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Google Maps

I'm rather new to Google Maps, but with my Kaiser having built in GPS it seems like a useful little app.
My question would be, can you download maps in advance rather than using your expensive GPRS?

GPS Question & App Question

GPS Question: I know there is the paid AT&T navigator and also google maps. My question is, on google maps can you get voice guided turn my burn for free to avoid the $9.99 monlthy navigator subscription? If not is there any other free voiced guided turn by turn solutions in the android market for download?
App Quest: I heard that you only have "x" amount of memory to downald apps REGUARDLESS of the amount of memory you have on the phone or added by a memory card. Can someone shed some light on this for me.

Yes you can. Go to the market and download the update that's available for Google Maps. Then once in Google Maps go Navigate and it will tell you to download and install text-to-voice. AFter doing that, you get a "Navigation" icon in the applications folder, use that one instead of the AT&T Navigation one.

derek4484 said:
Yes you can. Go to the market and download the update that's available for Google Maps. Then once in Google Maps go Navigate and it will tell you to download and install text-to-voice. AFter doing that, you get a "Navigation" icon in the applications folder, use that one instead of the AT&T Navigation one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, Just tested it out today (after removing the ATT nav app), and it works great. Took a while to pick up a GPS lock since its cloudy out today, but once that was sorted out, it worked just fine.

App idea: basic google map viewer

Hi,
I am looking for a simple map viewer for Gear 2.
There are a few apps for maps but they all focus on navigation. I am not interested in navigation. I just would like to have a snapshot of my location on Google Map. (Also maybe moving around the map by gestures.)
Is it too difficult to write such app ?
There are tons of nonsense apps which are really far more complex than this but nobody has ever wrote such simple one.
thx.

mrmrmrmr said:
Hi,
I am looking for a simple map viewer for Gear 2.
There are a few apps for maps but they all focus on navigation. I am not interested in navigation. I just would like to have a snapshot of my location on Google Map. (Also maybe moving around the map by gestures.)
Is it too difficult to write such app ?
There are tons of nonsense apps which are really far more complex than this but nobody has ever wrote such simple one.
thx.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be more difficult then you think.
On android you put a mapview object in your app and ask it to load a map for a location, that is basically it.
There is also a web api for google maps to use in a browser (never done that myself);
That is what is need for the gear, but the gear browser (the apps are basically browser windows with html5/css/javascript),
can not get the maps data by itself, it has to get it via the phone app.....

mrmrmrmr said:
Hi,
I am looking for a simple map viewer for Gear 2.
There are a few apps for maps but they all focus on navigation. I am not interested in navigation. I just would like to have a snapshot of my location on Google Map. (Also maybe moving around the map by gestures.)
Is it too difficult to write such app ?
There are tons of nonsense apps which are really far more complex than this but nobody has ever wrote such simple one.
thx.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try the gear navigator that is available from the samsung store since yesterday. Yes if focuses on navigation but will also show a snapshot of the map on the gear2.
/A

AnderlR72 said:
try the gear navigator that is available from the samsung store since yesterday. Yes if focuses on navigation but will also show a snapshot of the map on the gear2.
/A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have already tried it today.
It's too far complex , and the result is:
- battery consuming on the phone, because the app has to be on foreground and it uses GPS all the time.
- battery consuming on the Gear itself. (nonstop connection to the phone)
- necessity to have a running navigation. Why do I need it when I just want to see a snapshot of my location ?
- necessity to run the app on phone (can't run anything to view on phone screen)
Instead of all that necessity and complexity, I am just looking for a snapshot of my current location. Maybe updated on touch of a screen, or update every few minutes...
This way it wouldn't consume battery of the Watch and the Phone.

klwinkel said:
It could be more difficult then you think.
On android you put a mapview object in your app and ask it to load a map for a location, that is basically it.
There is also a web api for google maps to use in a browser (never done that myself);
That is what is need for the gear, but the gear browser (the apps are basically browser windows with html5/css/javascript),
can not get the maps data by itself, it has to get it via the phone app.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in fact, a very simplistic approach would be;
- get a screenshot of Google Maps on phone every X seconds
- update it to the browser window on Gear 2.

mrmrmrmr said:
in fact, a very simplistic approach would be;
- get a screenshot of Google Maps on phone every X seconds
- update it to the browser window on Gear 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But for the screenshot, the phone need to be on and then you could better use the phone anyway.
you want to be able to do it with the phone in your pocket, screen locked.
but keep thinking, maybe we discover a way to do it......

Hi,
Apart from my screenshot idea, I believe this is much more simple than creating a navigation app. It will just update the current location view periodically.
No one is interested in this ?
thx.

Finally. Someone made it. Thanks to Aleksandr Martiushev. App name is Gear Guide.

mrmrmrmr said:
Finally. Someone made it. Thanks to Aleksandr Martiushev. App name is Gear Guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know where I can find it? Because I'm searching on Samsung App but I can't found nothing.. :\

S3th94 said:
You know where I can find it? Because I'm searching on Samsung App but I can't found nothing.. :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shows for me on a Sprint Note 3. Yet another case of the Samsung/Galaxy Gear store not showing availability for all phones.

JimSmith94 said:
It shows for me on a Sprint Note 3. Yet another case of the Samsung/Galaxy Gear store not showing availability for all phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind, it was a my error, it's also available for Galaxy S3. The app works fine, waiting for an implementation of a blue line for the indications, like on google maps!

Maps zoom feature

Hi guys
ive never noticed this feature until recently while using google maps to nav (its system app installed)
if ive got say 5km on a straight road, google maps would zoom out so that both my destination and current position is visible on the screen, which i find terribly annoying.
is there a way to keep it focused on me at all times and not just when im coming up to an intersection or turn?

Question Google Maps without mobile

Hi,
there is any way to make Google Maps works without the mobile phone with the non LTE version?
I mean my watch 4 have the GPS sensor, if it is connected to the city WIFi, I'm able to open Maps, see where I'm, but when I select a destination point it doesn't start the navigation.. Y?
Then, there is any way to download some Maps area to use it offline? Would be very useful to running without mobile phone..
Thanks!!

Same question...

I can't believe that Google redeveloped this application and still left it in such a poor state. I don't know why you can't use it offline in the slightest - you'd think the most powerful smartwatch going would be able to navigate at least basically by downloading offline maps to the watch - there is plenty of space for it.
You can't even appear to move the map around when navigating...
Currently if your phone dies for any reason you have no chance of navigating out with Google maps on your watch.

LaurenceGough said:
I can't believe that Google redeveloped this application and still left it in such a poor state. I don't know why you can't use it offline in the slightest - you'd think the most powerful smartwatch going would be able to navigate at least basically by downloading offline maps to the watch - there is plenty of space for it.
You can't even appear to move the map around when navigating...
Currently if your phone dies for any reason you have no chance of navigating out with Google maps on your watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Currently you can create offline maps in Google Maps on the phone app. I do this quite a bit because I'm in areas without mobile data. It would be great if they had a feature in Google Maps (phone) where you could download the maps to your watch. It currently lets you download them to SD card. The map that I use the most which covers much of the state of Wisconsin is only 300 mb.
What is even more maddening about the Google Maps watch app is that it does not work when you are running google maps on phone with offline map (with no mobile data). At the very least you would think the watch could use the offline map on phone.
You mentioned your concern of phone dieing and navigating out. Navigating out of what? There are map apps which you can download maps to your watch. I have not found a free one but ViewRanger looks promising. Not sure I'm ready to pay $40 a year though...

My watch has 4G connection but i don't know how to use map without my phone.
its not starting unless my phone is connected to the watch

affe2000 said:
My watch has 4G connection but i don't know how to use map without my phone.
its not starting unless my phone is connected to the watch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the LTE version, so can't vouch for this personally, but this might help:

unfortunally this is not working in my case. i have the same settings turned on but the watch still want my phone to be connected

Unfortunately, the method shown also did not work for me.
When connected to the phone (S9), my Galaxy watch4 (non LTE version), allows me to search for locations on the watch, but Google Maps also opens up on the phone, so I have the required maps and directions both on the phone and on the watch.
Together (connected), they function without problem.
Away from the phone, after opening Maps on the watch and searching for directions, all I get is a blue dot on the centre of the watch screen and a message "Waiting for location..." until, after a minute or so, an exclamation mark shows up above the message "Couldn't get location".
Is there any solution to "navigate" with Maps independently from the phone?

Only thing to do is be as loud as possible until google actually fixes it. Having no offline map when the older samsung watches had it is outrageous.

oniceto said:
Unfortunately, the method shown also did not work for me.
When connected to the phone (S9), my Galaxy watch4 (non LTE version), allows me to search for locations on the watch, but Google Maps also opens up on the phone, so I have the required maps and directions both on the phone and on the watch.
Together (connected), they function without problem.
Away from the phone, after opening Maps on the watch and searching for directions, all I get is a blue dot on the centre of the watch screen and a message "Waiting for location..." until, after a minute or so, an exclamation mark shows up above the message "Couldn't get location".
Is there any solution to "navigate" with Maps independently from the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The method shown on video was for a LTE watch. Regarding a solution for navigating away from phone, unfortunately not. The ideal option would be for there to be an option to move offline maps (which currently can be created with Google Maps on your phone) to your watch. The file sizes are not that big. Another thing that would be nice is if they allowed you to navigate with non-LTE watch connected to phone which was using offline maps. Currently this does not work. The phone needs data (LTE or wifi) in order to navigate on non-LTE watch with Maps.

Is there any alternative app that works standalone?

affe2000 said:
Is there any alternative app that works standalone?
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Click to collapse
I was going to suggest open street map, but it doesn't appear there is a wearOS version.
OsmAnd — Maps & GPS Offline - Apps on Google Play
Navigation on hikes is no longer a problem. Download the map, put notes and go!
play.google.com
Simple OSM Viewer - Apps on Google Play
Open street maps and OpenTOPO viewer with drag, zoom, and my location options
play.google.com
You might be able to at least make a vector PDF of a map of an area and view THAT somehow on the watch.

I don't understand how it is not possible yet to use an online or offline map on the Galaxy Watch only. Specially a GPX Reader with your current position (like GPX Viewer)

Offline
https://www.reddit.com/r/WearOS/comments/ugk8jw

There is an excellent app called "Maps" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.trackwear.maps) which has ability to download maps for offline use. You select square of area which you want to be downloaded and that's it. You can even select do themes of maps like Satellite view with street names or something else like terrain.

I am also searching for offline maps and without Phone...
Somebody tested the Pro Version with Germany?
GPS Navigation (Wear OS) - Apps on Google Play
Turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps
play.google.com
Need for Germany offline solution...
Thanx in advance.
Best Regards