HERE WeGo is the successor of Here, a navigation app founded in Berlin that belonged to Nokia Maps. Car manufacturers Audi, BMW, and Daimler are the main shareholders in the company. HERE WeGo has its own map material sourced from Navteq, a geodata provider that merged with the Nokia group in 2011. The main feature of this app is that offline maps are available free of charge for around 100 countries for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS users. After Google Maps, HERE WeGo offers the most comprehensive maps. However, satellite images are only available in online mode. A user-friendly route planner is also integrated. HERE WeGo is considered a great alternative to Google Maps.
The map app provides directions, traffic and public transport information, including subways, suburban trains, buses, etc. They also have detailed city maps of more than 1,300 cities around the world. Whether on foot, by bicycle, car, bus or train: the Google Maps alternative HERE WeGo provides precise information on all routes and does not omit car sharing options or taxi rides. It is also very practical to compare different routes and means of transport directly with other users.
Offline maps for individual companies or cities can be downloaded manually with the app and can then be used for address searches, navigation, and route planning. HERE WeGo also provides a voice output for up to 46 languages. In online mode, users have access to real-time traffic data and information on individual locations as with many other comparable map services. However, the app is missing a feature like Google Street View, allowing you to view public places online from a more natural perspective.
One downside is that some information is out of date and does not get updated as quickly as Google Maps. This includes information about restaurants and ATMs for example. In order to seriously compete with the leader, these little details would need to be included and/or improved on. It is unclear, however, if this will be pursued, considering the owners of this app – car manufacturers may be more interested in further developing the service into an automated driving app.