Tom Tom on a smart phone / android.

[kwackboy]

Merry Christmas to all .

Has anyone used the Tom Tom app on Android ...? If so how good is it .?
Reason I ask is mid January I'm flying to Thailand for a road trip.
I own a Tom Tom rider and checked to see if I can upload a Thailand map but it appears my device isn't compatible (think it's to old) and I'm certainly not going to buy a brand new Sat Nav..!!
Thing is , I'm a bit sceptical about using a smart phone as I believe they are not as good as a stand alone gps device.

[Ianmc]

Buy a cheap iPhone 4 and use Google maps,it works well but hammers the battery,you would need to keep it plugged in to a charger if using it much more than an hour.I tried mine once in a mates car,the maps are free,and the phone has a built in GPS receiver.

[Froglodyte]

I used the tom tom app on my old galaxy s6 phone. When it worked it was as good as a genuine Sat Nav. Unfortunately it used to crash regularly so gave up in the end. Haven't tried it on the new phone so it may have been old technology cocking things up.
Oh, by the way,  it does need to be powered up all the time, otherwise your battery will not last long.

[mr_diver]

I ditched the dedicated GPS this spring.
I now use my Samsung S7 with google maps in an ultimate addons case. I've figured out route planning with maps. The only issue is- If you loose the mobile network signal and change the route it'll have a fit and stop until you're in network coverage again.
That's a real pita for me riding in mid Wales where there is feck all signal.

to be honest I tried the TomTom app... it was just like the real Tom Tom GPS unit - uncooperative, glitchy and crash happy. I complained and got my money back for the purchace of the app.
I've tried a few others (before purchasing) and I've found Google maps to be the most reliable. It doesn't do everything, but it's reliable and that's the most important thing.

[wurzel]

Google maps for me too, keep the phone on charge,and it is deception reliant as said, but it is reliable, and you can download your route.

[kwackboy]

I have a galaxy S8 and I plan to use up to date downloaded offline maps either via a Tom Tom app or as said Google Maps. I won't use the phones data because roaming charges would cost a fortune so I'm going to rely on the phones GPS capabilities only.
I've always used Tom Tom, never had any issues but find it frustrating that I can't upload a dedicated map, my Sat Nav is only 5 years old . 

[Brockett]

@wurzel did you really mean "deception reliant"  but maybe you did as both my tomtom and Garmin are often misleading. I often have to look up a place on Google so as to enter the postcode in the satnav or maybe it's just me 

[kwackboy]

Just to add to my last post.
 
A phones GPS location is more accurate using 3 applications , it's GPS, provider signal and WiFi .

Has anyone just used their phones on airplane mode using GPS only ?

[sjrainsford]

I’ve used the TomTom app for years driving all over the country with my iPhone and for the most part I’ve found it faultless. As the maps are installed on the device it doesn’t require data, only requiring it for traffic.
It surpasses google maps etc in both of those aspects.
As a personal preference I prefer the route calculations too.

I can’t however comment on how it performs on an android device.  It also loses some functionality with regard to my TomTom rider such as advance route planning features.  If it wasn’t for the hassle of putting my phone in a holder and faffing around plugging it in, I’d probably get rid of my TomTom rider.

[Ridaz]

I used my mobile phone and Google Maps for my trip around Spain and Portugal last year and it done the job for me. The only downside was on a number of occasions the phone struggled with the heat and sometimes shut itself down. The phone itself was stored in a givi case designed for the job but as this was waterproof it had very little airflow when riding.

GPS Underground (https://gpsunderground.com/forum/) is a good site for showing you how to resolve a number of minor issues like getting the latest maps and firmware on GPS devices so maybe you can upgrade your old Tomtom.

[kwackboy]

Cheers for all your input gent's .. 

The Thailand map file size won't fit onto my TomTom rider 2013 because it doesn't have expandable memory so it looks like I'm going to have to use my phone. It's a shame because I've had zero issues with it in all the British and European trips I've done and will continue to use it until I can't update it. 
I've done a little research and it appears with an offline map my Samsung S8 is more than capable, apparently..!.
I've uploaded the Tom Tom app and uploaded UK and Thailand maps , I shall be doing some offline testing before I go .. ????????????