Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Magic Earth
Google Maps might be the world's number one mobile navigation app, but it doesn't mean it's also the solution that everybody uses.
The navigation space is getting more competitive, and the developing team that brought us Magic Earth seems to have noticed the opportunity to grow bigger in this market.
The application rarely received updates before the summer of this year – for example, the previous update before the July 2023 release, which introduced a completely new version for iOS users, was dated December 2022. However, the last few months witnessed the debut of multiple updates, and almost each was packed with new features.
For example, October brought us four updates, and the month isn't over yet.
Magic Earth 7.9.0 landed on the App Store with a new privacy statement that is displayed when the user enables the app to access the device's location. If you've never used Magic Earth, you must know that one of the app's main selling points is the obsession with user privacy. As a result, this improvement makes perfect sense, as it enhances the app's focus on protecting users' data.
The new version also packs a dedicated search icon that offers information about the type of search you're about to conduct. The search icon changes according to the connection status, so you can easily tell when you search for an address in online or offline mode.
Magic Earth is also getting improved CarPlay support. Version 7.9.0 introduces custom ordering of POI categories on CarPlay. Previously, the feature was exclusive to mobile devices, so after this update, you can order the POI categories on the infotainment screen without touching the smartphone.
Like every other update, the new version also includes several bug fixes, so if you've been struggling with an error in Magic Earth, you'd better update because the chances are it's no longer there.
Magic Earth doesn't have the same gigantic user base as Google Maps, but it comes with a very intriguing feature lineup that includes turn-by-turn navigation and offline map support. CarPlay users refer to Magic Earth as the first navigation application to support the CarPlay Dashboard, which allows drivers to run multiple apps side-by-side on the same screen. The parent company moved fast after the debut of the Dashboard, updating Magic Earth with such functionality even before Google Maps and Waze.
This increased focus on updates, new features, and bug fixes certainly helps in the long term, as users interested in a full-time Google Maps replacement must be provided with advanced functionality and a reduced likelihood of issues.
If you configured your iPhone to automatically install app updates from the App Store, you should already be running the latest build. If not, you can always fire up the Magic Earth page on the App Store to install the update.
The application rarely received updates before the summer of this year – for example, the previous update before the July 2023 release, which introduced a completely new version for iOS users, was dated December 2022. However, the last few months witnessed the debut of multiple updates, and almost each was packed with new features.
For example, October brought us four updates, and the month isn't over yet.
Magic Earth 7.9.0 landed on the App Store with a new privacy statement that is displayed when the user enables the app to access the device's location. If you've never used Magic Earth, you must know that one of the app's main selling points is the obsession with user privacy. As a result, this improvement makes perfect sense, as it enhances the app's focus on protecting users' data.
The new version also packs a dedicated search icon that offers information about the type of search you're about to conduct. The search icon changes according to the connection status, so you can easily tell when you search for an address in online or offline mode.
Magic Earth is also getting improved CarPlay support. Version 7.9.0 introduces custom ordering of POI categories on CarPlay. Previously, the feature was exclusive to mobile devices, so after this update, you can order the POI categories on the infotainment screen without touching the smartphone.
Like every other update, the new version also includes several bug fixes, so if you've been struggling with an error in Magic Earth, you'd better update because the chances are it's no longer there.
Magic Earth doesn't have the same gigantic user base as Google Maps, but it comes with a very intriguing feature lineup that includes turn-by-turn navigation and offline map support. CarPlay users refer to Magic Earth as the first navigation application to support the CarPlay Dashboard, which allows drivers to run multiple apps side-by-side on the same screen. The parent company moved fast after the debut of the Dashboard, updating Magic Earth with such functionality even before Google Maps and Waze.
This increased focus on updates, new features, and bug fixes certainly helps in the long term, as users interested in a full-time Google Maps replacement must be provided with advanced functionality and a reduced likelihood of issues.
If you configured your iPhone to automatically install app updates from the App Store, you should already be running the latest build. If not, you can always fire up the Magic Earth page on the App Store to install the update.
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