Photo: Flitsmeister/autoevolution edits
A navigation app should feel like home on Android Auto and CarPlay, as its main goal is to make driving more convenient.
However, a change recently introduced by the navigation app Flitsmeister suggests that some companies can also make money from this extra convenience offered to users.
Flitsmeister moved Android Auto and CarPlay support behind a paywall, charging customers at least 3 Euros per month to project the navigation interface on the larger screen in the car. This feature was previously offered free of charge, so customers certainly aren't pleased with the change.
Many Flitsmeister try to make themselves heard using the review section of the Google Play Store, where they can share their experience with the app. Unsurprisingly, the app has been plagued with one-star reviews after Flitsmeister moved Android Auto and CarPlay behind a paywall.
"I don't like to be forced into subscriptions," one user explains in their review. "I was a very happy user before, now uninstalled the app," someone else adds.
Without a doubt, Flitsmeister's decision to monetize Android Auto and CarPlay support took its user base by surprise, especially because this essential feature has previously been offered at no cost. This is the reason why some people decided to jump ship, abandoning the app and moving to a rival product.
"The new update really ruins the app and forces me to move to another application," a Flitsmeister user explains in the reviews section of the Play Store.
Waze is the top app to benefit from the en-masse transition from Flitsmeister, especially as it offers similar features with an increased focus on incident reporting. Flitsmeister has long been considered one of the top alternatives to Waze, allowing users to send traffic reports and generating notifications for other drivers.
"I switched to Waze; I see no reason to pay for an app that depends on free information provided by its users," someone explains in a Google Play Store review.
Waze is currently the number one navigation app with incident-reporting capabilities. The app has over 150 million monthly active users, and despite being owned by Google, it continues to operate independently from Google Maps. Waze focuses on traffic navigation, whereas Google Maps is aimed at people who want to explore the world, read reviews, and find business information.
The good news is that Google has no intention of moving Waze or any of its features behind a paywall. While I don't want to start this debate now, you still pay to use Google Maps and Waze, albeit not with money but with your data. Data is Google's most valuable resource, so despite some people expecting a Google Maps Pro version, I believe the search giant has no interest in pushing its mapping platform in this direction.
Flitsmeister moved Android Auto and CarPlay support behind a paywall, charging customers at least 3 Euros per month to project the navigation interface on the larger screen in the car. This feature was previously offered free of charge, so customers certainly aren't pleased with the change.
Many Flitsmeister try to make themselves heard using the review section of the Google Play Store, where they can share their experience with the app. Unsurprisingly, the app has been plagued with one-star reviews after Flitsmeister moved Android Auto and CarPlay behind a paywall.
"I don't like to be forced into subscriptions," one user explains in their review. "I was a very happy user before, now uninstalled the app," someone else adds.
Without a doubt, Flitsmeister's decision to monetize Android Auto and CarPlay support took its user base by surprise, especially because this essential feature has previously been offered at no cost. This is the reason why some people decided to jump ship, abandoning the app and moving to a rival product.
"The new update really ruins the app and forces me to move to another application," a Flitsmeister user explains in the reviews section of the Play Store.
Waze is the top app to benefit from the en-masse transition from Flitsmeister, especially as it offers similar features with an increased focus on incident reporting. Flitsmeister has long been considered one of the top alternatives to Waze, allowing users to send traffic reports and generating notifications for other drivers.
"I switched to Waze; I see no reason to pay for an app that depends on free information provided by its users," someone explains in a Google Play Store review.
Waze is currently the number one navigation app with incident-reporting capabilities. The app has over 150 million monthly active users, and despite being owned by Google, it continues to operate independently from Google Maps. Waze focuses on traffic navigation, whereas Google Maps is aimed at people who want to explore the world, read reviews, and find business information.
The good news is that Google has no intention of moving Waze or any of its features behind a paywall. While I don't want to start this debate now, you still pay to use Google Maps and Waze, albeit not with money but with your data. Data is Google's most valuable resource, so despite some people expecting a Google Maps Pro version, I believe the search giant has no interest in pushing its mapping platform in this direction.
Google News