Updating Navionics Deletes Australia and New Zealand!!

[DavefromNZ]

I bought the Navionics ipad Africa/Australasia app a couple of years ago simple because at the time it was the only one that included New Zealand. The latest upgrade says that due to expensive royalties Australia and NZ data will be deleted if I upgrade!!!

It says to get the NZ app. No mention if I am expected to pay again to buy this data. I have emailed Navionics to ask.

If they do expect me to pay then surely a very poor business practice? What will be next? North America split into 10 parts and you must pay again for each part?

[boatsail]

navionics does not work on my google nexus 7. I have it on my phones and ipad. I use mx mariner(dont like mx). I had navionics side loades into nexus, but it now refuses to wrok. I hope they get it back on.

[SteveWolfer]

It is even worse than that. Yes, if you upgrade it will delete any New Zealand or Austrailia chart info that you have already downloaded and will not let you view charts from that area. But they go further. Even if you do not upgrade, it won't let you download charts from those countries.

I think it is theft. You paid for the right to download some charts and now, after the fact, after taking your money, and refusing to refund any, they take away that right that you paid for.

I can't believe they are doing this. Who would ever trust them to in the future if you can't count on being able to download the charts you've purchased? If I went around selling some kind of option, then told people later that it was too costly to actually give them what they paid for, I'd be put in jail for fraud!

Here's another problem with Navionics. You don't have a list of charts that you've purchased, or a list of charts that you've downloaded. This makes if very difficult to plan in advance for long trips (like a run through the South Pacific). You have no way to compare against a list of paper charts. And, you have no way to select charts to delete from memory after you've used them to free up memory. For those who don't know, when you are looking at navionics charts on the iPad or iPhone you might just be pulling them down from the internet and if you sail out of WiFi or cellular connection, no more chart - unless you downloaded it. So, a list of what is downloaded is critical unless you don't care that you might have been mistaken in thinking you downloaded a chart of the atoll you want to visit and not know that till you get there.

Steve Wolfer, svMariah

[banjoship]

Thanks for the heads up.

I bought the same app for android a few months ago. Similar situation there. The latest update (automatic), has converted my app to to Asia and Africa HD. The Australian charts previously downloaded , are still on my device, but I can no longer update or add Australian charts.

I agree with a previous poster, THIS IS FRAUDULENT BEHAVIOUR.

I am considering my options. Lets keep each other informed on this.

Lee

[c.spots]

If they actually delete charts from your Ipad, that would be extremely dangerous for those who use the Ipad as their primary navigation device. It is like buying a chart, and having the seller cut holes in important places.
When I zoomed in on an area in navionics, it automatically downloaded and stored that area's chart. Or when you follow their menu, you highlight the area you want to download, and it is stored automatically. Unless I didn't wait (internet too slow), I have never had problems with missing charts, but would like to be able to store the Google earth overlay.

[banjoship]

I have just checked the Google Playstore description of Asia and Africa HD app. Incredibly, the description still shows coverage of the app including Australia and NZ.

Lee

[DavefromNZ]

No response from Navionics yet to my emailed question as to whether they expect me to pay again for the NZ app/charts. That would be theft. I note in the app store that I would have to pay NZD48.99. It recognizes that I have the Africa / Asia app, so I wrote a bad review.

If the intention is that we should not have to pay again for what we have already paid for then this is being poorly communicated!!!!

[DavefromNZ]

And to make matters worse it also appears that the iTunes store doesn't now recognize that I bought and own the Navionics NZ app for my iPhone.

[sabray]

What say the apps store that sold this?

[banjoship]

I have just re-checked the description of the Asia and Africa HD app on Google Playstore. The screen shot of coverage is now revised to show Australia and NZ as not included.

Navionics are obviously reading this forum. Clearly, they intend to force this one through.

Going through my records, the only record I have of ever purchasing Australasia and Africa HD is on my Google Wallet account. Its going to be interesting to see whether that gets hacked, and how fast.

Lee

[ErikFinn]

I have considered to buy the Navionics charts to my android phone and the expensive charts to my soon-to-have plotter, but if this the way Navionics conducts business I will have to reconsider.

[c.spots]

I can understand changing the product coverage for new sales. But it is a rather slimy business practice to take away a needed product I purchased (NZ and Oz charts), and leave me with something I don't even need, and would not have purchased.
Until this, I was very happy with the program. Now to choose what replacement nav software to buy.

[dansken]

They did similar for the Europe App, deleted the Canaries and Atlantic islands......this software cannot be trusted for navigation.

[Hannu Jarvinen]

The same thing goes for other Navionics IPad charts as well. "Because of expensive royalties" Navionics has removed the Canary Islands from it's Western Europe package.

I don't think royalties are the real reason. It is simply that since the demand for iPad navigators has increased, the prices rise. This is perfectly ok by me.

What is NOT OK, is that I buy something and then the seller tries to take it away from me only to sell it to me again.

Well... Never mind Navionics. We still have Navionics maps in the plotter, but instead of buying Fugawi software to get them on the boat's pc, I installed OpenCPN. Very nice!

Also, I'm currently looking for good alternatives to Navionics in iPads, too. Ideas? Recommendations?

I think that Navionics has overestimated it's market position and hence behaved far more arrogantly than it could ever afford.

Question to Navionics: why not change the chart packages and their pricing only for those who have not yet bought the product? This you could do with almost no badwill at all. Have you really thought this through?

[barnakiel]

But just look up Google Earth - they are not there anymore either. Damn, those guys at Navionics are real quick to upgrade their product!!!

;-)))
silly billy