Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Huawei
Huawei looks very committed to building an advanced alternative to Google Maps, and the company has just released another big update for the app.
The sanctions that were enforced by the United States government in May 2019 blocked Huawei from using any type of product developed by American companies. As an Android device manufacturer, Huawei was hit hard. The Chinese firm rapidly started the development of HarmonyOS, a fully featured operating system whose role was to replace the licensed version of Android.
To make sure users would be provided with a similar experience out of the box, Huawei also created replacements for Google’s apps. Petal Maps is the company’s alternative to Google Maps.
With a feature lineup that includes the most essential options, Petal Maps keeps improving, and version 3.4.0 adds new capabilities to enhance the user experience.
This time, Huawei did not focus specifically on the navigation capabilities but on making the application easier to use overall. The update introduces dual-row feature shortcuts. As such, users can now slide up on the main screen to quickly access the most common features. This is a way to reduce the time you look at the screen, and for drivers, this is a big update. With a simple gesture on the screen, it’s now easier and faster to reach essential app features.
Because Petal Maps is trying to replace Google Maps on all fronts, this new update also comes with improvements for hotel booking. Petal Maps already offers support for booking stays at hotels worldwide, as Huawei’s goal is to create an all-in-one mapping platform. Just like Google Maps, that is, as the search giant has significantly evolved its solution beyond the navigation concept.
This update also includes an option to preview booking details in Petal Maps. In other words, once you’ve picked a hotel to book a stay and are ready to make the payment, Petal Maps now displays one last summary screen to make sure all details are correct.
The rest of the feature lineup remains unchanged, so if you’re using Petal Maps for navigation, you still get turn-by-turn guidance, lane assistance, and traffic updates.
Unlike Apple Maps and Waze, Petal Maps also supports offline maps. As such, you don’t have to be online to navigate to a destination. The application continues to provide turn-by-turn navigation even without an Internet connection. Of course, you still lose certain capabilities that require online data, such as traffic reports. The big benefit is that the navigation continues without any interruptions, especially when driving in regions with spotty or no cellular signal.
Petal Maps is also available for iPhone users, but the feature lineup is significantly smaller, as Huawei seems to be focusing entirely on building a better navigation app on Android.
To make sure users would be provided with a similar experience out of the box, Huawei also created replacements for Google’s apps. Petal Maps is the company’s alternative to Google Maps.
With a feature lineup that includes the most essential options, Petal Maps keeps improving, and version 3.4.0 adds new capabilities to enhance the user experience.
This time, Huawei did not focus specifically on the navigation capabilities but on making the application easier to use overall. The update introduces dual-row feature shortcuts. As such, users can now slide up on the main screen to quickly access the most common features. This is a way to reduce the time you look at the screen, and for drivers, this is a big update. With a simple gesture on the screen, it’s now easier and faster to reach essential app features.
Because Petal Maps is trying to replace Google Maps on all fronts, this new update also comes with improvements for hotel booking. Petal Maps already offers support for booking stays at hotels worldwide, as Huawei’s goal is to create an all-in-one mapping platform. Just like Google Maps, that is, as the search giant has significantly evolved its solution beyond the navigation concept.
This update also includes an option to preview booking details in Petal Maps. In other words, once you’ve picked a hotel to book a stay and are ready to make the payment, Petal Maps now displays one last summary screen to make sure all details are correct.
The rest of the feature lineup remains unchanged, so if you’re using Petal Maps for navigation, you still get turn-by-turn guidance, lane assistance, and traffic updates.
Unlike Apple Maps and Waze, Petal Maps also supports offline maps. As such, you don’t have to be online to navigate to a destination. The application continues to provide turn-by-turn navigation even without an Internet connection. Of course, you still lose certain capabilities that require online data, such as traffic reports. The big benefit is that the navigation continues without any interruptions, especially when driving in regions with spotty or no cellular signal.
Petal Maps is also available for iPhone users, but the feature lineup is significantly smaller, as Huawei seems to be focusing entirely on building a better navigation app on Android.
Google News