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Goodbye, Google Maps: Navigation Expert Gets Essential Feature Just Right

There are plenty of navigation apps out there, but the ones that typically come pre-loaded with mobile devices, including Google Maps and Apple Maps, are the most common choices.
TomTom GO Navigation lane guidance 6 photos
Photo: TomTom
TomTom GO NavigationTomTom GO NavigationTomTom GO NavigationTomTom GO NavigationTomTom GO Navigation
Waze is very often the third-party choice that most drivers go for, especially because of its routing system based on user-generated traffic reports, while software from Sygic, TomTom, and HERE comes as worthy alternatives for those who don’t mind paying for a subscription.

But at the same time, these navigation specialists also offer more advanced implementations of certain features, and TomTom’s GO Navigation is just living proof in this regard. Before delving into more details, it’s important to understand how the basic concept of this feature works.

Lane guidance is, for many drivers out there, an essential part of the navigation experience. Especially when driving on roads they haven’t explored before, that is, as the lane assistance can help them always use the proper lane for the direction they’re following.

Stand-alone GPS navigators have been offering such capabilities for several years already, but on the other hand, mobile navigation apps are relying on a rather basic approach.

Waze, for instance, displays a summary of the lanes at the top of the screen, with the one you’re supposed to follow highlighted in the banner. This obviously serves its purpose just right, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s also the best implementation.

And TomTom just proves that it’s not, as the way GO Navigation shows the information on the lane you need to use is one of the best currently on the market.

TomTom GO Navigation
Photo: TomTom
Officially called Moving Lane Guidance, TomTom’s concept looks for the lane you need to use in advance and also displays a summary of all lanes on the road in a banner at the top of the screen. Just like in the case of Waze, the recommended lane is also highlighted.

But on the other hand, as you approach the junction, TomTom GO Navigation zooms in and creates a digital version of the road with all available lanes. The visual navigation guidance is therefore highlighted on the lane you must use, along with a clear indication of how the route continues to the configured destination.

This makes choosing the right lane a lot easier, especially on highways when you approach an exit. The application takes care of everything automatically, so the zooming-in part (and the return to the standard visual style) takes place without any user input. If you don’t want to see the lane image and just want to return to the standard view, it’s enough to simply touch anywhere on the screen.

Worth knowing, however, is that the lane guidance in TomTom’s software isn’t available for all junctions and in all countries. It goes without saying that creating a digital version of every road with the correct number of lanes takes a lot of work, so such a feature wouldn’t be possible overnight. But right now, it seems to work like a charm on highways and in large cities.

Needless to say, TomTom puts users in full control of this feature, and if they don’t want lane guidance at all, this can be configured from the settings screen. The company has created a dedicated menu for lane assistance, so just make sure you check out the available options to configure how you want this feature to work in GO Navigation on your device.

Keep in mind that TomTom GO Navigation is available with a subscription, but if you want to try out this feature, you can always download the 7-day free trial that allows you to take everything for a spin without paying a single cent.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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