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The new Petal Maps on Huawei phones could be a game changer.
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro has been revealed and it looks quite amazing. But if you had listened carefully to the lead note, you would have heard another announcement that sounded less interesting but could prove crucial.
Now that the current problems between Huawei and the US government mean that there is no possibility that Huawei can access full Google mobile services (such as Play Store, Gmail, and Google Maps), the company has headed towards your own independent solutions to these issues.
Mail is relatively easy to solve – a Huawei app that is compatible with different email systems is good enough. The Play Store is tricky, but as more apps appear on the AppGallery, this issue may slowly resolve itself.
But mapping is a completely different problem.
Petal Maps on Huawei phones could make you forget Google Maps.
Google Maps dominates the space on Android phones and is the app Huawei really wishes it had on board. Although you can of course access it via google.com in the browser, it is not actually the same.
So Huawei brought in the brilliant Here WeGo maps some time ago and more recently TomTom Go Navigation joined the group. That was a huge blow in its own right.
However, we knew that Huawei had signed a deal with TomTom for more than that, and now it’s available. We thought it would be called Huawei Maps (well, what else?), But the company surprised us and aligned the name with the Petal Search app, which is proving successful in helping users identify apps and other things, users. it cannot be found easily.
Hi Petal Maps.
Petal Maps comes to Huawei Mate 40 Pro, a true pioneer.
The app icon only says Maps, but Petal Maps is. Setting up a successful mapping app is really tough: Apple found that when it failed to launch its own mapping app and the native iPhone app took years to catch up.
But Huawei, like Apple, has sought the help of TomTom, a company that brings exceptional skill in navigation and, by the way, its own highly advanced maps. Making world maps is an expensive business, but TomTom did it a long time ago when it bought TeleAtlas.
The new Maps app offers many features, although it is technically still in beta. In over 140 countries, there are detailed maps and, in some places, including the UK, real-time traffic data. There are different points of view, including a 3D view with cut out buildings, category searches with places of interest, and more.
Can it replace Google Maps?
Well that’s a great question. But the initial responses are quite positive. It lacks the ability to download maps in advance, one of the key benefits of Here WeGo. It still doesn’t have the fancy multilayer features of Google Maps and there’s nothing quite like Apple Maps’ amazing Look Around Street View.
But Petal Maps is a clear indication of Huawei’s determination to create something world-class without Google. As it is already a serious competitor to Google, I suspect we should be getting great things as it develops.
Follow me on Instagram, davidphelantech and Twitter, @ davidphelan2009
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