Google Maps and Waze dominate the navigation space, but alternative software from HERE, TomTom, and Sygic gain more ground.
Sygic is one such example, as the company announced a major update comprising three big changes. All are supposed to make its navigation software more advanced in the battle against Google Maps and Waze.
Scenic routes
Photo: Sygic
If you’ve been using Google Maps lately, you probably know the app offers support for the fastest routes and eco-friendly alternatives. However, despite users requesting the integration of scenic routes, Google has been ignoring the idea, preferring to stick with these two options.
Scenic routes would allow users to drive to their destinations in places with beautiful scenery. This option would come in handy during a road trip when navigating to a destination doesn’t have to happen in the shortest possible time.
Sygic has added support for a feature called Twisty Roads, whose purpose is very similar. The new option is aimed at “those who seek adventure and breathtaking landscapes,” typically looking for routes that include curves and twists. However, it’s not aimed at all vehicles on the road, only motorcycles.
Users can enable this option from the vehicle profiles screen, where they can configure the motorcycle, define a destination, and enable the Twisty Roads toggle in the Route Planner menu.
Walk away, Waze! Incident reporting and confirmations
Photo: Sygic
Incident reporting has long been Waze’s main selling point. The app allows users to flag hazards on the road, using this data to generate warnings for other users whose routes include the pinned locations.
Other companies have tried to copy this idea, including Apple in Apple Maps, and even Google now offers incident reporting on all supported platforms.
Sygic integrated incident reporting a long time ago, but now that the user base has expanded significantly, the company can rely more on crowdsourced data. This latest update includes an option that allows users to “confirm incidents,” helping validate traffic reports.
This means that the likelihood of a report being inaccurate or a flagged hazard no longer being at the pinned location is significantly reduced, as users can contribute in real time and help others stay informed.
However, this feature is currently limited to iPhones, and there’s no ETA regarding the release date on Android devices.
Low Emission Zones
Photo: Sygic
Sygic wants everybody to use its apps. With Low-Emission Zones coming into effect in several cities, the company wants to help drivers avoid them while contributing to reducing their carbon footprint.
When enabled, the low-emission zones allow the navigation application to avoid restricted regions. Users must configure their vehicle profile, defining the fuel type, the model year, and emission information.
Google Maps and Waze improvements
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Google Maps and Waze have also received major improvements lately.
First, Google Maps now includes incident reporting on all platforms, including Android Auto and CarPlay. While this feature makes Waze redundant, so many people started wondering if Google is now planning to kill off the application, Google Maps now lets users report hazards like crashes, congestion, lane closures, objects on the road, and stalled vehicles on Android Auto. The feature was previously exclusive to mobile devices and started rolling out to CarPlay earlier this month.
Google Maps also started warning of narrow roads and flyovers for users in India, and people hope that the same features will eventually go live everywhere.
The latest major Waze update includes speed bump warnings and notifications for sharp curves. Waze also warns when multiple lanes merge.
The speed bump integration has long been a top feature request in the Waze community, as users are provided with more time when approaching a speed limiter so they can slow down safely. However, considering the large number of speedometers in cities, the feature can easily become a nuisance, as I explained not long ago, after getting warning after warning during a short drive.
Apple also seems to be more committed to improving the experience with Apple Maps and potentially expanding the application beyond its ecosystem. A web-based version is now available in beta, allowing users to explore the world, preview navigation routes, and get information from local guides from a browser on Mac and Windows computers. We still have no confirmation that Apple plans to release an Android version of Apple Maps, but this seems to be the next stop for a company that has no option but to focus on software and services following the demise of the Apple Car.
What’s your favorite navigation app? Is Sygic worth a chance, especially after these updates that seem to tackle the features that tech giants like Google and Apple have been ignoring for years? Let me know in the box after the jump.