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KetoNomad · 10-03-2017, 07:33

So I was recently told about Navionics, looks like a decent program and I was going to download it for my android phone but then I noticed why it's so cheap...the terms you must accept if you want to download the app include giving access to pretty much everything on your phone: contacts, camera, search history etc. No bueno! Is there a more expensive version that DOESN'T involve datamining or am I just stuffed?

Also, before you download it says there are "in app purchases"...what for? And if you are using a Canadian cell phone down in the Caribbean will you get charged for using Navionics? I don't plan to use the phone for anything else but the warnings seemed to indicate there would be costs associated with this.

Haaaalp!

AiniA · 10-03-2017, 08:00

The Navionics app is very cheap but it does not include the maps! You need to buy them separately. I assume they are the same as for the iPad which were in the US$70 range for a very large chunk of the world. I think we used four to go around the world. At the same time I absolutely would not use a smartphone as my navigational aid - the screen is just too small and I not sure how well a phone would do on-term in a marine environment. We use the iPad as our backup but is rarely used outside (although you can get waterproof cases. Do some searching here and you will find many discussions about navigation options.

jmiller148 · 10-03-2017, 08:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

So I was recently told about Navionics, looks like a decent program and I was going to download it for my android phone but then I noticed why it's so cheap...the terms you must accept if you want to download the app include giving access to pretty much everything on your phone: contacts, camera, search history etc. No bueno! Is there a more expensive version that DOESN'T involve datamining or am I just stuffed?

Also, before you download it says there are "in app purchases"...what for? And if you are using a Canadian cell phone down in the Caribbean will you get charged for using Navionics? I don't plan to use the phone for anything else but the warnings seemed to indicate there would be costs associated with this.

Haaaalp! [emoji3]

I've been using it for a little over a year. The app is free and limited. In app purchases allows you to purchase the maps for certain locations that you may want. Access to contacts are so that you can share tracks, routes and etc. Access to the camera is due to them allowing you to take photos and mark them on the chart. I'm not sure about the history. You can download the maps via cell or wifi. Once you've done that it will not need to access either to be used as a chart plotter. Only GPS has to be available.

Hope this helps a bit.

wrwakefield · 10-03-2017, 08:05

Charts are the primary add-on expense.

You need to purchase detailed charts for regions of interest. [Chart sets for mobile apps are relatively cheap compared to dedicated plotters.]

See the Navionics website for more details.

Cheers! Bill

SV Bacchus · 10-03-2017, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by KetoNomad

the terms you must accept if you want to download the app include giving access to pretty much everything on your phone: contacts, camera, search history etc.

Looking to download on a iPad with GPS installed. I've not done it yet but wondering if you read it correctly. Do you HAVE to grant access to those items on your phone or is it asking if it MAY access them?

Again, I've not checked into it yet but I know some programs I download want access to all kinds of data and I never grant access.

However, thinking about pictures on a map for the family "back home" to see and associate a view with a location sounds fairly nice.

Macblaze · 10-03-2017, 08:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by SV Bacchus

Looking to download on a iPad with GPS installed. I've not done it yet but wondering if you read it correctly. Do you HAVE to grant access to those items on your phone or is it asking if it MAY access them?

Again, I've not checked into it yet but I know some programs I download want access to all kinds of data and I never grant access.

However, thinking about pictures on a map for the family "back home" to see and associate a view with a location sounds fairly nice.

I'd guess that Keto is using an Android device on which permissions are usually all or nothing. On the iPad you can usually turn them on and off individually.

SV Bacchus · 10-03-2017, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I'd guess that Keto is using an Android device on which permissions are usually all or nothing. On the iPad you can usually turn them on and off individually.

Great, thanks! That is what I was hoping.

kmahren · 10-03-2017, 21:52

I downloaded I-Boats app for my tablet.... maps are $20 bucks and are VECTOR. At this point I see no reason for any other app because this does all I need and much cheaper than Navionics.

jkleins · 11-03-2017, 06:57

On the iPad you don't have to share those things. They do allow you to post pictures or send your route to someone if you decide to allow them.
I have just about all the apps with charts for the East Coast of the US and will say that none of them are perfect .

Navionic - great feature called Soniccharts. Crowd sourced data about depth with much better detail. Was fantastic on the ICW in the areas of FL and SC that I was on. Easy to toggle between the NOAA ENCs and Navionics vector charts. Good routing function. Lacks AIS support and Active captain. If these functions were added I would not use any other program.

Blue Chart - great Active Captain function. Charts are standard NOAA vector charts. I didn't notice much difference then others in this area. No AIS

MaxSea - the best raster chart display. I like the raster charts so I do use this a lot for planning etc. it is being surpassed by the Navionics though.

INaxX- good raster charts (NOAA) great AIS integration if you have wireless. Poor implementation of zooming and panning. You have to manually select the chart. Not a deal breaker but a pain compared to Maxsea which does it all automagically.

I have tried Polar and iSailor but couldn't even get past the initial setup it was so amateurish. They never saw action.

So my routine is I plot an automatic route on Navionics which does all the calculations for me. I then look it over in MaxSea. When I leave I use iNavX for the AIS function for going in and out of the harbor. When at sea I use the Navionic and toggle back to iNavX occasionally to check the AIS. Coming into anchor I use the Navionics Soniccharts. I then set the anchor with the MaxSea app which allows you to get a close up zoom of your track to see if you are dragging.
You would think you could get alll that in one app.

Jim

Macblaze · 11-03-2017, 09:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkleins

On the iPad you don't have to share those things. They do allow you to post pictures or send your route to someone if you decide to allow them.
I have just about all the apps with charts for the East Coast of the US and will say that none of them are perfect .

Navionic - great feature called Soniccharts. Crowd sourced data about depth with much better detail. Was fantastic on the ICW in the areas of FL and SC that I was on. Easy to toggle between the NOAA ENCs and Navionics vector charts. Good routing function. Lacks AIS support and Active captain. If these functions were added I would not use any other program.

Blue Chart - great Active Captain function. Charts are standard NOAA vector charts. I didn't notice much difference then others in this area. No AIS

MaxSea - the best raster chart display. I like the raster charts so I do use this a lot for planning etc. it is being surpassed by the Navionics though.

INaxX- good raster charts (NOAA) great AIS integration if you have wireless. Poor implementation of zooming and panning. You have to manually select the chart. Not a deal breaker but a pain compared to Maxsea which does it all automagically.

I have tried Polar and iSailor but couldn't even get past the initial setup it was so amateurish. They never saw action.

So my routine is I plot an automatic route on Navionics which does all the calculations for me. I then look it over in MaxSea. When I leave I use iNavX for the AIS function for going in and out of the harbor. When at sea I use the Navionic and toggle back to iNavX occasionally to check the AIS. Coming into anchor I use the Navionics Soniccharts. I then set the anchor with the MaxSea app which allows you to get a close up zoom of your track to see if you are dragging.
You would think you could get alll that in one app.

Jim

I don't suppose you could share charts among the apps? Or are you saying most of them will work with the free NOAA raster charts (other than Navionics that is). Because I checked out MaxSea and implies its $69 in app purchase for Canada and another $59 for the US. On top of the Navionics $75 its starting to add up...

barnakiel · 11-03-2017, 11:18

My friend had some Navionics charts but they disappeared when he upgraded the OS. Now the website says he has them but the phone does not display them. Navionics help center sounded pretty dumb giving answers and tips probably google out ad hoc.

So there is clearly something wrong there.

b.

Simi 60 · 11-03-2017, 11:36

Don't know where you guys get your costing from but I have navionics for free and Aust/NZ for $25.

Macblaze · 11-03-2017, 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Don't know where you guys get your costing from but I have navionics for free and Aust/NZ for $25.

Wow. I think I need to cross the pond. Navionics Canada/US charts for the iPad are $75 CAD

Eder · 11-03-2017, 12:06

Navionics support is top notch. The maps for the app are the same ones I use use on my RM chartplotter.

I use the app on my sailboat from Shearwater to Barra Navidad. I have them on my iPhone, Ipad and Samsung Galaxy.

You get what you pay for.