Here WeGo

HERE WeGo is a web mapping and navigation service, operated by Here Technologies. Originally developed by Nokia as HERE Maps, the mapping software application was first released for Windows Phone and the World Wide Web in 2013 as a revamped version of Nokia Maps. The Here Maps application was then released for the Android platform on 10 December 2014 and later for iOS on 11 March 2015, and the name was changed to Here WeGo in July 2016. It is also the default maps service provider for the Amazon Fire tablets and smartphone.

This article is about the maps and navigation application. For the mapping company, see Here Technologies. For other uses, see Here (disambiguation) and Here We Go.

HERE WeGo

The current Android app

The current web app
Developer(s)HERE Global B.V.
Initial release20 November 2012 (2012-11-20)
Stable release
2.0.12509 (Android), 2.0.41 (iOS) / 25 September 2018 (2018-09-25), 5 December 2018 (2018-12-05)
Operating system
Available inEnglish
Websitewego.here.com
here.com/app

The data is provided in-house by HERE, which includes satellite views, traffic data, and other location services.[1][2] Maps are updated every two or three months.[3]

Timeline and availability

Nokia/Ovi Maps

In 2006, Nokia purchased a Berlin-based start-up, Gate5, with a mapping software called smart2go. In February 2007 Nokia announced that smart2go would be available free on the S60 Symbian platform and on Windows Mobile 5.0. It was pre-installed 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 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 as HERE Maps.[11] The rebranded version was first 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 29 August 2014.[14] The app was downloadable from 8 October 2014 from Samsung's Galaxy Apps Store.[15] It was also launched on the same day for the Samsung Gear S smartwatch.[16] The first public release of the beta Here app (across all of the Android platform was on 21 October 2014, as an APK download from the HERE.com Web site.[17] The app became available in the Google Play store from 10 December 2014.[18] On 12 February 2015 a stable version of HERE 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 organise their favourite 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] Live traffic flow visualisation. public transport search, synchronisation of user's points of interest (Collections) between the Web site and mobile device. heatmaps visualising areas popular for food, nightlife, shopping and local sights in select cities, listing and managing businesses (Here PrimePlaces).

On 9 July 2015 HERE launched a new public beta of its Android app.[23] 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.[24]

In late 2015 Facebook began using HERE's maps for their applications, moving from Microsoft's map offering, Bing[25].

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.[26][27][28][29]

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.[30]

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.[31]

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.[32]

HERE WeGo formerly provided text-to-speech "Hi-Fi" navigation voices on Android, but eliminated them to focus on "bringing a larger variety of good quality voices instead of handful of Hi-Fi voices.".[33]

Public transport, pedestrian, and bicycle navigation

Public transport data is displayed by the Here app whilst planning a route while online, for transport options such as buses and trains. Walking[34] and cycling[35] routes are also supported. Time and distance estimates are provided for these modes, and driving navigation.

Full transit information is available in Switzerland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, The Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, and Ukraine,[36] and partial support for transport directions in other countries.[37]

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.[38]

In late June 2015 HERE added real-time traffic for reversible express lanes across the United States and Europe.[39]

'Collections' and location sharing

Users can save the location and details of destinations as 'Collections' if they are online and signed in.[40] It is not possible to store destinations offline, on the device. Location sharing and tracking was previously provided by Glympse, integrated into the app.[41] 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 to internal storage so that a data connection is not needed for navigation. Online usage provides live traffic data and additional venue information.[42]

The maps include floor-by-floor details of some large indoor venues such as shopping malls and airports.[43]

Street view

Street-level views had been available in the past, but no longer are.

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.[44]

Download statistics

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,[45] increasing to 3 million by mid-February 2015,[19] and to 4 million through the Google Play store alone by March 2015.[45] By 4 August 2015 Google Play downloads had increased to 5 million, and to 10 million by early 2016.[46]

Previous versions

Symbian^3/Belle

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

  • Driving and walking turn-by-turn with international voice guidance
  • Live traffic rerouting in some countries
  • Live traffic visualisation on the map in some countries
  • Third-party content such as ViaMichelin and Lonely Planet
  • Social networking service integration
  • Support for preloading street maps for offline use
  • Users can report errors in the maps (from version 3.03 except on Nokia E66 and E71 models)[47][48]
  • Local weather conditions by the hour and forecasts for the week
  • Night View mod
  • Satellite maps and terrain maps
  • 3D buildings and 3D maps
  • Public transport routing in some cities
  • Saving of favourites
  • City Lens (augmented reality) (Beta only)[49]

Nokia said that the Nokia 808 from 2012 would be the last Symbian phone;[50] Symbian development then stopped. Accenture was responsible for maintenance of Symbian and Nokia Maps until 2016.[49]

The supported phones were:

  • Version 3.09 (12 November 2012, also called Maps Suite 2.0): only for Symbian Belle phones (500, 603, 700, 701, N8-00, E7-00, C7-00, C6-01, X7-00, E6-00)
  • Version 3.08 (15 November 2011) and 3.07: supported on Symbian^3
  • Version 3.06 (2 December 2010): Symbian S60v5 (N97, N97 mini, X6, C6-00, 5800XM, 5235 & 5230, etc.)
  • Version 3.04 (20 May 2010): Symbian S60v3 FP2

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.

gollark: The 30-claim limit should be increased to 12895712985. I have too many claims apparently.
gollark: Observe, our end gateway research facility.
gollark: There's one under spawn I think.
gollark: That would be silly. We need to know positions just like everyone else, and you can't use the command computer getBlockPosition thing on a neural interface.
gollark: What about the secret GTech™ dimension accessible only via our hacked end gateway?

See also

References
  1. https://www.here.com/products/location-based-services
  2. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/28/here_wego_google_maps_rivals_drops_maps_branding/
  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". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  6. "Nokia Maps 2 now officially available". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  7. "Ovi Maps 3.0 is now officially released (but you need a PC)". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  8. "Nokia's Ovi Maps navigation goes free". 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". Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. "Nokia HERE iOS maps app review". 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. 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. "HERE for Android unleashed on more smartphones!". HERE 360.
  18. "HERE for Android now available for free on Google Play". HERE 360.
  19. "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. "Announcing the HERE for Android Public Beta". HERE 360.
  24. "HERE says hello to the new round-face Samsung smartwatch". HERE 360.
  25. https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/4/8548399/nokia-here-maps-shows-up-on-facebook-instagram-messenger
  26. 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.
  27. Audi, BMW, and Daimler completes acquisition of Nokia’s Here mapping tech, Digital Trends. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  28. "Why 3 car giants just bought Nokia's mapping business for $3B". Venturebeat. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  29. "The reason carmakers bought Nokia's map unit? Google". CNBC. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  30. "HERE Maps drops support for Windows Phone and Windows 10". The Verge. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  31. "Here Maps becomes HERE WeGo, improved navigation options debut". GSMArena. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  32. "Turn-by-turn navigation with HERE for Android: The basics". HERE 360.
  33. "Getting vocal about HERE spoken navigation". HERE 360.
  34. "Using HERE for Android to get around with transit and on foot". HERE 360.
  35. HERE launches beta test of bike routing on Android, 360 Here. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  36. "HERE expands city-to-city transit coverage to 14 countries". HERE 360.
  37. "HERE Maps". here.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  38. "HERE expands real-time traffic coverage to 63 countries". HERE 360.
  39. "HERE adds reversible lanes traffic to Android, iOS, and more". HERE 360.
  40. "Managing Collections with HERE for Android and iOS". HERE 360.
  41. "Sync, share and plan routes with Collections on HERE for Android". HERE 360.
  42. "Offline navigation really matters if 500 MB of data costs a week in wages". HERE 360.
  43. "Get inside Venue Maps – now on HERE for Android". HERE 360.
  44. "here.com vehicles drive schedule". here.com.
  45. "It's official – HERE is everywhere". HERE 360.
  46. Nokia Apps LLC. "HERE Maps – Android Apps on Google Play". google.com.
  47. "Map reporter FAQ".
  48. Rafe Blandford (6 April 2010). "Custom 3.03 version for Nokia E71 and Nokia E66". Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  49. "Nokia outsources Symbian support which will continue until 2016". 4 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  50. "Nokia Confirms The PureView Was Officially The Last Symbian Phone". TechCrunch. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
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