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Here WeGo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the maps and navigation application. For the mapping company, see Here Technologies. For other uses, see Here (disambiguation) and Here We Go.

Here WeGo
Developer(s)HERE Global B.V.
Initial release10 February 2007; 18 years ago (2007-02-10) (as Nokia Maps)
20 November 2012; 12 years ago (2012-11-20) (as HERE Maps)
Stable release
4.14.200 / 6 December 2024; 5 months ago (2024-12-06) (iOS), 4 December 2024; 5 months ago (2024-12-04) (Android)
Operating system
Available inEnglish
Websitewego.here.com

Here We Go (stylised HERE WeGo) is a web mapping and satellite navigation software available on the Web and mobile platforms, operated by Here Technologies which is owned by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It is based on Here's location data platform, providing its in-house data, which includes satellite views, traffic data, and other location services.[1][2]

The service was originally released by Nokia as Nokia Maps in 2007 for Symbian and Windows Mobile. Nokia later acquired Navteq which provided location data[3] and the service was also rebranded Ovi Maps under the Ovi name. In 2010, Nokia started offering the full Ovi Maps suite with free navigation and traffic information, where previously it had an annual charge.[4] In 2011, the Nokia Maps suite (including Nokia Drive and Nokia Transit) were released on the Lumia range and was expanded to other Windows Phone products in 2012.[5] It was then rebranded to HERE Maps and expanded to the World Wide Web and then, after Nokia sold it, to the Android platform on in 2014 and iOS in 2015. It was rebranded to HERE WeGo in July 2016.

Features

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HERE WeGo provides several location and mapping features including turn-by-turn navigation (including for walking and cycling)[6] and traffic and public transport data.[7][6][8] It can work online and offline: maps of countries and regions can be downloaded to internal storage of devices so that a data connection is not needed for navigation. Online usage is required for live traffic data and additional venue information.[9] As of March 2017, HERE WeGo had real-time information on traffic conditions and incidents available for 63 countries.[10]

The maps include floor-by-floor details of large indoor venues such as shopping malls and airports.[11]

Users can save the location and details of destinations as 'Collections' if they are online and signed in.[12] It is not possible to store destinations offline, on the device. Collections can also be shared.[13]

CarPlay and Android Auto

[edit]

If a car is equipped with a CarPlay connectivity component, the HERE WeGo application on the iPhone can be projected to the car's in-dash navigation screen and controlled as any other built-in application. Since July 2022, the beta version of the Android app is compatible with Android Auto,[14] working with an Android phone and a car equipped with an Android Auto connectivity component in the same way that the iPhone version.

History

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2007-2013

[edit]

In 2006, Nokia purchased a German start-up, Gate5, that made a mapping software called smart2go. In February 2007, Nokia announced that smart2go would be available for free on the S60 Symbian platform and Windows Mobile 5.0. It was preinstalled on handsets, including Nokia N95, which featured Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.[15] In August 2007 the smart2go application became part of the umbrella Ovi brand, and version 1.0 of Nokia Maps was released for S60 3rd Edition devices.[16] Months later, Nokia bought Navteq, a provider of digital map systems.

Navigation feature on Ovi Maps 3.0

Ovi Maps version 2.0 went into public beta in February 2008 and was released in May.[17] Version 3.0 was released in July 2009.[18]

Turn-by-turn navigation and traffic information originally required a subscription, but in January 2010 Nokia announced that these would be provided for free.[19] In 2011 it became Nokia Maps.[20] It was released for Nokia Lumia in November 2011, coming preloaded on the devices.[21] Further versions for the Nokia N900 and Nokia N9 were also released.

In November 2012, Nokia rebranded Nokia Maps to HERE Maps.[22] The rebranded version was initially released for iOS and later in February 2013 for all Windows Phone 8 devices.[23] It was also released on the Nokia Asha platform and Firefox OS.[24] The legacy Symbian and Series 40 versions continued using the old name without HERE branding. The web app, as of 2013, the offers routing support between many waypoints, city pages of over fifty popular cities showing local time and weather conditions, along with information from Lonely Planet and suggested places, as well as 3D maps of 25 cities, including routing support.[25][26] It also offers live traffic flow visualization, public transport search, and synchronization of user's points of interest (Collections) between the website and mobile devices. Additionally, it shows heat maps to visualize areas popular for food, nightlife, shopping and local sights in select cities, listing and managing businesses.[27] With 3D goggles, users can get stereoscopic views of 25 cities. It also provides detailed street-level imaging for many cities.[28]

2014-present

[edit]

The HERE application was first announced for Android as a beta test version for some Samsung Galaxy smartphones on 29 August 2014.[29] The app was made available for download from Samsung's Galaxy App Store on 8 October 2014.[30] It was simultaneously launched for the Samsung Gear S smartwatch.[31] The first public release of the beta Here app (across all Android platforms) was on 21 October 2014, as an APK download from the HERE.com Web site.[32] The app became available in the Google Play Store on 10 December 2014.[33] On 12 February 2015, a stable version of HERE Maps was released on the Google Play store.[34]

As of June 2015, the Here app was available as a free app in 118 countries and territories across the world for the Android and iOS platforms.[33] On 3 September 2015, Here announced that its app would be available for the Samsung Gear S2 when the smartwatch was released later that fall.[35]

In late 2015, Facebook began using HERE's maps for their applications, moving away from Microsoft's map offering, Bing.[36]

Ownership and operation of Here Maps changed in December 2015, when Here, at the time a subsidiary of Nokia, was sold to a consortium of German automotive companies (Audi AG, BMW AG and Daimler AG) as Here Global BV.[37][38][39][40]

On 15 March 2016, HERE announced that it would discontinue support for its app for Windows 10 Mobile on 29 March 2016 due to its use of "a workaround that will no longer be effective after June 30, 2016", and that the existing Windows Phone 8 app would only receive critical updates after this date and no longer be actively developed. HERE Maps licensed by Microsoft are still offered as part of the existing Bing Maps-based software on these devices.[41]

On 27 July 2016, the app was updated and re-branded to HERE WeGo. The update and rebranding focused on navigation capabilities, including adding taxi fare information in some cities and integrating with Daimler's Car2Go service.[42] The other apps of the HERE suite were integrated into WeGo.

In April 2020, HERE WeGo introduced CarPlay integration for iOS.

As a response to COVID-19 delivery tools demand, HERE WeGo Delivery[43] was launched.

Platforms and versions

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Android

[edit]

Here WeGo runs on Android and is available for download on the Play Store, Huawei AppGallery and Galaxy Store.[44] It is also available but no longer updated on the Amazon Appstore.[45]

iOS

[edit]

The app and service runs on iOS (currently iOS 14 and later).[46]

Tizen

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Here WeGo has been available for the Tizen running Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch and is offered on the Galaxy Store.[47]

Web

[edit]

The website wego.here.com (formerly here.com) evolved out of the maps.ovi.com and later maps.nokia.com site and provides the web companion to the HERE suite. It works on all major browsers. Users can organize their favorite places in collections and sync to mobile devices. The Web application also uses WebGL to offer 3D map views without a plugin.

Symbian

[edit]

Here was available on Symbian as Nokia Maps. The last version, 3.09, included:

  • Driving and walking turn-by-turn with international voice guidance
  • Live traffic rerouting in some countries
  • Live traffic visualization on the map in some countries
  • Third-party content such as ViaMichelin and Lonely Planet
  • Social networking service integration
  • Support for preloading street maps for offline use
  • Users can report errors in the maps (from version 3.03 except on Nokia E66 and E71 models)[48][49]
  • Local weather conditions by the hour and forecasts for the week
  • Night View mod
  • Satellite maps and terrain maps
  • 3D buildings and 3D maps
  • Public transport routing in some cities
  • Saving of favourites
  • City Lens (augmented reality) (Beta only)[50]

Nokia had halted Symbian development by 2012.[51][50] However updates to the maps themselves continued to be offered up till 2015.[52]

The latest versions of Nokia Maps per Symbian version were:

  • Version 3.09 (12 November 2012, also called Maps Suite 2.0): only for Symbian Belle phones (500, 603, 700, 701, N8-00, E7-00, C7-00, C6-01, X7-00, E6-00)
  • Version 3.08 (15 November 2011) and 3.07: supported on Symbian^3
  • Version 3.06 (2 December 2010): Symbian^1 (S60v5) (N97, N97 mini, X6, C6-00, 5800XM, 5235 & 5230, etc.)
  • Version 3.04 (20 May 2010): Symbian S60v3 FP2

Asha/S40

[edit]

Nokia Maps for Series 40 was launched in 2011 for some new Nokia Asha devices in som emarkets.[53] It was limited compared to other platforms. The maps were streamed online into the device or pre-downloaded with Nokia Suite. In some markets, the phones were sold with an SD card preloaded with local maps. The system did not support turn-by-turn navigation. Asha series phones did not have GPS receivers; positioning was done by Cell ID of the cellular network or by using the Wi-Fi positioning system.

Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile

[edit]

Here Maps was previously offered for Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile until March 2016.[54] The maps themselves have continued to be updated (at least on Windows Phone 8.1) until at least 2021.[55]

Other platforms

[edit]

Here was formerly also the default map software on Ubuntu Touch[56] and Sailfish OS.[57] It was also released for Firefox OS.[58]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Location Based Services & Mapping Platform - Products - HERE". www.here.com.
  2. ^ "Here WeGo! Google Maps rival drops Maps branding". www.theregister.com.
  3. ^ "Nokia completes its acquisition of NAVTEQ". Nokia. 10 July 2008.
  4. ^ Sorrel, Charlie. "Nokia Gives Away Free, Lifetime Navigation App". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  5. ^ Sottek, T. C. (20 June 2012). "Microsoft selects Nokia technology to power maps in Windows Phone 8". The Verge. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Here WeGo for Android Review | Car GPS and navigation app". CHOICE. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Using HERE for Android to get around with transit and on foot". HERE 360.
  8. ^ HERE launches beta test of bike routing on Android, 360 Here. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Offline navigation really matters if 500 MB of data costs a week in wages". HERE 360.
  10. ^ "HERE expands real-time traffic coverage to 63 countries". HERE 360.
  11. ^ "Get inside Venue Maps – now on HERE for Android". HERE 360.
  12. ^ "Managing Collections with HERE for Android and iOS". HERE 360.
  13. ^ Bruning, Kendra (16 June 2023). "All The Most Popular Map Apps For Android Ranked Worst To Best". SlashGear. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  14. ^ Linares, Iván (10 March 2022). "Android Auto estrena navegador GPS: HERE WeGo y sus mapas offline gratis ya son compatibles". Xataka Android. Webedia. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. ^ Barrett, Mike. "Nokia launch smart2go a free mapping application". www.pocketgpsworld.com. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Nokia Maps 1.0 rolled out for all". 29 August 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  17. ^ "Nokia Maps 2 now officially available". 22 May 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Ovi Maps 3.0 is now officially released (but you need a PC)". 2 July 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  19. ^ "Nokia's Ovi Maps navigation goes free". 21 January 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  20. ^ "Why 3 car giants just bought Nokia's mapping business for $3B". 3 August 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Nokia Maps ready to download on Lumia 800 and 710 phones". 7 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  22. ^ "Nokia HERE iOS maps app review". The Register. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  23. ^ Stroh, Michael (25 February 2013). "Nokia's free map and navigation apps now available for more Windows Phones". Windows Phone Blog. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Nokia's HERE Maps service comes to the Asha 501, beta release available now for download". 4 July 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  25. ^ "C3 Technologies Now Part of Nokia Ovi Maps". GISCafé. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Visit cities in 3D". here.com. Nokia. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  27. ^ "Develop Location-based Services - Capabilities - HERE". www.here.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  28. ^ Bonetti, Pino (23 November 2011). "Find your way to HERE.com". Nokia. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  29. ^ "Android fans rejoice: HERE for Samsung Galaxy smartphones". HERE 360.
  30. ^ "Getting started with HERE for Android: the basics". HERE 360.
  31. ^ "HERE for Gear: apps inbound for Samsung Tizen". HERE 360.
  32. ^ Sterling, Greg (22 October 2014). "Nokia Makes HERE Maps Available To All Android Users". Search Engine Land.
  33. ^ a b "HERE for Android now available for free on Google Play". HERE 360.
  34. ^ "HERE for Android updated and improved, leaves beta". HERE 360.
  35. ^ "HERE says hello to the new round-face Samsung smartwatch". HERE 360.
  36. ^ Lowensohn, Josh (4 May 2015). "Facebook is now using Nokia's Here maps ahead of its expected sale". The Verge. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  37. ^ Nokia completes next stage of transformation with agreement to sell HERE to automotive industry consortium at an enterprise value of EUR 2.8 billion Archived 16 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Nokia. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  38. ^ Audi, BMW, and Daimler completes acquisition of Nokia's Here mapping tech, Digital Trends. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  39. ^ "Why 3 car giants just bought Nokia's mapping business for $3B". Venturebeat. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  40. ^ "The reason carmakers bought Nokia's map unit? Google". CNBC. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  41. ^ "HERE Maps drops support for Windows Phone and Windows 10". The Verge. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  42. ^ "Here Maps becomes HERE WeGo, improved navigation options debut". GSMArena. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  43. ^ "HERE offers SMEs free delivery tool to meet demands of COVID-19". Ertico. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  44. ^ "HERE WeGo | Maps & Navigation | Applications | HERE". www.here.com. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  45. ^ "Here WeGo - App on Amazon Appstore".
  46. ^ "On which devices can I use HERE WeGo?". HERE. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  47. ^ "HERE WeGo - Apps on Galaxy Store". galaxystore.samsung.com. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  48. ^ "Map reporter FAQ".[dead link]
  49. ^ Rafe Blandford (6 April 2010). "Custom 3.03 version for Nokia E71 and Nokia E66". Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  50. ^ a b "Nokia outsources Symbian support which will continue until 2016". 4 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  51. ^ "Nokia Confirms The PureView Was Officially The Last Symbian Phone". TechCrunch. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  52. ^ "Nokia Maps data for Symbian updated again, in 2015 - after a gap of almost two years!". All About Symbian. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  53. ^ Kugan (26 October 2011). "Nokia Asha- Four New S40 Phones". MalaysianWireless. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  54. ^ Warren, Tom (15 March 2016). "Here Maps drops support for Windows Phone and Windows 10". The Verge. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  55. ^ "Windows Phone 8.1 handsets get a huge HERE Maps offline maps update". All About Windows Phone. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  56. ^ Nokia HERE maps coming to Ubuntu 30 July 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  57. ^ "Jolla smartphones to feature Nokia HERE maps". blog.gsmarena.com. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  58. ^ "Firefox OS To Include Nokia's Here Maps". Phone Scoop. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
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