The debate between Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze has been going on and on. Everyone has an opinion on which is the best app for navigation, but now it looks like there is another player suddenly in the game, thanks to a Chinese app.
A new navigation app looks to be taking the fight to the established apps, and offering features that its rivals won’t, or can’t, add. This is AMap, and like China has been doing with its EVs, it seems to be embarrassing its rivals.
It adds another intriguing ingredient into the mix when it comes to which navigation apps are better. Apple Maps has continued to improve as time has gone on; well, Google buying Waze has made things even more complicated due to a potential conflict of interest. All of this without the addition of AMap suddenly appearing on the scene.
The app is developed by AutoNavi, and it’s quickly becoming one of the major navigation apps in China. A new, global version has also recently launched, although it may take a while for it to iron out the kinks. So why is AMap potentially such a big problem for Google and Apple in China?
This Is What AMap Has Been Offering Drivers
There are some interesting features available on AMap that Google or Apple don’t offer. One of these is the live traffic light countdown. Yes, that is indeed a feature of the app. The app will give you a countdown of how long it will be before the traffic light in front of you turns red or green.
The app will also show you traffic conditions as well as lane guidance. Traffic signal and road data come through connected transport infrastructure, and it will display that information directly on your phone. The app developers call this V2X, which stands for Vehicle-To-Everything. It is a clever system, and the real-time data will be incredibly useful for drivers, even more so for those who need to be somewhere at a certain time.
Smart cities in China also link their municipal traffic control systems directly with the software within the app. Part of the reason this app exists is that many of the apps available in Europe and the United States are not available in China. That means no Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps, so they have had to think on their feet and develop a navigation application of their own. That is what led to the creation of AMap.
Could It Really Overtake Google and Apple?
While there appears to be a global version of AMap launched, at least on Android, the reviews are not great. The app has averaged around a three-star rating, and some reviews say that the app either doesn’t work at all or is missing features. Given that it is made for Chinese users, the port to a global version has probably come at the expense of its best capabilities. Traffic light data, for example, doesn’t appear to be a feature that has carried over.
It would appear it still has a long way to go before it truly can be the king of navigation apps. Google and Apple are not resting on their laurels and continue to improve their own apps every week. They are clearly not without their problems; we all know this. But there is a reason why they are so popular. And that is that they do the job, and do the job very well indeed.