to not be able to find places wit google maps? A cheapish sat nav?

[Ceci03]

So another totally stressful morning trying to get DS to his football match. I studied the route before I went, I wrote it all out from google maps. I had my phone. But still got totally lost and in the end had to abandon the match and come home.

I feel like such an effing failure. Google maps always glitches on my phone when it's in the car. There was a sat nav in the car but it's not working. I need to 'up my game and get sorted. I seem to be the only person who cant find the football games :( I'm so stressed about it. I've looked up sat navs but they seem so dear, so I'm wondering is anyone like me, useless at directions, who has gotten one that works?

It's got to the point where I'm thinking I will go and suss out the away games the day before. It was nearly an hour's drive away, (each way) but I can't risk not finding the match again.

I second getting a proper stand for the car instead of someone holding it

It won’t be it ‘clashing’ with the cars sat nav.

Adding another vote for Waze, it’s absolutely brilliant!

YABU to not be able to use Google maps

@Ceci03

Thanks, yes *@ProfYaffle* yes I know all that. I have my son holding the phone, and I use my 3G data, but it glitches constantly. It gives instructions that are way back. It doesnt keep up. If you re-center it it often tells you completely wrong. I dont understand.

It works on Bluetooth and GPS signal, you don't need data .

Just to say this happened with my phone when the GPS was broken. The directions would just be "odd" Tired googling and tried some things suggested, but I couldn't fix it. It then miraculously righted itself a few months after.

I think your GPS is messed up. I'm not sure how or why, but if you have an Android phone, see if there's anything here that sorts it.

www.makeuseof.com/fix-google-maps-issues-android/

2010 wants its 3g back. Get with the times OP

More ideas here.

www.technipages.com/fix-google-maps-not-updating-location

@eminem120176

2010 wants its 3g back. Get with the times OP

She's said multiple times that it's actually 4g

I have a sat nav - I much prefer it to using Google maps.

It's a TomTom and was about £70. One of the best presents I ever bought myself

Just wanted to say that I never listen to the spoken instructions on Google maps, in fact I have them permanently muted. I glance at the screen and it tells me what the next turning is (at the top of screen) and how far away, and then the main screen shows your current position along the route. Maybe your son could look at the screen and tell you what turning is coming up next?

I am the opposite Racoon

I am dyspraxic so the map bit is fairly useless to me, I just listen and do what the magic voice tells me to do.

@RacoonRocket that's a good idea actually thanks

I have a Tom Tom, but it was very expensive. It's is very reliable though.

Google maps is awful and glitches for me as well but Apple Maps is fine. I don’t use Waze but it sounds similar to Apple Maps.

@Ceci03

THanks everyone I downloaded Waze last night and used it to bring ds home from training. It was the same problem. It just didn't 'update'. It started giving instructions for roundabouts that we were way past.

I think I worked out it's a GPS problem. Not sure if that is my phone or what's going on. Could it be 'fighting' with the sat nav already installed in the car? As I used google maps when I'm out walking and stuff and it works fine.

If it works when out walking the problem is most likely that your son is holding it.

The phone should be near the windscreen to allow accurate GPS tracking (signal gets interrupted by the roof of the car). Get a cradle that attaches to the windscreen and I am sure the problem will be solved.

It has its own GPS, it's not interacting with your cars built in one.

Google maps is much better than any satnav ime. Sat navs often just take you to the centre of the postcode, but Google will find the specific address.

[quote Ceci03]@RacoonRocket that's a good idea actually thanks[/quote]
Not really, because if your GPS is playing up, your map will tell you that you're somewhere that you're not!

I agree with those saying that the symptoms you describe sound like the GPS element of your phone is faulty. The phone has sensors within it that pick up the signals from satellites that enable the phone to know exactly where it is. If those sensors go wrong (maybe through getting damaged by being dropped) then the phone doesn't know quite where it is. That's probably why it's giving you directions that are a bit behind, or generally inaccurate - the phone thinks it's 100 metres from where it actually is.

If that is the problem then it's got nothing to do with Google Maps. You can try downloading whatever navigation apps you like, if the phone doesn't know where it is it will still give out bad advice!

Agree also about gps going wrong on your phone. I had a previous phone where the gps went crazy and never had me in the correct place. Made is very difficult to use google maps.

Honestly google maps is way way superior to any of our sat navs. Google maps should update if you take a wrong turning.

What phone do you have?

Also-put it on boyband voice setting. DD and I laughed for 2 hours
we are easily amused

I need to try this- I might even set it up for somewhere I easily know the way to!!

We had the same issue.
It was the handset. It was too old and the gps has gone glitchy.
Totally resolved by buying a newer second hand phone

Have you got a GPS tracker on your car? The only times Waze hasn't worked for me is when there is either a tracker on the car or somebody has put a GPS blocker in there. Otherwise Waze is wonderful, especially when combined with What Three Words.

Which would be my other tip: use a pc to Google where you want to go and put the location into What Three Words and it will, via your mobile app of choice, get you there.

^If it works when out walking the problem is most likely that your son is holding it.

The phone should be near the windscreen to allow accurate GPS tracking (signal gets interrupted by the roof of the car). Get a cradle that attaches to the windscreen and I am sure the problem will be solved^

This could be the problem. If you say it works fine as a sat nav when you're out walking (the little blue dot keeps up with where you are, although there is the other variable where most of the time you will be driving faster than walking pace, but we'll ignore that for now).

Are you driving in a city with tall buildings? They sometimes block the signal, but it shouldn't be the problem unless you're going round in circles in the heart of a city.

If that's not it, it's really worth trying a cradle with your phone. I use a universal one I bought from Asda for about a tenner. Most supermarkets and probably places like Currys etc should have them. Or Amazon/ebay obviously, but I find it hard to judge these things on line as to whether they'll be decent quality and the right size/shape etc so generally don't bother unless they're much cheaper than the supermarket version.

I just leave mine attached to the windscreen all the time. I was reluctant to do this because they always used to say that you should remove it, or else thieves would break into your car to steal the sat nav that is in the glove box or under the seat, but DP pointed out that everyone just uses their phones these days and just about everyone will take it with them when they leave the car, so not a risk any more and it's been there for a good few years without issue.