Nokia planning offline maps update to Nokia Drive Windows Phone app

By Tom Warren, on 21st Nov 11 5:35 pm with 8 Comments

Nokia is planning to ship an update to its Nokia Drive service to enable full offline maps.

One of the minor criticisms of Nokia’s Lumia 800 device is the lack of offline maps for Nokia’s Drive GPS application. Nokia Drive is the company’s 3D satellite navigation system. The application is preloaded on the Home Screen of the Lumia 800. The app works across 95 countries and maps can be easily downloaded and stored on the device. Unfortunately the application requires a data connection to make use of the maps for navigation. Nokia is planning to address this shortly.

Nokia Communications Manager, Jurgen Thys Mans, has confirmed to allaboutphones.nl that the firm will push out an update soon to include offline maps for the Nokia Lumia 800. Recalculating, navigating to addresses or points of interest will no longer require a data connection after the update. WinRumors highlighted the issue in our Nokia Lumia 800 review, noting that Nokia was planning to address the shortcoming. You can see a video of the data requirement below.

In other news, Nokia’s Drive application leaked to the Internet over the weekend. The application has been made available for non-Nokia devices that are developer unlocked. Nokia’s Music and Maps applications have also been ripped from their Lumia devices and ported over to non-Nokia devices. Nokia’s Drive application is the last exclusive app from Nokia to find its way onto the internet for all devices. The current state of the Windows Phone Marketplace allows users to download XAP application packages direct from Microsoft’s servers and sideload them providing their device is developer unlocked.

  • Dalgarven

    That would be very helpful in many of the areas here in Scotland where is no signal at all.

  • Rigouh

    And the tethering update?

  • Anonymous

    All these quick updates from Nokia are a good sign.  You would never see HTC or Samsung addressing issues with their phones or apps this quick.

    • Anonymous

      I wouldn’t be so quick to go after HTC. Samsung on the other hand..

    • Anonymous

      You may be right.  I was unfair to HTC since I can’t remember any issues coming up with their WP7 products.  But Samsung and the whole 1.4 version mess is a different story.  Judging from articles though, Dell may take the cake when it comes to worst support.

  • Wlc

    I’ve just got the Lumia and disappointed that Nokia Maps is not easily available. Nokia Drive is nowhere near as good. I hope, too, that as with the old Maps I’ll be able to plan and save a route via my PC and then synchronise to the phone.