# More for Google maps on Android



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3319439/google-maps-android.html


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Looking at Google Timeline last night that operstes with G Maps. I showed all my MH trips in great detail from visits to stops with dates and exact times for the last 8 years including our 3 month tour of Marocco 7 years ago. and my trip to Cardiff last week. Spooky, I know you can turn it off but with my memory I think I might leave it on:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

When I read things like that I come to believe how out of touch with our younger generation we are going to be in the future. Imagine having the grandchildren over for tea and asking them about their holidays and being shown Google maps rather than their version of what they saw and did? While I, sort of, dread that it might be better than the shrug we used to get from teenage daughter ha ha!


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I forget where I was yesterday so it's a help for me.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

patp said:


> When I read things like that I come to believe how out of touch with our younger generation we are going to be in the future. Imagine having the grandchildren over for tea and asking them about their holidays and being shown Google maps rather than their version of what they saw and did? While I, sort of, dread that it might be better than the shrug we used to get from teenage daughter ha ha!


Gosh can you remember those tedious slide shows of foreign holidays from (usually) uncles when you were a kid. I can see it now the light beam cutting through the cigarette smoke!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes and all those 'Lemmings' who rushed out and bought rotating picture viewers positioned beside the TV constantly scrolling through family and holiday snaps. Yuck.!!! Only took a year or so for them to show up at boot sales for €2.

Ray.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Can't read the article on my phone as it just got too cluttered but I've been trying for a few weeks now to get Google maps to work offline as a sat nav for the bike with headphones when there is no mobile connection. I even downloaded the map but it still doesn't work. Still a very useful tool as long as you have a connection which sadly for at least 50% of this trip over nearly four months now we haven't.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I tried a downloaded map the other day and it worked fine Barry, no different to normal really.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

barryd said:


> Can't read the article on my phone as it just got too cluttered but I've been trying for a few weeks now to get Google maps to work offline as a sat nav for the bike with headphones when there is no mobile connection. I even downloaded the map but it still doesn't work. Still a very useful tool as long as you have a connection which sadly for at least 50% of this trip over nearly four months now we haven't.


Ha ha ha ha all this high tech stuff and the old Garmin or TT still comes into it's own. How many do you want?

Ray.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> I tried a downloaded map the other day and it worked fine Barry, no different to normal really.


Yes but were you in an area with no mobile coverage?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I had it turned off to test it.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I just tested it locally with data turned off.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

As a sat nav or just browsing the map? As you know from the Wildies I couldn't get it to work as it keeps saying can't find a network connection when your moving and there is no signal.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not had any problems mate, I simply go into maps, click my initial top right, then go down to offline maps, select your own map, select the area you need, drag it to the size of the area, click download, once it's downloaded I turn off Wi~Fi and Data, and then use it as normal by entering a destination, click start and Bobs you mums bruvver innit no need for a network so it doesn't ask for one.

Shame you're ****e at IT eh > >


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Or get a Garmin.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Get off your bloody soap box.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Not had any problems mate, I simply go into maps, click my initial top right, then go down to offline maps, select your own map, select the area you need, drag it to the size of the area, click download, once it's downloaded I turn off Wi~Fi and Data, and then use it as normal by entering a destination, click start and Bobs you mums bruvver innit no need for a network so it doesn't ask for one.
> 
> Shame you're ****e at IT eh > >


You have not had any problems because you have not tried to use it in anger as a sat nav on motorcycle. I did exactly what you said. In fact I believe it was me that discovered how to do that on the wildies. Except it dont work. Maybe its the instructions that are the problem and the maps work offline but not as a sat nav. One things for sure when I get home Im cracking this one way or another so I have a working sat nav transferable to any bike that works with headphones. Not sure Google maps will be the answer though.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I put in a direction, it takes me there if that isn't sat nav what is it? Get maps.me.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> I put in a direction, it takes me there if that isn't sat nav what is it? Get maps.me.


Yeah mine does that. Try moving though as in driving to the destination with no signal. Dont work.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

As said Barry, it just does it, all I can think of for yours is the GPS is duff.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Nothing wrong with my GPS, it works for other stuff fine and of course even with a mobile signal maps still uses GPS I believe. So just to confirm. You actually drove around using Google maps on your phone as a sat nav with no mobile signal whatsoever and it worked?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Absolutely Barry i wouldn't wind you up on this one.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I would think there is a slight difference between a mobile phone mast and a satellite. imho.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Hmm, Ray has a point, yes I will have had a mobile signal most of the time it being in a town.

anyhoo, good point so I looked it up and :-

Does Google Maps use GPS or cell towers?

Google Maps primarily uses a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi and cell towers to track your location. GPS: Using satellites, Google Maps knows location up to around 20 meters. ... Cell tower: Connection to a cellular network can be accurate up to a few thousand metres.

Sooooo next time I go out I will pull the SIM and re test it, or I might just boot up one of my old phones, install maps and download a map and see what happens.


Apologies Barry if I took you down a wrong path, t'was not intentional.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

You didnt take me down a wrong path Kev. I told you it dont work, I know it dont work, so it doesnt work. 

Maybe a paid SatNav app would if it purely relies on GPS and nothing else. I would just buy another dedicated sat nav if they still made them with a headphone socket because when the google maps works its perfect.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Maps.me works fine, easy to add POIs, shows foot paths etc and is quite cheap.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Maps.me works fine, easy to add POIs, shows foot paths etc and is quite cheap.


Just downloading it now onto me phone. Says it works without data but will it work without a mobile signal whatsoever? Ill give it a whirl later but chances are ill have a signal most of the time. I suppose a good test would be to put the phone in airplane mode but I think I read somewhere that earlier OS versions turn off GPS in Airplane mode.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Just downloaded Maps.me and it gives you an option not to use mobile internet so will try it. Looks fairly straight forward.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

It's a good app Barry, Zebedee put me onto it yonks ago, I'd not be without it as it just works, it also offers a different route to other apps too for some reason, we have found some great wild spots following it.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

You might have cracked it Kev. Been testing it round the back roads around Ullswater and Patterdale. I even turned everything off and went to airplane mode and it still works! 

Couple of things I've not figured out yet. It doesn't work (so far) in the background if you click out of it / switch off your screen which is a bit of a shame as it's zapping my battery and the voice is awful and unclear but I'm guessing that can be changed but excellent! Cheers. I told everyone you weren't a useless twunt!


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

If it's the awful nasely voice you can change it, mine is set to


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Go to Voice instructions under settings and it gives a bit of info.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Go to Voice instructions under settings and it gives a bit of info.


I found this https://mapsme.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/208625745-Voice-instructions-settings but i dont think you can change the voice unless you can find an alternative language pack for the device for text to speech. Its ok. I can live with it but I miss Jane from my TomTom1. Saucy posh minx, just how I like them. :tongue:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

All the same you IT blokeys, you don't risten


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Yep. Found that page. It does not let you change the voice. Just gives you some links to some unsecure pages but from my link it shows you how to get into your phones text to speech options but there isnt really anything else you can change mine to.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Go to Google play and search for TTS voices, should be kosha mate.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=tts voices&c=apps


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I just went out to the post office so tried Google maps with aeroplane mode on and it worked fine.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Cheers. I listened to one video example of one of them and it still sounded rubbish. They are text interpreters I guess rather than a real voice like on the TomTom so they will all be the same I imagine. Do you know if you can download an entire country or region before you go off somewhere?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

There are hundreds of voices out there as tts files, and yes you can download whatever you want i think.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> There are hundreds of voices out there as tts files, and yes you can download whatever you want i think.


Cheers Kev. Ill have a play around while I have a good connection. I think they will all be floored though as they will not be using real voices (I dont think). Still, its the best one so far so cheers for that.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Johana Lumley for me.

Ray.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

barryd said:


> Cheers. I listened to one video example of one of them and it still sounded rubbish. They are text interpreters I guess rather than a real voice like on the TomTom so they will all be the same I imagine. Do you know if you can download an entire country or region before you go off somewhere?


I use Osmand+ and have got most of Europe on a so card in my phone. OK G Maps updates in real time but I find that Osmand has more map detail and uses zero roaming data. Data can be saved for G Maps for real time research on businesses etc. What did you use out of coverage in Scotland Barry?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Maps.me is i think based on OSM mapping.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Glandwr said:


> I use Osmand+ and have got most of Europe on a so card in my phone. OK G Maps updates in real time but I find that Osmand has more map detail and uses zero roaming data. Data can be saved for G Maps for real time research on businesses etc. What did you use out of coverage in Scotland Barry?


Thanks. Will see if I can trial that also. Thinking ahead Ill need something that I Can use all over Europe. Its not a problem downloading maps as long as I can do it before I travel somewhere and not on the fly.

Scotland was fairly easy as for seven weeks we were on the Isle of Arran and you cant get lost there and I know it like the back of my hand. South Western Scotland and the western Lake district was where it became a real issue. So many little back roads all over the place and of course all these places suffered from terrible connectivity issues and Google Maps just gives up.

Best device ever was the TomTom1 with a head phone socket but its long dead and nobody seems to make them now with headphone sockets. I think some may have blue tooth but Im not sure you can get a blue tooth in ear headphone but that could be an option.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I have a couple of TT ones V4 kicking about somewhere, dunno if they have a headphone socket but the batteries are rubbish so need a supply to work, and of course, you can get Bluetooth earbuds.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> I have a couple of TT ones V4 kicking about somewhere, dunno if they have a headphone socket but the batteries are rubbish so need a supply to work, and of course, you can get Bluetooth earbuds.


yes it was the battery and the charging point that went on my TomTom 1. I think I have a garmin and some other model with headphone sockets but I never got away with the garmin. total junk and of course well out of date.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

There is of of course CoPilot too, a very good app, the free version less so, and Sygic who some swear by, I swore at it.

Only had one Garmin, still have I think Que 3600, it was a PDA too, tried to ebay it a couple of times but no interest.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

barryd said:


> Do you know if you can download an entire country or region before you go off somewhere?


My experience with Google maps is that you can download an area visible within a frame but there's a limit as to what area that covers. So you need to download something that covers Northern France for instance, n another to cover approximately Western France etc. Not nearly as easy as downloading the entire country, as in TT or Sygic. 


Pudsey_Bear said:


> There is of of course CoPilot too, a very good app, the free version less so, and Sygic who some swear by, I swore at it.


I used Sygic a couple of years ago n found it OK (except for a propensity to bring you off a motorway, across the roundabout, and back on. But once you knew about that you could anticipate it.)

However, when I used it earlier this year in Ireland it took me down numerous wee back lanes when there was a perfectly good road as a sensible alternative, as I discovered later. This happened on several occasions. I later checked out some reviews and they were being slated for becoming virtually unusable after an update.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I wonder if my phone is part of the problem with Google Maps as it should work offline but does not yet Maps.me is perfect.

I think its time I upgraded it anyway to be honest. Eats batteries and maybe the GPS is out of date or something.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Wotcha got Barry?


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Wotcha got Barry?


Samsung galaxy note 3 sm-n9005. Cracking phone but I guess its well out of date now.

There was a thread on here I think but I cant find it now. I think I was going to go for a Motorola Power something or other as the battery is massive.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Released in 2013.


I have a Samsung S9 Edge great battery life for a smartphone in use all day, I get 2 days out of it on average.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Released in 2013.
> 
> I have a Samsung S9 Edge great battery life for a smartphone in use all day, I get 2 days out of it on average.


I would want something new I reckon though now Kev unless you can rip the back off and change the battery like I can on this one and I bet the equivalent of your phone now is the neck end of a grand. I Wont spend that on a phone as its just a phone and ill almost certainly knacker it. I think it was the Moto G Power I was looking at but apparently the 2021 model is rubbish compared to the older ones so might have to think again. Its not desperate though. I love this samsung. EuraJohn gave it to me when my iPhone went on the blink about three years ago. Its been blindingly good.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not many you can do that with now Barry, manufacturers don't like it.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> Not many you can do that with now Barry, manufacturers don't like it.


Exactly. Thats one reason I love this Samsung. I have three batteries for it which cost a tenner or less and you just unclip the back and put them in. However they dont last very long and on this trip it seems my phone is constantly on charge. Even if you buy a new battery its not new of course and they have probably been on the shelf for ages so dont last long. Same with old laptops. you can replace their batteries but they are never as good as the original.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

That's why I hung onto my S5, I have a spare battery, but it's on eBay now.


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## 242633 (Oct 21, 2021)

There is a Dutch company, Fairlight, which promotes itself as an ethical/sustainable producer of phones, with jobs based in the Netherlands, and a 'replace everything at home with just a screwdriver' philosophy. This means that the phones are quite expensive for what they are, because of the high labour costs, and the phone itself is a wee bit clunky to give room for human hands to get into the'engine bay' for repairs.

The latest phone was released recently and, although it's a big improvement, it's still a wee way behind the major producers on the camera quality.

The review is here: http://https://www.theguardian.com/...iew-ethical-repairable-phone-gets-big-upgrade

Steve


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

marchie said:


> There is a Dutch company, Fairlight, which promotes itself as an ethical/sustainable producer of phones, with jobs based in the Netherlands, and a 'replace everything at home with just a screwdriver' philosophy. This means that the phones are quite expensive for what they are, because of the high labour costs, and the phone itself is a wee bit clunky to give room for human hands to get into the'engine bay' for repairs.
> 
> The latest phone was released recently and, although it's a big improvement, it's still a wee way behind the major producers on the camera quality.
> 
> ...


Your link isnt working but I think its this one

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...iew-ethical-repairable-phone-gets-big-upgrade


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## 242633 (Oct 21, 2021)

barryd said:


> Your link isnt working but I think its this one
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/technol...iew-ethical-repairable-phone-gets-big-upgrade


Mea culpa! I didn't notice the template 'http' in the hyperlink box! Please bear with me while I get to grips with the layout of the site and the modus operandi etc ... Not to mention my technical incompetence!

'Technical incompetence? I told you not to mention that ...' 

Steve


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

This forum is a bit bewitched Steve. You did well to actually get here! Welcome by the way.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Hmm, apart from the weight and the thickness it doesn't seem that bad to be honest.

https://shop.fairphone.com/en/buy-fairphone-4


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

34 euros for a USB C charging?????????


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

that's a bit OTT, can be bought much more cheaply I just got this from Amazon last week.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L9S44L1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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