Photo: RoadStr
The number of Google Maps alternatives available on Apple CarPlay keeps growing, but what we have here is something that's as innovative as it is unique.
RoadStr, an application that upgrades the standard navigation concept with a social component, landed on CarPlay with the latest update.
If you've never tried RoadStr, its main purpose is to connect motorists and allow them to share pretty much everything from routes to car events.
The new version comes to CarPlay with support for the essential feature package, including access to over 8,000 routes in very popular places across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and several locations in Europe. Users can just pick a route and then get navigation on the CarPlay screen in their vehicles.
The parent company says its community has more than 300,000 members, and they all helped create over 30,000 events. You can discover them all right from CarPlay, and then attend one by tapping the screen. The built-in navigation system allows you to get turn-by-turn guidance to the location.
Additionally, RoadStr was built from the beginning with a social concept in mind, allowing users to share their location in real time with other members right from within the app. Multiple users can therefore drive to the same destination at the same time and see their location as they approach the meeting point.
RoadStr also comes with a cruise mode, allowing you to drive without navigation on the screen. This means you can just track your location and share it with friends, so everybody will see where you are and there and eventually join you for the drive. Friends' locations show up on the map in real time as circular avatars that you can see as you drive. In many ways, this is similar to how Waze moods work, only that the data is refreshed more frequently, so you'll be able to see the location of any added friend at any given time.
The application also includes a built-in chat, but needless to say, this option is not available on CarPlay for obvious reasons. On the other hand, if you want to get in touch with a friend on RoadStr, just pull over and pick up your iPhone for it.
The CarPlay support is available as part of app version 3.317, and of course, you can download it right now from the App Store for free. If automatic app updates are already enabled on your device, chances are that the latest version is already installed on the iPhone. RoadStr requires iOS 11 or later, so you can install it on the majority of iPhones out there, including older models that did not receive the update to iOS 16 (such as the iPhone 6s).
If you've never tried RoadStr, its main purpose is to connect motorists and allow them to share pretty much everything from routes to car events.
The new version comes to CarPlay with support for the essential feature package, including access to over 8,000 routes in very popular places across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and several locations in Europe. Users can just pick a route and then get navigation on the CarPlay screen in their vehicles.
The parent company says its community has more than 300,000 members, and they all helped create over 30,000 events. You can discover them all right from CarPlay, and then attend one by tapping the screen. The built-in navigation system allows you to get turn-by-turn guidance to the location.
Additionally, RoadStr was built from the beginning with a social concept in mind, allowing users to share their location in real time with other members right from within the app. Multiple users can therefore drive to the same destination at the same time and see their location as they approach the meeting point.
RoadStr also comes with a cruise mode, allowing you to drive without navigation on the screen. This means you can just track your location and share it with friends, so everybody will see where you are and there and eventually join you for the drive. Friends' locations show up on the map in real time as circular avatars that you can see as you drive. In many ways, this is similar to how Waze moods work, only that the data is refreshed more frequently, so you'll be able to see the location of any added friend at any given time.
The application also includes a built-in chat, but needless to say, this option is not available on CarPlay for obvious reasons. On the other hand, if you want to get in touch with a friend on RoadStr, just pull over and pick up your iPhone for it.
The CarPlay support is available as part of app version 3.317, and of course, you can download it right now from the App Store for free. If automatic app updates are already enabled on your device, chances are that the latest version is already installed on the iPhone. RoadStr requires iOS 11 or later, so you can install it on the majority of iPhones out there, including older models that did not receive the update to iOS 16 (such as the iPhone 6s).
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