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Here WeGo
Developer(s)HERE Global B.V.
Initial release20 November 2012; 11 years ago (2012-11-20)
Stable release
4.8.100 (Android), 2.0.41 (iOS) / 6 April 2023; 10 months ago (2023-04-06), 5 December 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-05)
Operating system
Available inEnglish
Websitewego.here.com

Here WeGo is a web mapping and satellite navigation software, operated by HERE Technologies and available on the Web and mobile platforms. It is based on HERE's location data platform, providing its in-house data, which includes satellite views, traffic data, and other location services.[1][2] Maps are updated every two or three months.[3]

Originally developed by Nokia as Nokia Maps, it was revamped in 2013 and released as HERE Maps for Windows Phone and the World Wide Web. After Nokia sold it, the HERE Maps application was released to the Android platform on December 10, 2014, and iOS the next year. It was rebranded to HERE WeGo in July 2016.

Timeline and availability

Nokia/Ovi Maps

In 2006, Nokia purchased a Berlin-based start-up, Gate5, that owned a mapping software called smart2go. In February 2007 Nokia announced that smart2go would be available free on the S60 Symbian platform and Windows Mobile 5.0. It was preinstalled on handsets, including Nokia N95, which featured Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.[4] In August 2007 the smart2go application was reworked into Ovi Maps, named under the new umbrella Ovi brand, released for S60 3rd Edition devices.[5] Months later, Nokia bought Navteq, a provider of digital map systems.

Ovi Maps version 2.0 went into public beta in February 2008 and was released in May.[6] Version 3.0 was released in July 2009.[7]

Turn-by-turn navigation and traffic information originally required a subscription, but in January 2010 Nokia announced that these would be provided for free.[8] In 2011 it became Nokia Maps.[9] It was released for Nokia Lumia in November 2011, coming preloaded on the devices.[10] Versions for the Nokia N900 and Nokia N9 were also made.

Here Maps

In November 2012, Nokia rebranded Nokia Maps to HERE Maps.[11] The rebranded version was initially released for iOS and later in February 2013 for all Windows Phone 8 devices.[12] It was also released on the Nokia Asha platform and Firefox OS.[13] The legacy Symbian and Series 40 versions carried using the old name without HERE branding.

The HERE application was first announced for Android as a beta test version for some Samsung Galaxy smartphones on August 29, 2014.[14] The app was made available for download from Samsung's Galaxy Apps Store on October 8, 2014, .[15] It was simultaneously launched for the Samsung Gear S smartwatch.[16] The first public release of the beta Here app (across all Android platforms) was on October 21, 2014, as an APK download from the HERE.com Web site.[17] The app became available in the Google Play store on December 10, 2014.[18] On February 12, 2015 a stable version of HERE Maps was released on the Google Play store.[19]

The Web site wego.here.com (formerly here.com) evolved out of the maps.ovi.com and then maps.nokia.com site and provides the web companion to the HERE suite. It works on all major browsers. Users can organize their favorite places on collections and sync to mobile devices. The Web application also uses WebGL to offer 3D map views without a plugin. With 3D goggles, users can get stereoscopic views of 25 cities. It also provides detailed street-level imaging for many cities.[20] As of 2013, the Web site offers routing support between many waypoints, city pages of over fifty popular cities showing local time and weather conditions, along with information from Lonely Planet and suggested places, 3D maps of 25 cities, with routing support.[21][22] It also offers live traffic flow visualization, public transport search, and synchronization of user's points of interest (Collections) between the Web site and mobile device. Additionally, it shows heat maps to visualize areas popular for food, nightlife, shopping and local sights in select cities, listing and managing businesses.[23]

On 9 July 2015 HERE launched a new public beta of its Android app.[24] As of June 2015 the Here app was available as a free app in 118 countries and territories across the world for the Android and iOS platforms.[18] On 3 September 2015 Here announced that its app would be available for the Samsung Gear S2 when the smartwatch is released later this fall.[25]

In late 2015 Facebook began using HERE's maps for their applications, moving from Microsoft's map offering, Bing.[26]

In December 2015, Here, at the time a division of Nokia, was sold to a consortium of German automotive companies (comprising Audi AG, BMW AG and Daimler AG) as Here Global BV.[27][28][29][30]

On 15 March 2016 HERE announced that it would discontinue support for its app for Windows 10 Mobile on 29 March 2016 due to its use of "a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30, 2016", and that the existing Windows Phone 8 app will only receive critical updates after this date and no longer be actively developed. HERE Maps licensed by Microsoft are still offered as part of the existing Bing Maps-based software on these devices.[31]

Here WeGo

On 27 July 2016, the mapping service was updated and re-branded HERE WeGo; the update first launched on Android, and is followed by an iOS version and a relaunch of the web version. The update and rebranding focuses on navigation capabilities, including the addition of taxi fare information in some cities, and integration with Daimler's Car2Go service.[32] Tizen smartphone and smartwatch apps have been rebranded, too. In April 2020 HERE WeGo introduced CarPlay integration for iOS. The Android version was also published in Huawei AppGallery. As a response to COVID-19 delivery tools demand, HERE WeGo Delivery[33] product was launched.

Features

Some features are available offline with a downloaded map, others require a data connection, and some also require the user to be signed in.

Turn-by-turn navigation

HERE WeGo provides turn-by-turn navigation in both offline and online modes. Users can enter a destination address, landmark, or business name, and then the app automatically calculates directions and distance to the destination. Real-time traffic data (where available) is also factored and a prediction made on arrival time to the destination.[34]

Depending on the smartphone model, HERE WeGo provides prerecorded navigation voices as well as text-to-speech commands with street names.

Public transport, pedestrian, and bicycle navigation

Public transport data is displayed by the Here app whilst planning a route while on-line, for transport options such as buses, trams, subways and trains. Walking[35] and cycling[36] routes are also supported. Time and distance estimates are provided for these modes, and driving navigation.

Real-time traffic and reversible lane traffic

As of March 2017 HERE WeGo had real-time information on traffic conditions and incidents available for 63 countries.[37]

In late June 2015, HERE added real-time traffic for reversible express lanes across the United States and Europe.[38]

'Collections' and location sharing

Users can save the location and details of destinations as 'Collections' if they are online and signed in.[39] It is not possible to store destinations offline, on the device. Location and destination can be shared with standard platform tool. As of 23 October 2017 there was no option to sort collections by name or distance in the Web, Android, and iOS versions.

Offline maps

HERE WeGo can download maps of countries and regions to internal storage so that a data connection is not needed for navigation. Online usage provides live traffic data and additional venue information.[40]

The maps include floor-by-floor details of some large indoor venues such as shopping malls and airports.[41]

CarPlay and Android Auto

If a car is equipped with CarPlay connectivity component, HERE WeGo application on iPhone can be projected to the car in-dash navigation screen and controlled as any other built-in application. Since July 2022, the beta version of the android app is compatible with Android Auto,[42] working with an Android phone and a car equipped with an Android Auto connectivity component in the same way that the iPhone version.

Future coverage

There is a web page "HERE car drive schedule – Drive schedule for our map data collection cars", with entries typically for the current and following month.[43]

App distribution and download statistics

Here WeGo is distributed on and freely downloadable from the Google Play Store, the App Store, and the Galaxy Store.

Statistics published by HERE state that it reached one million downloads on the Android platform a couple of weeks after launch and, 12 weeks after its launch, reached 2.5 million downloads,[44] increasing to 3 million by mid-February 2015,[19] and to 4 million through the Google Play store alone by March 2015.[44] By 4 August 2015 Google Play downloads had increased to 5 million, and to 10 million by early 2016.[45]

Previous versions

Symbian^3/Belle

Here was available on the Symbian^3 platform under the name Nokia Maps. The last version, 3.09, included:

Nokia said that the Nokia 808 from 2012 would be the last Symbian phone;[49] Symbian development then stopped. Accenture was responsible for the maintenance of Symbian and Nokia Maps until 2016.[48]

The supported phones were:

Asha/S40

Maps for S40 were limited compared to other platforms. The maps were streamed online into the device or pre-downloaded with Nokia Suite. In some markets, the phones were sold with an SD card preloaded with local maps. The system did not support turn-by-turn navigation. Asha series phones did not have GPS receivers; positioning was done by Cell ID of the cellular network or by using the Wi-Fi positioning system.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Location Based Services & Mapping Platform - Products - HERE". www.here.com.
  2. ^ "Here WeGo! Google Maps rival drops Maps branding". www.theregister.com.
  3. ^ "HERE updates maps worldwide for Android, iOS and Windows". HERE 360.
  4. ^ Barrett, Mike. "Nokia launch smart2go a free mapping application". www.pocketgpsworld.com. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Nokia Maps 1.0 rolled out for all". 29 August 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Nokia Maps 2 now officially available". 22 May 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Ovi Maps 3.0 is now officially released (but you need a PC)". 2 July 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Nokia's Ovi Maps navigation goes free". 21 January 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Why 3 car giants just bought Nokia's mapping business for $3B". 3 August 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Nokia Maps ready to download on Lumia 800 and 710 phones". 7 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Nokia HERE iOS maps app review". The Register. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Nokia's free map and navigation apps now available for more Windows Phones - Windows Experience BlogWindows Experience Blog". blogs.windows.com. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Nokia's HERE Maps service comes to the Asha 501, beta release available now for download". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Android fans rejoice: HERE for Samsung Galaxy smartphones". HERE 360.
  15. ^ "Getting started with HERE for Android: the basics". HERE 360.
  16. ^ "HERE for Gear: apps inbound for Samsung Tizen". HERE 360.
  17. ^ Sterling, Greg (22 October 2014). "Nokia Makes HERE Maps Available To All Android Users". Search Engine Land.
  18. ^ a b "HERE for Android now available for free on Google Play". HERE 360.
  19. ^ a b "HERE for Android updated and improved, leaves beta". HERE 360.
  20. ^ Bonetti, Pino (23 November 2011). "Find your way to HERE.com". Nokia. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  21. ^ "C3 Technologies Now Part of Nokia Ovi Maps". GISCafé. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Visit cities in 3D". here.com. Nokia. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Develop Location-based Services - Capabilities - HERE". www.here.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Announcing the HERE for Android Public Beta". HERE 360.
  25. ^ "HERE says hello to the new round-face Samsung smartwatch". HERE 360.
  26. ^ Lowensohn, Josh (4 May 2015). "Facebook is now using Nokia's Here maps ahead of its expected sale". The Verge. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  27. ^ Nokia completes next stage of transformation with agreement to sell HERE to automotive industry consortium at an enterprise value of EUR 2.8 billion Archived 16 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Nokia. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  28. ^ Audi, BMW, and Daimler completes acquisition of Nokia's Here mapping tech, Digital Trends. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  29. ^ "Why 3 car giants just bought Nokia's mapping business for $3B". Venturebeat. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  30. ^ "The reason carmakers bought Nokia's map unit? Google". CNBC. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  31. ^ "HERE Maps drops support for Windows Phone and Windows 10". The Verge. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  32. ^ "Here Maps becomes HERE WeGo, improved navigation options debut". GSMArena. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  33. ^ "HERE offers SMEs free delivery tool to meet demands of COVID-19". Ertico. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  34. ^ "Turn-by-turn navigation with HERE for Android: The basics". HERE 360.
  35. ^ "Using HERE for Android to get around with transit and on foot". HERE 360.
  36. ^ HERE launches beta test of bike routing on Android, 360 Here. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  37. ^ "HERE expands real-time traffic coverage to 63 countries". HERE 360.
  38. ^ "HERE adds reversible lanes traffic to Android, iOS, and more". HERE 360.
  39. ^ "Managing Collections with HERE for Android and iOS". HERE 360.
  40. ^ "Offline navigation really matters if 500 MB of data costs a week in wages". HERE 360.
  41. ^ "Get inside Venue Maps – now on HERE for Android". HERE 360.
  42. ^ Linares, Iván (10 March 2022). "Android Auto estrena navegador GPS: HERE WeGo y sus mapas offline gratis ya son compatibles". Xataka Android. Webedia. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  43. ^ "here.com vehicles drive schedule". here.com.
  44. ^ a b "It's official – HERE is everywhere". HERE 360.
  45. ^ Nokia Apps LLC. "HERE Maps – Android Apps on Google Play". google.com.
  46. ^ "Map reporter FAQ".[dead link]
  47. ^ Rafe Blandford (6 April 2010). "Custom 3.03 version for Nokia E71 and Nokia E66". Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  48. ^ a b "Nokia outsources Symbian support which will continue until 2016". 4 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  49. ^ "Nokia Confirms The PureView Was Officially The Last Symbian Phone". TechCrunch. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
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