Navfree USA is about as basic as navigation apps get, but its ability to store local map data, its frequent updates, and the fact that it's free make it an invaluable tool for Android navigation.
Antuan Goodwin
Antuan started out in the automotive industry the old-fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. He now has nearly 20 years of expertise and experience behind the wheel of hundreds of cars, including electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen, and traditional combustion vehicles.
For each car he tests, Antuan covers more than 200 miles behind the wheel and evaluates driving dynamics; acceleration and braking performance; range; and efficiency.
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One of Navfree's major selling points is that it stores its map data locally on your phone, so you won't need to connect to the Internet just to drive home. Custom voices and language packs can also be downloaded.
Maps for all 50 states, plus Canada and Mexico, can be downloaded for free. A "Download All" option would be nice for cross-country road trips and wandering types.
It's not the most fully featured navigation software available for Android, but it gets the job done in a manner that may be good enough for users with low data caps.
Some of the features visible in the menus haven't fully baked, such as integration with your contacts list. This is free, open-source software, so we won't judge it too harshly for still being "under construction."
When used on a device with an Internet connection, Navfree can initiate a Google Search for destinations. Otherwise, you're stuck with its limited local database and simple address entry.
If the mere sight of a moving map is too distracting, this Driving Safety view provides a simplified readout of the next turn, the direction, and the distance remaining.
