Is there a GPS navigation app that does voice recognition?

October 17, 2011 11:41 AM

This is the only thing I miss from my Android phone. On my Android phone, I could hold the search key and say, out loud, "navigate to 123 main street" or "navigate to the nearest drugstore" or "navigate to John's house" ... and Google Nav would open and begin navigating. Does anything voice-activated like that exist for iPhone?

(Even if I have to launch the app first...)

posted by dmd to computers & internet (10 answers total)

Siri does this.
posted by TheBones at 11:45 AM on October 17, 2011

Do you have a new 4S? Because that's almost exactly how Siri works. Someone else may be able to chime in with an app that handles voice navigation for older phones.
posted by Oktober at 11:45 AM on October 17, 2011

Does Siri give turn-by-turn navigation?
posted by jefficator at 11:56 AM on October 17, 2011

Yes, I have a 4S, and no, Siri does not do this. Siri will only launch Google Maps, which does not do turn-by-turn navigation or voice directions. It won't even update your route if you make a wrong turn. It is not a true navigation app.
posted by dmd at 12:05 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

That's what I was thinking. So you're asking for an app that does turn by turn navigation? I would like that, too.
posted by jefficator at 12:07 PM on October 17, 2011

http://www.macworld.com/article/156720/2011/01/gps.html
posted by Oktober at 12:14 PM on October 17, 2011

For those who have never used Google Navigation: it's like Siri crossed with a TomTom or Garmin GPS. The voice recognition uses AI to figure out the address of the type of destination, and then the screen becomes a "typical GPS screen" that shows a heads-up display of the road you're currently driving on, with voice announcements that tell you when to turn.

This, unbelievably, is a totally free feature on most reasonably current Android phones. If you're an iPhone user who can't understand why anyone would use Android, Google Navigation is a big reason why.

AT&T Navigator, if you're on AT&T, is the closest thing on the iPhone. Note that it is not free, there is a monthly or yearly charge. It will do voice recognition through a call to a phone number, but I don't believe the AI component of that is as advanced as Google Navigate or something like Siri - I believe you need to specifically speak the destination address.
posted by eschatfische at 12:29 PM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

" road you're currently driving on" >> I'll note that it works fantastically well walking, also. The phone sort of "buzzes" in your hand when you reach a corner and should turn, and "buzzes" when you reach your destination. Using it for the first time was the one thing that made me go "oh wow, the future is really here" - I am horrible at following printed out directions in cities (come out of the subway facing the wrong way, etc etc etc) and this just totally fixes all that. Love it.
posted by lyra4 at 1:29 PM on October 17, 2011

There is a TomTom app that gives tbt navigation, but it is not voice activated. It works fine most of the time.
posted by tamitang at 7:34 PM on October 17, 2011

This, unbelievably, is a totally free feature on most reasonably current Android phones. If you're an iPhone user who can't understand why anyone would use Android, Google Navigation is a big reason why.

You act as if this is some secret.

On topic, no, not voice activated. I use Navigon which has been remarkably accurate. I got it for 30 bucks, which while not free, is cheap enough, and good enough to keep me from even thinking about going to android.

No one can say for sure, but if the API is opened up for non-apple software, this will be possible sooner than later, and seeing where Siri is after just being released, will probably be pretty amazing.
posted by justgary at 2:32 PM on October 19, 2011