Windows Phone 8 devices get offline maps update and Nokia explains why

By WC Staff
last updated

We last touched on a map refresh in late December when users were able to download OTA updates to their offline locations.

Today, Nokia Maps have received yet another update and once again, this applies to all Windows Phone 8 devices, not just Nokia. If you have downloaded maps on your phone, you should have already been prompted to update them for the latest batch of improvements. If you haven’t already, go to settings > applications > maps > check for updates.

The question you may be wondering is, what changed? We have the details.

Some of the highlights:

  • Maps for Serbia (including Kosovo) and Israel have been added with this release. You can now search for places and calculate precise routes in these two countries, and soon turn-by-turn navigation will be introduced with Nokia Drive.
  • Other components are receiving enhancements under the hood to give us more clarity, easier orientation, improved precision and to provide us with the best experience and a better representation of reality.
  • Russia, Norway and Sweden now collect and show higher details in wooded areas, thus improving your location.
  • Pedestrian paths have been extended to more areas, including lesser-known parks, providing better navigation when you are traveling on foot.
  • More detail in less populated areas of Greece, France and Ireland.

nokia maps update

In just the last 18 months, Nokia’s Maps have added and amended 133,000 km/82,650 mi of roads in the UK alone. Similarly large numbers are valid for many other countries too. For example, in Italy, the tunnel under Roma Tiburtina has been added, as well as the roads to the future main Berlin airport in Germany.

As you can see, the improvement is continual and comprehensive. The teams are currently working on extending the features of their mobile apps and refining the search experience, so we will probably be seeing another update to maps in the near future.

Source: Conversations

81 Comments
  • How will these updates become available for WP7.x?
  • They won't. That's not a bad thing, I still prefer the 900's mapping/traffic in NY to the 920's.
  • Really? Their map data is different? I know we don't have a cool update button but it seems to just download everything anyway. If I download/redownload maps now on my 900, I get maps old maps?
  • Yup. The 7.X devices used Bing maps, but Microsoft moved to Nokia maps for the WP8 devices.
  • Bing uses Nokia Maps for their backend. So the data should be the same.
  • That's what I thought, but I meant my Nokia Drive maps, or Nokia Maps maps.
  • I can do a side by side. They're most certainly not the same.
  • I always take my 900 when I go there for work. I agree!
  • Ah, that sucks. Being from Kosovo myself I was really anticipating this.
  • I never get updated maps, but I only have Florida downloaded
  • NY updated for me on the 8x and 920 today. Guess it depends on where you are.
  • Same here Alex. Have you notice in Drive that when you're on the turnpike, it always tells you to take ramp right if you're just going straight and not getting off? I find it quite weird and annoying. Why even say anything about the exit if you're not taking it.
  • It happened to me in Los Angeles too. I was driving on the freeway, "Nokia Drive+ Beta" asked me to take the exit ramp for no reason... Only to ask me to get back on the highway. Since I was unfamiliar with that road, I followed the direction like a fool only to get annoyed :-)
    But, overall I really like the Nokia Maps app, better than Google Maps on iPhone. I  just drove from Miami to LA on a 3000 mile long cross country trip via  I-40, Nokia Drive worked like a charm. My Garmin on the car was a garbage and Google map on my wife's iPhone was useless too since there wasn't any data coverage most of the way when you move away from big towns.
    When I get into small towns on the way, I noticed some inaccuracies in Nokia maps info, but you can use Bing at that time. I also noticed Google map info not being accurate either at remote towns in AZ and NM. so, there are work to be done for all three platforms :-)
  • Now include a map of Nicaragua
  • Nokia Maps on my HTC 8X? How is that possible?
  • Magic. Or because Nokia Maps is what powers Bing Maps...I forget which it is.
  • Mostly magic. 
  • Definitely Bing because Apple has the market cornered on magic.
  • But Apple's Magic Map wand is broken. iMap is kind of like Ron Weasley :P
  • Oh, with how "magical" that it's always the user's fault when something goes wrong?
  • I think MS is paying for it. It makes sense, considering both other two major platforms have a solid turn by turn navigation capabilities(no offline navigation) and Nokia phones were the only windows phones to have solid navigation. It makes sense for MS to make it available for all devices so that it can claim to have best navigation solution among major platforms.
  • All windows phone can get Nokia drive now. But it is only available to US, Canada, and UK
  • Well, that is not correct. Here in Argentina, I use Nokia Drive too.
  • On a non-Nokia WP8?
  • kosovo is not serbia. they were in a war couple of years ago and since then kosovo is indepenendt state, although serbia denies that. as many other things. just trying to be politically correct :D
     
  • Who else would comment on this but Croatian guy. What's new?
  • LOL
  • hehe
    jeremic is working in nokia :D
  • Double post
  • If you're going to be politically correct then Kosovo is Serbia.  Because for a region to be considered a country it has to have a seat in the UN. Hence Kosovo is part of Serbia and this article states correct information.
  • If you want to be technically correct the UN doesn't really decide if its a country or not. They can.declare independence and if other countries recognize them it doesn't matter what the UN does. Also if the UN recognizes a country that's under another country's rule it won't help them much.
    the UN is pretty much a meaningless joke nowadays p.s. Word flow on WP8 is awesome
  • Mankie, by that logic, china wasn't a country till it joined the UN in the 1970s. Lol
  • I been in Kosovo last year and I know that Kosovo is not Serbia.
  • Nokia maps may be good around the world, but I'm not impressed with here in the US. It's missing roads that have been there for years, and in several cases I've seen roads that it has switching between "Ave" and "St" every other block, so the directions are spammed with bogus road name changes. Seems like its on par with Bing maps, but that's not saying a whole lot...and Bing maps had much better satellite and birds eye images. Overall, the switch from Bing to Nokia maps was a net loss IMO.
  • I live in the US and I have none of these problems it must just be in certain areas.
  • So that I am clear on your comment, you've reported these issues to Nokia, correct?
  • Whatever
  • Whatever
  • I'd like to. How is that done?
  • Please point me to where I can file map corrections to Nokia and I will. I tried posting corrections through the Navteq website (a very painful process...that site is horrendous) since it's apparently all the same as Nokia owns Navteq and the Navteq maps have the same errors as Nokia maps, but they have yet to respond to them after several weeks...
    When will these other mapping companies realize that the reason Google Maps is so good is that they have the best system for submitting corrections and they actually pay attention to corrections that users post?
  • Hello
    You can now do changes on here.net http://here.com/mapcreator/?lang=en-US&location=|19.097652761654526|72.90332971901856|16|0|0|normal.day
  • Ahhh i have had the same problems with maps data (I live in the Pacific Northwest) and map data is pretty crappy for me, and POI are just pathetic.
    I have TRIED to send my problems to Nokia but since you haven't had a single issue with maps you might be surprised to know that there is no easy way to even suggest POI and map data changes. 
    The App itself tells you to log into the old nokia maps site (that doesn't exist) and make changes there. So you go to here.com and try and do it there....nope. I created a worthless here.com user account to be able to add data and NOPE you can't do it. The App itself only has a feedback/rating system but it's not intended for POI or map data correction. 
    So I emailed the maps team also through forums and no response. NOTHING.
    I then emailed Stephen Elop told him all of this and he apologized for this and verified it was a hard thing to do.... he then said he'd pass talk with the maps crews. We'll see what happens. 
  • I don't have as many issues but the major highway in the city is referred to as "Badlands Trl" instead of "Deerfoot Trl" Minor things but annoying nonetheless.
  • I didn't get any updates but then I'm always continually updating everything... =[
  • Holy crap!  I've got an update of 161.9 MB!  
     
  • How about Nokia updates their POI search algorithim? It has sucked since the Series 60 days.
  • One of the things they're currently working on.
  • Can the maps be downloaded and run from the SD card?
  • This is a really important question for me too. Daniel, can you guys ask Nokia about this? I just ordered an 820, thinking that I would be able to put the whole of Europe on an SD card (when I had my 5230 this was possible, and I had around 4Gb of maps on there without downloading everything I could've). Now I read that I could have Drive+ on an 8X for maybe 20-30 euros more (for the phone on the same contract I got now) and I would have double the space for the maps. Please tell us that Nokia are going to fix this!
  • No update with Germany, Austria and Switzerland installed
  • germany will get the update as soon as the BER airport is finished...LOL :>
  • which means NEVER!
  • I heard chuck norris is taking care of this http://bilder.t-online.de/b/61/74/43/52/id_61744352/tid_da/der-neuste-un...
  • Why don't they have satellite views, like google
  • I'm a troll who's been banned numerous times for swearing and harassing members on this site. I won't go away.
  • In my area the aerial views are many years older than the ones I can get from Bing... and much grainier.
  • Same here. The Nokia sattelite view in my area is completely unusable. I have to use the Bingle app to see anything of detail. What's more interesting is the rural areas are in better detail than downtown (which is a fuzzy blob). I've sent Nokia side by side photos showing them how bad it is but doesn't look it is going to change anytime soon.
  • I'm in NY went to Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive (same maps?) and neither of them had an update for NY or CT,( only ones I originally downloaded ) Would they be available at different times? On at&t with a Nokia Lumia 920
  • No NY update on my 920 today.
  • Man they just keep at it.. I wish the others would support their devices the way Nokia does.. Oh well, that's why I got a 920.. Best decision I ever made...
  • When will they update the POI database for the US? I understand Nokia Maps might be great overall, throughout the world, but here in the US the POI database is horrid. Established and well known businesses don't show up when I use Nokia Maps but when I use Bing or Google map variants they are there. Why can't Nokia merge Bing's POI database to make Nokia Maps more robust in the US?
    And yes - I have voiced these concerns with Nokia Care, several other Nokia representatives, and I have sent Nokia USA several tweets. No responses on anything. They've been good responding to my other issues but ashamedly not this.
  • Hey Malcolm,
    you can submit if you have any POI changes on following link
    http://here.com/mapcreator/?lang=en-US&location=|19.097652761654526|72.90332971901856|16|0|0|normal.day
  • No update for UK yet, it would be nice to see my home at the same res that google can, i cant actually see my home at all via nokia maps :-(
  • Perhaps someone can answer this for me, how does Nokia maps make money? Saw someone mentioning how navteq is a separate entity inside Nokia. And again, this is great news for all wp8.
  • Licenses e.g. Flicker users Nokia Maps now.
  • Thanks Daniel, makes sense. I will have to go look up flicker now and see what that is.
  • Garmin and Alpine also use Navteq mapping data for their products. 
  • Anyone know how to add multiple stops/destinations for a route through either Nokia Maps and/or Nokia Drive?
  • The future airport in berlin - this was a good one :) 
  • Russia. Haven't map updates yet.
  • I only have California downloaded and it says that my maps are uo to date.
  • "Russia, Norway and Sweden now collect and show higher details in wooded areas, thus improving your location."
     
    Sateliteview still kind of suck in Sweden. Maybe its the data thats improved and not the satelite-view?
  • No updates available for Mexico since the december updates. This is the only map I've for offline use.
    Will check later to see if there's an update or maybe they just update some and not all of them.
  • So where is the "why" part of Nokia explaining?
  • Just a question, why am I missing Bing maps? Should I even do so?
  • Just go to store and download app simply named Maps. Its a shortcut for bing maps on Lumia devices. The bing maps was hidden by Nokia.
  • do the Isreal maps include the occupied lands too?
  • I can't seem to find the Israel maps (I'm IN Israel :) ).
    And i got no update waiting
  • Same here. Lumia 920, already got the Portico update a few days ago, but Israel is not showing up in the list of maps available for offline use.
  • someone said that wp7 was a beta testing....maybe it was an alpha test, this wp8 looks like beta and wp9 will be the release candidate...lol
  • I use Bingle Maps (with google maps) and I love it. Nokia Maps is horribly wrong on many POI's where I live so I can't rely on it, and I don't really like the user interface of the app either.