Lots of chat here about a few alternative GPS apps with turn-by-turn directions, and i noticed no one mentioning Magic Earth. I used Magic Earth on my IOS device for years as a Google alternative, and was very happy with it.
Upon receiving my Kompact, i struggled to find a reliable APK, so emailed the company and they sent me a great email with a private link to a direct download to their website.
Just thought i’d mention as its nice to have a few alternative apps to try.
@xer0 Thanks for the suggestion- I’m sure this will be of interest to many people on here.
That’s a great company!
I want to remind people that I bought a $30 Garmin (2015 release) from eBay and updated the maps to 5/17/2025 using OpenMapChest.org and an SD card. Works like a charm without any sign-ups, apps, or tracking.
I had been considering using a physical sat-nav. Do you get live traffic?
No live traffic. I set it to “fastest route” and hope for the best. I believe newer models will have live traffic, but i specifically wanted the most simple GPS available.
If you live in the USA, then you can take advantage of the fact that local live-traffic data are broadcasted to some Garmin devices through what is called a hybrid-digital (HD) signal on an (unknown-to-me) FM-radio channel. I have a Garmin DriveSmart 65 with HD Traffic, and it works well – with a special power-supply cable that can receive HD-traffic data – for telling me about road closures and traffic slowdowns ahead.
Bonuses: