If you’re anything like me, you could get lost inside of a paper bag. What you’re doing inside a paper bag is anyone’s guess, but without a decent GPS app, you’re going to be in there for a long time. That’s why you should be excited that MAPS.ME is now available on iPhone and Android for free!
The award-winning navigation app was listed on the Best apps of 2014 store on Google Play, contains mapping data for over 345 countries and islands and is one of the top rated apps in the Travel category in more than 100 countries.
The company behind it had this to say about their success and plans for the future:
“Built on the OpenStreetMap project and launched in 2011, MAPS.ME quickly gathered rave reviews and a devoted following due to its lighting speed, detailed database and seamless offline functionality. With advanced data compression, MAPS.ME circumvents expensive data plans and roaming charges, allowing users to download and store maps for offline use. Unlike Google Maps, whose offline maps provide at best a limited level of detail, MAPS.ME’s offline functionality is fast, seamless, and comprehensive; users can even create driving routes and search for addresses offline. Maps are rendered quickly and clearly on the screen, and use very little space on the mobile device.
OpenStreetMap is created and updated by editors just like Wikipedia articles; users can edit maps, adding towns, roads, locations and points of interest. MAPS.ME’s database is constantly updated by the global community of enthusiasts that has grown exponentially to 1.8 million members. This crowdsourced model creates the most detailed and current maps available on any app.”
‘The idea behind OpenStreetMap is amazing; the success of MAPS.ME shows that mapping data is most accurate when sourced locally, from people all over the world, based on the roads and communities they are familiar with,’ said Dmitry Grishin, CEO of Mail.Ru Group and founder of My.com. ‘We think that making the MAPS.ME application free and available to everyone will be a critical step towards the development of a global, universally accurate mapping system.’”
Looks like you won’t be in that paper bag for much longer.
