Navigation on an Android Tablet

[Uncle Gump]

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not a techy type of person... So the simpler the better... but I'm willing to learn to bring my knowledge base up a notch or two. This entire thing just jumped into my mind when looking at New Bronco information. SYNC4... trail mapping... data logging.... share with friends... What? Why in the... I need this stuff! However... I have no Bronco (yet) nor do I have a vehicle with Nav. I'll also say that I never really wanted to see the day that a screen was standard in a new vehicle. To late for my dream vehicle... I can't beat them... so I might as well join them.

So I have an Android tablet that does exactly nothing that will become my scan tool when my MX plus FORscan adapter shows up. Now I have a use for it. But why not put a screen in my Ranger too? Several Apps out there to make a dash board that work with MX plus adapter... why not add a Nav App too?

Here is my problem... aside from having my mind blown looking into doing this... the last time I tried to get some driving directions on my phone I got so frustrated I stopped and bought a Garmin to get me home from Florida. AND... to this day... every time I get in my truck and my phone knows I'm moving faster then a walk... I get like 4 to 6 alerts for traffic reports... fastest route to the hospital... hotels and lodging... and restaurant reviews in my area. I don't know how to make it stop and figure when I upgrade my phone I will never do that stupid shit again. I left the Garmin in my mothers car... and assured myself that she knew how to hit the home button so she could always find my house.

I'm not opposed to buying another Garmin for my truck... but what are some of the better apps or maps or data logging stuff that will work on this tablet? Is it even worth doing? Should I buy a Garmin too?

Help the old guy out please!

 

[Dirtman]

Google maps is like the simplest navigation thing ever created. Just hit the microphone icon, say an address, and hit the navigate icon. Plus you have satellite view and street view.

Not sure exactly what app you're trying to use now, but if your on android google maps is easy. If you set up your contact addresses and download google assistant you can voice command everything. Just say "ok google, navigate to Bob's house" and it will automatically as start giving you directions... you can even change the voices, mine is a sexy Australian lady.

I use my old tablet for the same thing your planning, a scanner and a GPS. With torque dashboard for the scanner part and google maps for the navigation part. You can even pre download maps so if you lose cell signal it'll keep on working. (Gps is is seperate and will never loose signal as long as there is sky above you, or close). My phone gps still works in my basement somehow.

Someone mentioned in your post on the other thread that tablet gps systems aren't as accurate as standalone systems. This is not really true at all. For one, your tablet is capable of doing extra math a regular gps unit cannot. A tablet/phone has the ability to triangulate position with wifi signals, cell tower signals, and even bluetooth signals on top of the GPS signal. Accuracy on my old samsung tablet is almost never more than 30 feet off. I've never found a stand alone GPS I'd prefer over a well setup tablet/phone EXCEPT for durability reasons where I need something death proof in the woods.

 

[sheep herder]

Yep, if you want to use a tablet or phone as a GPS, having maps downloaded to the unit is a must. I prefer an actual GPS so I can't give any recommendations on an app but there are some good ones out there.

 

[Dirtman]

I wouldn't say a must... but yea if you go into no mans land its definitely helpful.

 

[sheep herder]

Well, Uncle Gump wants to be a Yooper so I'd say it's a must.

 

[Uncle Gump]

There truly is a lack of service where I want to be...

So sitting in my kitchen with my 4G android phone... I hit the microphone... said rural king Plano Illinois... and son of a gun. It brought up the route on a map... and I hit start and there it was. I never knew it was that easy. Seriously. I know I tried downing some Nav app when coming home from Florida. It had me confused enough that I was just done with phone Nav. and bought the Garmin.

Looking into my apps on the phone I think I see the app I installed. I clicked it and got 7 alerts... I thought I would just delete it but I believe its tied into the phones GPS and it just sends me into an endless display of pop ups to download more crap... or I can pay for an app to remove ads. Whatever it is it won't do anything without paying to remove ads. Grrrrrrrrr. I'm going to let my 23 year old daughter help me rectify whatever is happening.

 

[Dirtman]

My dear Mrs Ryan: It's with the most profound sense of joy that I write to inform you your son, Private James Ryan, is well and, at this very moment, on his way home from European battlefields. Reports from the front indicate James did his duty in combat with great courage and steadfast dedication, even after he was informed of the tragic loss your family has suffered in this great campaign to rid the world of tyranny and oppresion. I take great pleasure in joining the Secretary of War, the men and women of the U.S. Army, and the citizens of a grateful nation in wishing you good health and many years of happiness with James at your side. Nothing, not even the safe return of a beloved son, can compensate you, or the thousands of other American families, who have suffered great loss in this tragic war. I might share with you some words which have sustained me through long, dark nights of peril, loss, and heartache. And I quote: "I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom." -Abraham Lincoln. Yours very sincerely and respectfully, George C. Marshall, General, Chief of Staff.

 

[adsm08]

Google maps is like the simplest navigation thing ever created.

Google maps is a clunky, over-complex app that eats up tons of runtime and battery power.

On an average 2 hour trip I have gotten frustrated, pulled out a real map, found my way there, driven there, and may or may not be on my way home, depending on the purpose of the trip, before Maps is done loading on my phone.

 

[Dirtman]

So your argument is not what the best app is... but app vs paper?

And in the end a demonstration on your inability to work technology? I use google maps daily, "ok Google find gas"... it's stupid simple. Your phone sucks, or your ability to understand basic human technology sucks.

 

[Uncle Gump]

There's positives and negatives to Google Maps and standalone GPS map systems. With full cellular service, it's hard to beat Google Maps because they are as up to date as any map you'l get. For instance, I've been on a trip from Florida to Las Vegas since last Saturday and I've used bot the built-in maps on my Sync system (2016 Explorer and Google Maps. On two occasions Google has changed a route because they knew of road closures. Had I trusted the built-in maps, I would have ended up backtracking or detouring through who knows what. There's also the ability to quickly ask Goggle where the nearest gas station or restaurant is and map it in and notifications of accidents and speed traps. The big downfall is when you lose cell reception, but, if you know you're going to an area with spotty coverage, you can download offline maps for those places.

FWIW, I generally use Google Maps through Android Auto on my other vehicles, but I like to have the built-in maps for backup. The Explorer with Sync 2 doesn't have AA compatibility. I have just been listening to Pandora and iHeartRadio over BT and using my phone as the screen for the maps. The voice directions come over the sound system since it's connected to BT. I already have the hardware waiting for me at home to upgrade the Explorer to Sync 3 when I get back. Wanted to do it before the trip, but shipping didn't work out in time.

Just moving this quote from G8tor here... it will get lost in the other thread.

Currently... we cancelled the service on my tablet months ago because it never got used. I think our cell phone plan has room for it to be added... I'm going to have to check into this. I know the cell service in the northern lower and the UP of Michigan is spotty but continues to improve every year. Continuous cell reception will most likely be an issue there. There are 10's of thousands of acres of state land there with even more miles of logging/2 tracks/power line/unimproved roads that will become my playground. My hopes are that while exploring I will be able to capture routes on these trails and maybe log way points for say deer stands/grouse cover/mushroom/berry picking locations as I explore this stuff. Then transfer this onto a map. I know some stand alone GPS have this ability... but is there something similar for the tablet to do this? If not maybe some recommendations for a GPS and software to transfer this saved data into a tablet app?

 

[G8orFord]

You can store locations with Google maps. You have to be logged in to your account though. I'm not sure if it's easy to do when connected to AA, but it's pretty simple on the android device itself. The points are stored in the cloud so they can be accessed on any android device on your account. When you upgrade or replace a device, you still have your points. I still have a position marked where I had a deer feeder from 10 years ago.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Still no expert... but I'm looking into this. Connectivity seems to be the issue I'm probably going to have.

Side note... There are way to many Nav apps. Have you ever used ay of the offline map stuff or say trail map apps?

 

[G8orFord]

I've used offline maps with Google before, but not any third party apps. I've downloaded a couple but never really used them. OnX Hunt is an app that a friend recommended for hunting and sizing up hunt areas. I haven't used it yet though.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Factory Ford navigation sucks balls. I just got a 2016 F150, and the maps are out of date. It's like $150 to buy an update. It also doesn't like to zoom out to see where you are.

I use Google maps all the time. It will even reroute me if it sees a traffic backup. Hands down the best navigation out there.

I use the GaiaGPS app for navigating routes like the transamerica trail. Download the map (route) and follow the line on the GPS. Again, it will not show the map if you don't have a signal, but you can still see the route (line) to follow. I also use GaiaGPS to create routes ahead of time, and track new routes on the go.

I have a Garmin GPS as a backup. A tablet and cell phone knows where you are, but if you don't have a cell signal, it can't show you on a map. Some people download and save map areas of places they plan to visit that won't have cell phone coverage. This is a pain if you're traveling though.

 

[ericbphoto]

I love Google maps and use Android Auto to tie my phone to the screen I put in the F-150. My mom has used Ways. But then she'll have an issue and call me. I'll tell her to switch to Google and in a few minutes she says "That worked!"

For trails and off-road, I have played with Locus Map. It's pretty good. But I haven't played with it enough to get good with it.