If we go back with time to 2012, you would remember that Nokia released an iOS app called Here, which is a mapping service application, but Apple pulled it from the App Store because it was buggy and slow.
Nokia, which sold off its handset division to Microsoft, kept its Here mapping service. The forthcoming GPS navigation app would be unique in that both the maps themselves and searches would work without an Internet connection.
Anyway Nokia now planning to relaunch Here Maps for iOS and Android before the end of this year. The apps will be available for free, and their key selling point would be that they would work offline, without any internet connection. Google Maps does let you save a map for offline use, but Nokia says their app would offer more features in offline mode.
WSJ reports:
Nokia’s new apps will have functions that competitors lack, including the option to fully download maps for offline-use, as well as search without an Internet connection, Mr. Fernback said. Google Maps allows for more limited offline functionality.
Map navigation works through satellites so once a map is downloaded it can work without an Internet connection.
“We have made the decision to remove our Here Maps app from the Apple App Store because recent changes to iOS 7 harm the user experience,†the Finnish company said at the time.
Will you give Nokia’s navigation app a whirl when it arrives?
