Its maps are a pleasant surprise, but there are still two apps that surpass it.

One of the great strengths 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 of the most interesting ones like TomTom AmiGo, Maps.Me. and of course, the legendary Google Maps or Waze. Another good candidate is Mapfactor Navigator, which I downloaded it on my Android mobile to test it on Android Auto: This has been my experience.

What is Mapfactor Navigator and how it works

Mapfactor Navigator is a GPS navigator available for Android on the Google Play Store and iOS on the App Store. Is it free? Well, that depends: as soon as you install it and open it, you’ll be presented with two map options: either buy TomTom maps or use the free version, which uses maps OpenStreetMap. This is the version I tried.

I have to admit that I really like TomTom for navigation, but the free version is also good. However, we are facing a fairly open and collaborative project. reliable, with excellent coverage and regular updates.

Important: to use this application you must It is essential to download the maps beforefor which it is convenient to install the application at home with Wi-Fi and open it to download the areas we need.

The good? That you don’t spend data and if the coverage is bad or you are outside your roaming area, nothing happens. What is not so good is that you have to do all this in advance with premeditation and it takes time. To test, I downloaded maps of “Europe” > “Europe” and the regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre + Asturias, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Castile and León, Galicia and La Rioja, about 1.29 GB.

Travel with Mapfactor Navigator on Android Auto

Although the mobile app offers many options, The experience is stripped down 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 downloading maps. There is nothing better than better: you avoid the distractions of changing options, although I would prefer to be able to change some things directly from here without resorting to the mobile.

Of course, the advantage is that it is compatible with Coolwalk, so you can seen together as a mosaic with other messaging or entertainment apps (in my case I used it with Spotify and then with what I received from WhatsApp and Telegram).

When you open the app, a search box appears where you can enter your destinationwhether it’s a postal code, a town or an address, you write it with the keyboard or out loud if you touch the microphone and nothing else: it finds it quite well and shows you the way.

Of course, different routes do not appear, but it only suggests one, although if you do not follow it, it changes depending on what suits you best. As for the interface, it is quite classic, so learning to use it is very simple: two bubbles appear indicating the directions, the estimated arrival time, the time needed and the number of kilometers you will travel. You can also zoom and change the display mode, going from directions to the general route. Finally, by pressing the “x” you cancel the previously entered destination.

In a few words, The interface is classic and suitable for everyonewith minimal distractions and no ads, which is appreciated for a cleaner, more streamlined experience.

I was so pleasantly surprised the quality of the maps, as well as the detail they offer and to what extent different types of roads are identified and the route, as you can see on these lines. In the municipalities, the street names seem to guide you better and in intercity travel you can clearly see what type of road it is.

Mapfactor Navigator doesn’t forget about radarsalthough it is limited to the corrected ones, displaying them with a camera icon and a sound notification so as not to ignore it. It is effective, but after trying other browsers, we miss more types, such as local or mobile.

But of course, being an offline application, we are losing real-time information about incidents on the road, such as traffic jams, construction sites or police checks.

In short, I think it’s a good app to get from point A to point B without too much complication, simplicity and clarity being its greatest virtues, but It falls short in terms of options, routes and warnings. In short, I would only recommend it to people looking for simple and basic navigation.

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