Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/reddit
Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps dominate the navigation space, but the number of alternatives available in the app stores keeps growing and includes several worthy solutions.
Few people still remember Magic Earth, but it's a big name in the Apple ecosystem. Magic Earth was the first navigation application that received support for the CarPlay Dashboard after Apple released it, showing turn-by-turn guidance alongside other apps.
The Dashboard splits the CarPlay interface into multiple cards, with the largest going to navigation apps specifically to show guidance and map data. Most high-profile navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Waze, already support the Dashboard today, but Magic Earth pioneered the rollout many years ago.
Version 7.8.7, now available for download from the App Store, includes a handful of new features, including a toggle to switch from miles to kilometers for the distance.
Magic Earth also allows users to copy and paste coordinates in the search bar so they can find a location faster, even if they don't know the address. Google Maps and Apple Maps also support coordinates, though few people use them. Magic Earth has improved the integration with different formats for coordinates in the search box, so users can now use degrees, minutes, and seconds when looking for a specific location.
Magic Earth keeps evolving on multiple fronts, and this version includes an option to reorder points of interest within the app. If you typically save POIs within the app (I mean, lots of them), this update makes it easier to organize them and keep track of which entry is which.
The new version also makes a small change to the KML importing feature, as it's now displayed in the first category in the POI view.
In July, the Magic Earth developers released a major app update, with the developer team rewriting everything from scratch for an improved experience on all fronts. You can tell Magic Earth is a new application now, as everything seems to load faster. Interacting with the app is more responsive, though I always considered Magic Earth a very smooth application on my iPhone. I now use Magic Earth with an iPhone 14 Pro and on CarPlay, and everything is flawless.
Magic Earth continues to brag about the privacy level offered to users, as the parent company insists that its navigation app does not track users and doesn't create profiles to sell personal data.
Otherwise, it comes with a complete feature package that also includes satellite maps. Compared to Apple Maps, which offers satellite maps but doesn't support navigation, Magic Earth offers such capabilities mixed with new-gen features, such as dashcam integration. Magic Earth allows users to monitor the road ahead with the mobile device, record the trip, and receive warnings for potential hazards.
The Dashboard splits the CarPlay interface into multiple cards, with the largest going to navigation apps specifically to show guidance and map data. Most high-profile navigation apps, such as Google Maps and Waze, already support the Dashboard today, but Magic Earth pioneered the rollout many years ago.
Version 7.8.7, now available for download from the App Store, includes a handful of new features, including a toggle to switch from miles to kilometers for the distance.
Magic Earth also allows users to copy and paste coordinates in the search bar so they can find a location faster, even if they don't know the address. Google Maps and Apple Maps also support coordinates, though few people use them. Magic Earth has improved the integration with different formats for coordinates in the search box, so users can now use degrees, minutes, and seconds when looking for a specific location.
Magic Earth keeps evolving on multiple fronts, and this version includes an option to reorder points of interest within the app. If you typically save POIs within the app (I mean, lots of them), this update makes it easier to organize them and keep track of which entry is which.
The new version also makes a small change to the KML importing feature, as it's now displayed in the first category in the POI view.
In July, the Magic Earth developers released a major app update, with the developer team rewriting everything from scratch for an improved experience on all fronts. You can tell Magic Earth is a new application now, as everything seems to load faster. Interacting with the app is more responsive, though I always considered Magic Earth a very smooth application on my iPhone. I now use Magic Earth with an iPhone 14 Pro and on CarPlay, and everything is flawless.
Magic Earth continues to brag about the privacy level offered to users, as the parent company insists that its navigation app does not track users and doesn't create profiles to sell personal data.
Otherwise, it comes with a complete feature package that also includes satellite maps. Compared to Apple Maps, which offers satellite maps but doesn't support navigation, Magic Earth offers such capabilities mixed with new-gen features, such as dashcam integration. Magic Earth allows users to monitor the road ahead with the mobile device, record the trip, and receive warnings for potential hazards.
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