Navionics® Boating Reviews – Page 10
3/5 rating based on 188 reviews. Read all reviews for Navionics® Boating for iPhone.
Navionics® Boating is free iOS app published by Garmin Italy Technologies S.R.L.
Great with a few bugs
byronthegreat
July 2019 Edit (and warning!): The new import/export features are great. We like creating a route and airdropping it to our different iOS devices while at sea. The new “delete charts” feature has also been long awaited, but the first time we tried it on one of our iPhones, it seemed to get stuck deleting. The next time we opened the app it hung when opening and never opened again. We had to delete the app and reinstall (and we were lucky enough to discover the issue while in port in order to re-download it). I would recommend not updating the app to 14.1 (or at least not deleting charts) if you rely on this app until a future update with some better error checking/bug fixing comes our way. Thank you for the continued development in our favorite charting app! ————————————————— Original review March 2019 Wonderful app! You can’t beat the price and accuracy of the charts. We plan to use this app to circumnavigate over the next two years. East coast of USA, Bahamas, and Panama have all been wonderful and accurate so far. I am able to install the app on backup cellular data iPads in lifeproof cases. We use this app as our chart plotter. One of the bugs we have noticed seems to relate to low internet speed. If the app is launched when the device has *barely* one bar of cellular or WiFi internet connection, the app will hang. Force quitting and relaunching the app does not help, but turning off cell data for the app or disconnecting from WiFi does allow the app to launch. Please build in some error checking for low/unusable internet (example: when sailing out of harbor). Another feature we would like to have would be to delete downloaded maps (we would like to delete the US maps to free up space) -without having to delete and reinstall the app. Overall great app and a 5 star app if the bugs are fixed! Thank you!
No detailed lake info like road beds or creek channels?
bryan.jeffries
Trying the 15-day demo and can't seem to find if the app supports details like road beds or creek channels. Other apps do, and surprised if Boating won't, but rather not risk buying a subscription to it if the app does not support.
No split screen support on iPad
supermarin_
Navionics charts are great, and some routes like automatic routing are amazing. However, I’m planning to use it on an iPad alongside as some sensor or weather data. The app should support split screen like the other iPad apps.
DON'T UPGRADE FROM BOATING HD
Mary-ster
This version does not allow you to download NOAA charts without a subscription. I've been a casual user of Boating HD, once or twice a year and not enough to justify a subscription. I was fine with the basic feature set and the ability to keep the freely available NOAA (gov't) charts updated. I naively assumed Navionics would maintain this behavior when Boating HD prompted me to upgrade and offered to transfer my data to the new version. Now my tracks are stuck in an app with no charts. Fortunately Boating HD can still be downloaded and allowed me to get charts for offline use. Restricting proprietary charts makes sense and I support Navionics protecting and profiting from their IP. But not allowing access to charts provided free by NOAA is a step in the wrong direction for maintaining loyal customers. In the future when I purchase a vessel and need a full time tablet based chart plotter I will not buy Navionics and will probably switch to an Android tablet running OpenCPN.
Still Trial...heading mode all is upside down
20WJ
When I go in heading view (and heading south in this example), all the legends and info on the chart is upside down. Is this as intended? I also fly an airplane, and all GPS's including a GNS 430 keep the info upright and legible regardless of North Up or Track Up. To developer's response: goodness, man, we are driving a boat through moving water...what would make you think all that data is LESS important just because we want where we are going in front of us? Especially depths. Yes, please change that. There wouldn’t be a single boater in a thousand who would disagree. The more I think of it, the more ridiculous this is. We all drive cars with GPSs in them...even the developers do...who ever HEARD of a GPS that would present legends to you upside down! Talk about missing the point of a GPS system. My god.
Good but developers unresponsive
T-Milo
The app very good for use on a mobile device. However, I paid to renew my annual subscription and the application won’t restore my purchase and the developers have ignored my two emails to get it resolved. Poor customer service!
Warn when it will expire!!
JennR3
I am a professional captain and use this app daily for route planning etc as a supplement to boat’s GPS and charts. Really great app, but it drives me crazy you don’t get a warning when your subscription for each chart will expire. I’ve had friends stuck in the middle of oceans with no charts because of it. Also a huge nuisance when sailing internationally and downloading charts on Wi-Fi. If it expires in the middle of a trip you’re out of luck. I now know you can log on to the website and see when things will expire, but not particularly helpful as I’d imagine the majority of users only use on phone/iPad as an app. Put up a ticker on the app a few weeks before expiration, or at least send an email as a heads up! A bit dangerous really for those who really solely on the app for navigation.
Scammers
Dahlparty
I paid $14.99 in Feb on iTunes for a one year subscription. I used it three times ice fishing and liked it. Now the app does not work and tells me to upgrade to Navionics+ for $21.99 year. This current app says I no longer have a subscription even though I paid for it on my credit card. I reached out to their bell desk and their auto-reply said that due to high volume they might not get back to me for days.
iPhone only subscriptions
Fhggbg
Sorry to give it this rating because it is a fairly robust app but since the developers don’t tell you, I felt I needed to. If you, like many, have both android and iOS devices you CANNOT share your subscriptions between them. Unlike every other app I have ever owned (kindle, Spotify, etc) they claim they can’t entitle the maps I am paying an annual subscription for across platforms. Lots of other apps manage this but Navionics claims they can’t. Probably just want to gouge you for 2x the annual fee.