reviews of the apps you've seen featured here and to see a few more that
we haven't mentioned, head to ”whatcar.com”. Don't forget to subscribe to our youtube channel
as well.