The MRA Navigator app (MRA Next? oh whatever) is thus far one of the few apps that passed my 'smart waypoint skipping' test.
It's not perfect, but it works!
Possible improvements
It isn't perfect though... Here's my list of things things that didn't work, didn't work that well, or leave sufficient space for improvement.
Max Speed
Easy to miss, or not shown at all (on Android Auto). Devs, please have a look at Flitsmeister, just give us a decent speed indicator...
Speed Traps
They're graphically marked on the map, but they wouldn't trigger an alarm as Flitsmeister does. Definitely do something like Flitsmeister on this part!
Android Auto Screen Size detection
... sometimes messes up. But that might be Volkswagen's implementation, I don't know for sure.
Naming
Well, I said enough about that 😏
Missing buttons
Some buttons / features can't be accessed from the Android Auto screen. But to be honest... they might not be needed, except perhaps a 'skip waypoint' and 'mute audio' button. The latter should always be in sight, you don't want to dig into a menu for that.
Navigate tracks (not routes)
More about that later.
My settings
You cannot access the settings whilst navigating, so first stop navigating, then...
1. Use the 'hamburger' menu (the three lines left top)
2. Account ('head' right top)
3. Navigation settings
Navigation
4. Functional
This screen contains all 'routing' related information:
Skip waypoints automatically - yes
Some explanation of the algorithm would be nice, but it worked! If they ever change the algorithm itself, then I hope they'll give us some different variants, and keep the current algorithm as one of them.
Note that this option skips 'shape' route points (waypoints in the route section of the type 'shaping') but does not skip 'via' route points. My self made test route worked perfectly, but I'll have to play around a bit with downloaded routes. I might have to change the type sometimes...
Traffic aware route calculation - no (or whatever you prefer)
This is a matter of taste, but when you're doing scenic routes outside a city, you're probably not entering traffic jams anyway. It *may* be affected by road works and road closures, I'm not entirely sure.
Check if routes were made in the HERE map - yes
... though again I'm not entirely sure if it matters. But it probably does? Further investigation required...
Allow track navigation for routes - no
You might want to turn this to 'yes' when using a track instead of a route. YMMV etc.
Automatically start tracklog for routes - no
But... if you want to create a tracklog of your drive, then turn it on! It only works for scenic routes, but that makes sense.
Sound
5. Back, then
6. Audio
Voice prompts - on
Number of voice prompts - 3
All those voice prompts can be a bit tiresome though after a while...
Waypoint notifications - via
Speed warnings - all
It's just a pity that this doesn't seem to work well, so I'm still running Flitsmeister in the background.
Screen layout
7. Back, then
8. Screen layout
Upcoming waypoint - on
Next instruction - on
Lane instructions - simple
Warnings - all on
Again, didn't seem to work...
Show next waypoint information - all
When using tracks you may want to turn this off
Show original route - on
I think 😇 this uses the track information from the .GPX file to show the originally planned route, which makes it easier to find your way back to your scenic route if you miss one or more waypoints.
Support
- Forum - Let op! Je username stel je in via je account! https://www.myrouteapp.com/account
Cheat sheet
In case you forgot what button is what whilst navigating 😁
Routeplanner
In its free form the Routeplanner is perfectly usable, though limited to 25 routes.
At 'Gold' level you get the biggest set of options and extras.
I picked Silver though, only because I wanted Google Streetview (great to quickly check how a location on the map looked like) and an unlimited number of routes.
Once you've prepped a route, uploaded a GPX file containing a route, or picked one from the library, then you can easily find it back in the Navigator app on your phone.
Navigating tracks
MRA Navigator does very well when navigating .GPX files with route points, but it wasn't working that well with .GPX files with only track points. It kept sending me back to the spot where I left the track, and I couldn't find a way to change its behavior. Now most .GPX files will contain both sets (routes and tracks) but it is something to be aware of.
Comparison
MyRoute-app
MRA Routeplanner and MRA Navigator is the better combo when it comes to preparing routes, editing routes, and navigating .GPX files with a limited number of route points. That combo costs about 20 bucks for the app plus basic routeplanner, and 30 euro if you take the app plus the Silver package. If MRA Navigator could handle tracks-only-GPX-files better it would be a clear winner.
- MRA Routeplanner and MRA Navigator - Buy them here.
Tom Tom Go - app
The alternative option Tom Tom Go is less suitable for preparing and editing routes. It can't navigate .GPX files with only route points, but it works very well when navigating .GPX files with track points. If you prefer Tom Tom Go I would combine it with the free version of the MRA Routeplanner, and that would set you back a similar 20 euro or so.
- Tom Tom Go - Buy it here.
Kurviger
Kurviger's target user was always the motorbike enthusiast who likes curvy roads, but it works just as well as a 'tourer' aid. To get turn by turn instructions you need a paid version, and to get those instructions spoken (that's not mentioned on the site) you'll have to shell out for the Tourer+ edition which is 30 bucks a year. I like its ease of use, but the management of multiple routes could be a bit better, and it's limited to 200 waypoints per route.
- Kurviger - Buy it here
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