Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom

[Afterforever666]

I used the myrouteapp on my android head unit in my campervan (so NOT via android auto) for all travelling of a 14 day holiday in UK. Drove a total of 2400km, of which I estimate only 30% was on highways. All other travelling was on secondary roads.
Since my android device has the capability of split-screen, I always used another navigation app next to myrouteapp. Magic Earth, Waze, Google Maps, Sygic or OsmAnd+.
Here are my observations :
The Good :

• Internet connection : I had data roaming on all the time and connectivity was maintained all the time by the app.
• The visualisation of the route on the display is by far the best on the myrouteapp. The zooming, and tilting using the default values is spot on. All other navigation apps are doing a worse job in my opinion (I know this is subjective, but wanted to share my opinion).
• There have literally been NO occasions that the destination I wanted to enter was not present in the map. All POI's, addresses, camperplaces were present.
• When in the Park4Night app, clicking "itinary" and opening MyRouteApp works flawlessly.
• The app didn't crash a single time!
• The use of via-points and way-points planned upfront worked perfect. Had no issues at all.

The Bad :

• Speed Restrictions are incorrect about 90% of the time. They are completely useless. After my return I read somewhere that this may be caused by using the Camper profile. Either way, it was bad.
• Configurability of Units : I found it frustrating that I could not keep distances on the screen in metric and have speeds in imperial. The "Metric" or "Imperial" setting applies both to distances and speeds. Some of the other navigations apps I used in parallel do allow this and that is a big plus.
• Traffic information : has been very unreliable. On many occasions myrouteapp didn't give any warnings about traffic jams or suggest other routes. Waze, Magic Earth and Sygic did a great job and be avoided some heavy traffic thanks to these apps.
• Roadworks : the map used for navigation has some major flaws. While I understand that local road changes can be hard to keep up with for the map provider, I think it's unacceptable that motorways under construction or that are blocked (for long periods, as indicated on the signs) are not represented well in the map. The side effect is of course that when the app then sees you're off route (where you have no choice because of deviation) it will continuously try to get you back on these same closed roads). Waze and Google Maps have been perfect in this respect.
• The popping up of the same ridiculous dialog that needs to be confirmed on every route planning is driving me nuts. Especially because pushing confirm doesn't work always, I need to push the button a few times before the dialog closes. No other navigation app does it this way. You need to agree on the liability statement once at install time, or perhaps when the app is started, but not on EVERY single route.

These are the things I remember. If more comes to mind I will add them.
I hope MyRouteApp team does something with this info. You may have fantastic routeplanner apps and trainings on how to use it, if the navigation or execution of the plan is flawed the circle is not closed. Please listen to your userbase.

[Peter Schiefer]

@Afterforever666

Hello Afterforever,

I am with you regard the new visibility of MRA on a CarPlay screen or on a tablett campared to other Apps like Sygic, TOMTOM, Google. Also the verbal instructions are in German language are the best. Apple maps are also not bad in visibility and with some less concerns instructions. A hightlight of A-Maps are the traffic lights in the map in cities a big advantage for counting the crossings.
But back to MRA, MRA next use HERE maps and in average the are not worse than competitors. Regard speed limits, they all have problems with actuallity.
Regard live traffic, MRAnext has no live traffic. Not yet.
You can select traffic info on the webplaner, but Next use only at start and calculation knowing traffic infos from HERE.

[Afterforever666]

@Peter-Schiefer said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

@Afterforever666

Hello Afterforever,

I am with you regard the new visibility of MRA on a CarPlay screen or on a tablett campared to other Apps like Sygic, TOMTOM, Google. Also the verbal instructions are in German language are the best. Apple maps are also not bad in visibility and with some less concerns instructions. A hightlight of A-Maps are the traffic lights in the map in cities a big advantage for counting the crossings.
But back to MRA, MRA next use HERE maps and in average the are not worse than competitors. Regard speed limits, they all have problems with actuallity.
Regard live traffic, MRAnext has no live traffic. Not yet.
You can select traffic info on the webplaner, but Next use only at start and calculation knowing traffic infos from HERE.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for some thoughts! I wasn't aware there was no live traffic in MRA. If I had not overlooked that, i wouldn't even have spent money on it. I hope that whenever they provide this capability, i won't have to pay extra. For now, i will switch to Sygic or OSMAnd+ as this is a dealbreaker for me.
For the Speed Limits : i know no map has them completely right, but the HERE map is by far the worst of all.

[Nick Carthew]

@Afterforever666 There is live traffic if you navigate online. I don’t know why @Peter-Schiefer was telling you there isn’t! The yellow/orange means traffic is building up, the red indicates stationary traffic.

[Afterforever666]

@Nick-Carthew said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

@Afterforever666 There is live traffic if you navigate online. I don’t know why @Peter-Schiefer was telling you there isn’t! The yellow/orange means traffic is building up, the red indicates stationary traffic.

Ok, i thought i'd seen this occasionally, but as i'm only using MRA for a good month now, i think most on this forum know the app better then i do. Anyhow, if there is live traffic (i was navigating online all the time) does it propose alternative routes or indicate how big tbe delay is? Cause i haven't seen it anywhere during my trip (whilst Waze, next to it, was reporting delays of >15 minutes.)
So, if it's there it hasn't been working well for me in the UK.

[GT JWR]

@Nick-Carthew more often than not, by time the traffic 'issues' appear on the app (colors), it is far too late to make route adjustments.

If the app gave a pop up warining of some sort that issues lie ahead (similar to Google/Apple Maps), then the user has the time to adjust, if wanted, and if alternate roads are available to avoid the upcoming congestion.

[Peter Schiefer]

@Afterforever666

so different are opinions.
My main object of MRA is the planer on the Web. So easy to use, a lot of layouts including the Michelin map with the green marker alongside for beautiful country roads, a button to change to street view wher you want to get an impression of for sample street width, a parking spot, a destination. I use MRA planer since 4 years, substitute Basecamp, and since last year the routing App Next. Nextis on continuous improvement, really not perfect yet. I have also concerns here.

Sygic can not work with tranfered GPX files from MRA planer. The route is correct, but if you have included fix Waypoints POIs may a position D Restaurant stop at „Schnitzelpfanne“ than on Sygic, you get not verbal advices no Map info of this POIs.

I checked Osmand too. not only one time. At each new YT vid of an „influencer“ for Osmand i tried it again, I never come to a satisfying result in the usabilty. Hide and seek was my impression. May it is a result of usabilty with Apple and it is easier on an Android system.

An my personal opinion regard to live travic after ten years on the road by my job in Europe and Germany and on holiday trips.
For me the utilise is overrated. On special days like season weekends you have problems everywhere and you need a tablett in addition to create own routes far away from the more parallel deviations recommended. And on Country roads in the nowhere you don‘t need it.
Three weeks ago we where in Libourne close to Bordeaux east side and we want to drive to Arcachon extra decide not on the weekend. The highway circle surround BX was full of trucks and other traficc to Spain at the exit to arcachon is only on street to this little city. For the last 10 Kilometer 1 h on G-Maps. No chance. We turned and drove to another location 30 km south from Arcachon. Not empty but not so overcrowded.

[Nick Carthew]

@Afterforever666 @GT-JWR There is a setting in Functional Traffic aware route calculation, I do not use this myself as: a. I ride a motorcycle and I can normally slip through any traffic and: b. I live in rural Devon where the likelihood of being held up by traffic is minimal, I'm more likely to be held up by a farmer moving a flock sheep and as far as I know, slow moving sheep are not registered!
I would imagine that with a title like Traffic aware route calculation, it will guide you by any major traffic problems. Maybe someone on the forum that uses this setting can enlighten us to how it works.

[Nick Carthew]

@Peter-Schiefer said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

Regard live traffic, MRAnext has no live traffic. Not yet.
You can select traffic info on the webplaner, but Next use only at start and calculation knowing traffic infos from HERE.

@Peter-Schiefer If you are unsure of an answer, please do not reply with an incorrect answer.

[GT JWR]

@Nick-Carthew haha - worst thing I have, other than wildlife (deer) appearing at the most inopportune time, is going through free cattle range areas!

I have that function set to on, however, if it is supposed to work as I menitoned, it does not seem to.

[Afterforever666]

@Peter-Schiefer said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

@Afterforever666

so different are opinions....

Indeed Peter, many different opinions. We all have different purposes for which we use these planning and navigation apps.
MRA shows off with offering somekind of end to end toolset (from planning to navigation). As i drive a camper (for which planning is a plus) and a car and a motorcycle, i wanted to spend my money on the whole suite. Now, in end to end the chain is only as strong as the weakest shackle. The whole point of buying the full licence lifetime was to be able to stay in the same ecosystem for all my travelling and driving. I'm really happy with the planning part, but navigation needs some extra love. I mentioned before that i'm in favor of high configurability as opposed to trying a one size fits all app. E.g. Osmand+ is highly configurable, but has become messy and complicated. They should introduce something like "user profiles" (basic, advanced, expert) and progressively open more settings depending on selected profile. Waze on the other hand is more of one size fits all but as such has limitations for many users. Somewhere in between is a sweet spot.
I think MRA have some great UI designers who can pull it off : high flexibility while keeping user-friendlyness and not having too steep learning curve.

[Afterforever666]

@Nick-Carthew said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

@Afterforever666 @GT-JWR
I would imagine that with a title like Traffic aware route calculation, it will guide you by any major traffic problems. Maybe someone on the forum that uses this setting can enlighten us to how it works.

I've had that setting on all the time, just double checked. Didn't do much apparently. Wonder how it would have been with the setting off...

[Peter Schiefer]

@Nick-Carthew

Nick as far as I know and have understand MRA description up to now at start of the route traffic will be recognized and calculated. If there is a big issue later while driving on your route, which results in an additional not acceptable time frame (more then ten minutes) you will not get an new Info, means no live traffic. This was my content.

By the way even google will not change or give a reccommendation far a change for cues of few minutes, but you see at each traffic light a red line for the few cars waiting there. Nonsens.

Crazy was maybe is Sygic, which tells you every few minutes on your route „You can save 3 Minutes or 5 Minutes on your route. will you accept the proposal.“
This is also nonsens, first due tue the time may lost and second the cue is perhaps on your 150 km trip at position 80 km, means you need an hour to reach this point and meanwhile the cue is over and not present when you be there.

These annoying permanen proposal for route correction is one of the reasons why I not be a fan Sygic.

[Nick Carthew]

@Peter-Schiefer The coloured lines that are shown on the map for traffic do not control how the route is drawn, they are merely a visual indicator. So they are live.

[Nick Carthew]

@Afterforever666 Of course, this setting would only have an effect if you are navigating online. I'm not sure if you were or not.

[Con Hennekens]

@Afterforever666 said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

I wasn't aware there was no live traffic in MRA.

Yes there is live traffic in MRA. It just does not recalculate routes dynamically using traffic info. Given the projects target on scenic routes, that is a plausible choice from the devs. Since more and more people are using MRA for purposes besides the original target, MRA has already acknowledged that dynamic traffic recalculation is in their wishlist. So all in due time

[Peter Schiefer]

@Con-Hennekens

regard Live traffic, sorry Con
what you comment is playing with words

When you google the term „Live Traffic“ the common answer is:

Mit Live Traffic Information wird Ihre Route automatisch anhand von Echtzeit Verkehrsinformationen angepasst und optimiert.

With Live Traffic Information, your route is automatically adjusted and optimised based on real-time traffic information.

The Systems with Live traffic like Garmin, TT, Car-included installation“ allows you to select „always use best route“ or „confirm proposal when new information popped up“

This is not in MRA next actually, even when the map presents actual cues, jams everywhere in in the world.

[Con Hennekens]

@Peter-Schiefer, if I am playing with words, you are too. I am sure I can find some internet link to back me up, but I am not starting that . Most important is that dynamic route calculation is on the devs minds. All in due time.

[Corjan Meijerink]

@Afterforever666 Thanks for the very elaborate feedback!
We do really tend to listen to our users.

The visualisation of the route on the display is by far the best on the myrouteapp. The zooming, and tilting using the default values is spot on. All other navigation apps are doing a worse job in my opinion (I know this is subjective, but wanted to share my opinion).

Happy to read that! I totally agree because I configured it
It is indeed very subjective.

• Speed restrictions will be improved for motorhomes in the next update!
• Units can now be set in the app directly (for the app). Website is indeed a separate configuration (by design). You might want to plan in units you are familiar with but drive using the local units as these match the signs.
• Traffic information is something we want to improve! It's there, but not fully optimised. Root cause is that mainly our users drive their routes exactly as planned regardless of any delays.
• Roadworks, same as above.
• I'll change this

Cheers!

[GT JWR]

@Corjan-Meijerink said in Overview of extended testing (goods and bads) done in United Kingdom:

Traffic information is something we want to improve! It's there, but not fully optimised. Root cause is that mainly our users drive their routes exactly as planned regardless of any delays.

That seems to be more related to the nav app's ability to indicate/warn of upcoming traffic info as well as the app's inability to provide suggested alternate routes (as Google/Apple maps do, for example) in such situations.