Maps for Windows 10 Mobile gets more driving options for navigation

By Daniel Rubino
published

Microsoft has pushed out an update for their Maps app on Windows 10 Mobile (desktop is likely to follow soon). Build 50821 (up from 50813) adds a few new driving options for navigation that begin to round out the feature set for the application.

Specifically, we have noticed two additions:

  1. Automatic zoom – Toggle on or off
  2. Speed limit warning – Toggle on or off with additional sliders for various conditions

Now, when users begin to use Maps for driving the app responds better to the conditions around them. Although such features as speed limit warnings and auto zoom are not unique to Maps, they are considered necessary features for modern navigation services.

In that sense, today's update is more a refining and polishing up to make the app comparable to the competition.

Update: Some users are saying that speed limits were there in previous builds, however, they were not always apparent. Regardless, a new build of Maps is live in the Store for mobile and at least brings auto-zoom.

We have not noticed any other additions to today's update although if you see any, let us know in comments.

Download Maps for Windows 10 (opens in new tab)

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Executive Editor

Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.

81 Comments
  • Have they added the options to avoid highway or toll etc. Or whether or not you'd like to use the highway or toll and other options like in here maps app. And also different route options. That's in the android here app but not windows phone one sigh.
  • You can avoid tolls since the beginning. When you have entered your points A and B, click on options right under the destination, you'll be able to select what you want to avoid, including traffic, which is the greatest addition when compared to HERE.
  • You just don't see these options if you start directions with Cortana or from a web search.
  • And the best thing is here maps is available on the store again! I hope its the same case for the Lumia branded apps.
    Edit: It appears that here maps is only available in the desktop store:-(
  • Here maps is in the store. Just checked. Unless you mean the store in Win 10 Mobile (which i dont have installed and therefore can't comment
  • Well the article pertains to 10 so yes here is gone from the store in 10
  • Gone from 10_Mobile, not 10 (Desktop).
  • They still have a very considerable way to go before this app hits the usefulnes of Waze.  If it ever does.  I am not at all a fan of Google, but Waze is by far the best option out there
  • Agreed. I loathe everything Google but Waze does such a great job with optional routes based on real time crowd sourced driving data that I have to use it to save valuable time with my commute.
  • Yeah, I just can't seem to give up Waze even though I dislike the interface and the app hasn't been updated in ages (and may never be updated).  I'd love to know if Microsoft was ever in talks to acquire Waze; such a missed opportunity.
  • Navigon, I think, does an awesome job of avoiding traffic.
  • For crowd sourced info & routing options, Waze is still the leader. MS needs to do a better job with Maps to get it up to speed with the competition.
  • I could not agree more. I wish that Google would set aside their anti-Windows efforts. In related news, apparently a couple of people have been able to get the Android version of Waze running by sideloading onto Windows 10 Mobile using the leaked Project Astoria tools. Anyone here been able to give this a try? I may give this a try on my daily driver phone if the next build of Windows 10 Mobile doesn't have any more showstoppers for things I need to work.
  • I agree. Waze is easily the best option, even with it's insane bugginess and problems with Windows 10 Mobile.
  • Maybe in US. In Poland it basically doesn't work (no users, poor maps)
  • The big benefit of Waze comes with many users feeding up driving conditions and corrections to the maps.
    For some reason, we have many users here in Guatemala, so Waze is super.
    So, if you have few users in Poland, it won't be so great. But maybe you could start a trend!!!
  • Awesome
  • Daniel, Speed limits have ALWAYS been there. I've been using them since 10080. Then they had disappeared, or rathen were hidden. You had to drive and go into settings during navigation to access the toggles. After, they would stay in settings forever. Maybe they have fixed the warnings as I had noticed that navigation would get stuck with speed limits warnings on (no problem when off).
  • I knew I wasn't crazy! Also, I think a particular update glitched them out in the past but were brought back in another update. Auto zoom option is new though.
  • Just going to post this but they have been broken ie they keep alerting even when your with in the limits
  • The speed thing was already there. The auto zoom option is new.
    Still a long way to go.
  • Same here, I used the speed thing on a road trip earlier this summer. Very handy. Dinging me when I'm 1mph over the limit was annoying. I like having some flexibility now.
  • Oh and yes I forgot: this Map update brings a new layer, the streetside one.
  • That feature was in the previous version as well.
  • now they just need to get a SHITLOAD more streetside images... around the world..
  • I didn't even realise Microsoft even had this feature, it's one of the most useful things about google maps. Turns out Microsoft are just avoiding Australia as per usual.
  • I'm positive I saw all of these options on Sunday when I drove from L.A. to Phoenix.
  • Have they added native voice nav in windows 10 mobile yet? 3rd party apps should not be needed for this feature...
  • Been there since day one on W10 Mobile.
  • Good to know. Thank you!
  • The store limit sliding option was already there since the start, it's not me, only the automatic sim zoom is new
  • When will they fix this.. :( Odd looking black strip with street name n direction which is covers half of the screen in landscape mode and ETA is too small to see when driving. 
  • I really love to see lane assistance in maps
  • Especially when the "same" app had it on Symbian many years back...
  • These options have been available for me in the last two builds actually. Might be on of those ver a vs b types of tests.
  • So they brought some Here Drive+ features to Maps with the new update. Cool.
  • I have maps,here drive and here maps and none look like your screenshots.
  • This is 10
  • I bet the transit for UK still doesn't show trains, only buses? Too bad the Nokia transit+ is dead in w10 :(
  • Also pinch to zoom's functionality is based on luck. I don't like this app, a yet another forever-beta app that merely plays catchup.
  • I like it overall, but that damn zoom is driving me crazy.
  • I hope they add a cycling route option. That would be nice (already requested via MS feedback :-)
  • Yes that would be great
  • +1
  • I have build 50813 on my Lumia 930 running Win10 Mobile 10512 and all the "New" options are there for me. Been there for a while actually.
  • indeed the speed limit slider have there in previous builds.
  • They need to add multiple route options.
    As an example, I was trying to get a rough estimate on the distance from Albany (SW Aus) to Cape York (NE Aus). I wanted the route to go via the Great Central Highway/Alice Springs - but instead, it just offers one solitary route east then north.
    Suffice to say, I had to switch to Google Maps to get the job done.
    It is a good app - but it really needs a LOT of fine tuning.
  • Interesting. I've had these options
  • Seriously the map app required an update...there was a serious problem (at least in my case) while zooming in and out..
  • Still no map for Pakistan
  • I got the new update...i don't have these options...
  • Needs route options!
  • High hopes. A flawless GPS navigation is a must for the platform to take off. A welcome updates but still lacking a lot of features and fine tuning.
  • But the loss of HERE Drive + and HERE transit means that the older Lumina have better maps capability than Windows 10. Basically Microsoft is going backwards without Nokia.
  • Speed limit options appeared on my 1020 with build 50716 too. At least windows maps shows this string in settings: 4.1506.50716.0
  • Maps are useless because if you ask for current location they zoom out so much that you see area of something like 20 km... And yes most of the time you actually need to see what streets are around and to do this you need to pinch and zoom indefinetly which makes you install Here maps again...
  • That's cool, as long as I can keep turning them off....
  • Windows calculator and one drive update today!
  • It boggled my mind that multiple route options or rerouting options never existed in here. I hope windows 10 maps solves that problem
  • I have had these mentioned new features for like a month now and the news just got published today? Rubbish!!!
  • Slowly but surely all of the great Nokia/HERE Maps functionality is getting folded into the default Maps app! I'm looking forward to them adding smart re-routing to avoid traffic and accidents. Hopefully they will soon fix the zooming bug that I've been encountering for the last couple of weeks. Pinch-to-zoom will only ever zoom out, so I have to double-tap or use the My Location button to zoom back in.
  •  have zero interest in windows 10 mobile, but I'm curious if they ever fixed the big issue with nagivation: speed sensitive directions. Before nokia took over with drive, windows phone's navigation would not warn you about upcoming turns at all, let alone use speed to determine when to do so.
  • Yes they use to only have maps with assisted navigation But they have had turn by turn for 3 years at least now
  • I only like the HERE apps.  Sadly, the only HERE app I can get on my test device is the HERE Maps.  I can't find Drive or the others.  What gives?
  • This app feels so US only.
  • Hopefully it's not just in MPH.
  • it's not ;)
  • what about pinch to zoom in/out? that seems to be missing from it or is that just on my device lumia 928. when I had the map up and was zooming in to see the details on the map, I could not get it to zoom back out. had to back out of the of the app and come back in to get back to the original zoom level. very annoying.
  • It's a bug of the latest build, not of the app. Workaround: double click to zoom in, tap with 2 fingers (once) to zoom-out. Haven't found a trick to rotate the map though.
  • Its definitely a bug... and one that makes the app nearly unusable
  • Its a shame that HERE Drive+ is no longer fully Supported on Windows Phone because that already had all these features and with World wide coverage. Microsoft W10 maps now are almost as bad as Apple..
  • You should be careful to always refer to it as Windows Maps since there is a knock off version in the Windows Phone store called just Maps by a company called Live Tiles.
  • Zoom fix?
  • Here,maps for windows, or Waze?
  • Running latest build Windows 10 Mobile on a Lumia 640 the performance of Maps is AWFUL.  As much as buggy Waze can be frustrating on Windows 10 Mobile it is still the winner in the nav game. I would LOVE to try a sideloaded Android Waze.....maybe it even goes landscape!!!!!! 
  • hi i want to remeber you if you have forgotten or if you dont know pakistan is the 7th largest country in the world where mobile users are more than 12 crores.then why there is not your map or navigation for pakistan google is providing why you are not its so much... i think you should have concern thanx and i want reply.
  • Maps and navigation totally not working in my Lumia 1520 and Win10 mobile. I'm not getting my location updated as I move. At best, the location gets updated every 1 or 2 minutes which makes navigation useless. Anyone know how to fix this?
  • Ok so my maps does not run under lock screen I drive a motorcycle and can't run my battery down with keeping the phone on don't you think the b- in the box could tell you directions while in screen lock would be useful here does it.
  • I like the fact that every writer at windowscentral is now deleting my comments from all posts. This shows the respect and power of truth. Truth wins.,,
  • The old HERE maps and HERE Drive are so much better.  I can't figure out why this is being considered an upgrade.  Just another one of the WP 10 butcherings of prior versions good features :(  
  • I still have Here Maps and Here Drive on Windows 10.  But I have chosen to use Maps.  For me the turn by turn directions are great and accurate.  So much so I barely open Here Drive anymore.   Maps has excellent transit routes and schedules as well. I love the no typing voice search in maps as well, and you don't have that in Here Maps/Drive  or Waze.   Asa Frontend to all my navigation apps I use Maps+ which allows me to voice a destination and then choose which app I wan to use.   Maps+ also allows me to overlay 3D google maps. Microsoft is headed in the right direction.