what3words: Navigation & Maps


Rating: 4.2	Downloads: 10,000,000+
Category: Maps & Navigation	Offer by: what3words

what3words: Navigation & Maps is an innovative mobile application that replaces complex addresses with three simple words for any location on Earth. Instead of needing an address with street names and numbers, users input or share three easy-to-remember words, significantly improving accuracy and accessibility for global navigation and mapping needs.

This unique approach simplifies logistics and everyday navigation, making it invaluable for travellers, hikers, delivery drivers, and businesses needing pinpoint locations without complex addresses. The what3words: Navigation & Maps app ensures everyone can find and share locations precisely and easily.

App Features

Global Coverage & Accuracy: The app provides three unique words for every three-meter square on Earth, ensuring pinpoint accuracy down to a specific area. This eliminates confusion from vague addresses or landmarks, benefiting users needing exact locations anywhere in the world, especially in unfamiliar areas or regions with poorly defined addresses.
Seamless Integration & Offline Maps: what3words: Navigation & Maps integrates smoothly with your phone’s GPS and standard map applications. It also allows for offline usage, providing essential navigation features even without internet connection, which is particularly useful in remote or low-signal environments, ensuring you never get lost on your travels.
Bespoke Landmark Creation: Users can assign a specific what3words address to a personal landmark, like a favourite seat in a park or a specific bay. This feature solves the problem of sharing unique or personal locations by converting them into the standard three-word format easily, making sharing and finding those spots significantly faster and more convenient.
International Dialer Functionality: The app includes a built-in dialer that allows users to share the three-word address via SMS, WhatsApp, or phone call directly with recipients. This saves time and ensures the recipient gets the precise location instantly, without needing the what3words app installed, making it perfect for quick and clear communication while traveling or coordinating meetups.
Seamless Map Interface: what3words: Navigation & Maps overlays its three-word system directly onto the standard Google Maps view, allowing users to switch between traditional and three-word addresses effortlessly. This flexibility caters to users comfortable with both systems, offering the best of both worlds while highlighting the precision and simplicity of the what3words system.
Advanced Search & Geocoding: Beyond basic searching, the app allows users to find the three-word address for any existing coordinate or place, even if it wasn’t pre-defined. This powerful feature expands usability significantly, enabling users to explore locations precisely or create addresses for any point of interest they discover.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Unparalleled Location Accuracy
Highly Accessible & Simple System
Excellent for Navigation Abroad
User-Friendly Interface

Cons:

Dependent on App Usage for Sending
Requires Learning Curve
Works Best with Digital Recipients
May Confuse Users Used to Traditional Addresses

Similar Apps

App Name	Highlights
Google Maps	This app offers comprehensive street views, public transport routes, and real-time traffic data. Known for global reach and integrating standard addresses seamlessly.
Here WeGo	Designed for exploration and turn-by-turn navigation with detailed offline maps. Includes 3D views and route optimization for driving and walking.
Navmii	Often praised for its customizable interface and robust offline map support for various regions. Offers detailed routing and points of interest management.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does the what3words system work for finding a location I don’t know the words for?
A: You can use the app’s search function to enter a standard address, city, landmark, or even GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude). The app will instantly convert this information into its three-word address format. This is useful for exploring new areas, finding points of interest, or sharing locations precisely.

Q: Is the what3words: Navigation & Maps app free to use?
A: The core navigation and map features using what3words are often free. However, some functionalities, like detailed offline maps or advanced features within the app itself, might operate on a freemium model, where basic usage is free but premium versions offer enhanced data or capabilities for a fee.

Q: Can I use my what3words address on Google Maps?
A: Yes, you can! You can copy the three words and paste them into the Google Maps search bar to find the precise location on their map. This integration makes sharing locations found via what3words very easy and compatible with other services users may be familiar with.

Q: Are the what3words addresses permanent for a location?
A: Yes, the three-word address for a specific three-meter square is permanent and never changes. This provides consistency and reliability, meaning the same three words always pinpoint the exact same spot, which is crucial for logistics, planning, and ensuring long-term usability.

Q: How accurate is the location found using three words?
A: The accuracy is extremely high – typically pinpointing the location to a three-meter square. This level of precision far exceeds standard street addresses, which can often only be resolved to a building or block, making what3words: Navigation & Maps exceptionally reliable for finding and sharing exact spots.