Yes

 

Thanks..

 

I use Google Maps via Android Auto wireless connection so not that concerned about the nav in the car, BUT...If someone installs and confirms a nav app that works well and is self contained, I would sure install it as a backup when out of cell service or phone issues.

 

MKC8 is saying he loaded Waze into the car that works as a standalone, no subscription, Nav system.

 

No, he installed and uses Waze but it will NOT work without a data plan as Waze does not have self contained maps. Waze IS Google maps with a different interface. He named a few other GPS apps but I am not familiar with any of them and it does not appear he has used any of them.

 

Annoying annoying annoying!!!

I was under the impression you can connect your car to your home WiFi and use that to download maps without a data plan. I was confused that gm would allow any third party app to use the in cap gps signal.

If you are correct I’m back to writing every member of the board of directors to express my disappointment at gm raising prices $5k and removing $2k worth of content. Someone else also mentioned that gm handicapped CarPlay by no longer allowing it to use the full screen but I have not tried it myself.

gm owes every 2024 owner a fully functioning no subscription required Nav system.

the C8 is a rare exception in that it has no direct competition (mid engine, 500HP, under $100k) and for gm to take advantage of C8 buyers to try and force cheap money grab is bullshit.

I have also read 2024 Silverado customers having the same issue and every owner seems to not really understand what gm did until after they have purchased the car. People need to complain. A lot….. and the most important thing is NOT BUY anything else gm until they stop treating customers like ****.

 

I am not buying a C8 for the infotainment system...maybe you are but I am not. Yes, I wish the 2024 C8s got the same system the 2023 C8s have. But it's not a big enough deal to make me not buy the car. Plus, I will be using CarPlay all the time anyway. So, as long as CarPlay is present, I will be content.

 

Waze doesn't let you download maps ahead of time whether it is on your phone or in the car. It is a Waze thing, not a GM thing. Other apps (including Google Maps) will allow you to download maps ahead of time.
What I don't know (I don't have a 2024) is if you can download a Google Maps region ahead of time in the car if you are using wi-fi data and not OnStar. Someone will have to try it. The documentation says you can download Google Maps regions to your car ahead of time when you might be going out of cell range if you have an OnStar plan.

 

Garmin is back in business. Offers the free Life Time Map Update.
________________________________________
2019 Mustang GT Premium 6MT Daily Driver
2023 Corvette Stingray 2LT
2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

 

When the weather improves, I'll try a couple of them, and see which ones work with the least effort.
I've got full connectivity, so I'm not overly concerned with this either.
I just stumbled upon the thread(s) about it, and decided to experiment.
I've used MapFactor on my phones before, and it's average for ease of use and functionality. I think the North American maps are around 5 GB total, so that might be a limiting factor for some older phones (or the C8 Infotainment System - HDD/SDD storage capacity). My current ASUS ROG phones have a half terabyte SSD, so plenty of room on them for map downloads.
I have Here WeGo installed as well, but haven't played with it much. Car or phone.
If it (the offline maps naviagtion/routing app) works on your smartphone when you're in "airplane mode", and can give you routing info and directions, then it will work in the car without a wifi or data connection.
You just have to remember to download the maps first. Can take a while depending on the network connection speeds. The GPS part is built into the phone (or C8 Infotainment System) and will work without any data/internet connection, like a Garmin GPS standalone unit.

 

I think it's included (Lifetime Maps) with most of their newer stuff.

 

I downloaded and installed Waze into the C8, while sitting in my driveway back in late November, connected to my home wifi router.
I don't know much about it, having come from using Garmin standalone GPS units in my "older technology" fleet of personal vehicles.
However, I have tried it once or twice, and it seems to work OK. I'm not sure if you can "pre-load" offline maps? If you say it can't, I'll take your word for it. Or, I'll look.
In that link I posted, there were at least 3 apps that should work in the C8 as offline maps navigation programs.
Be bold, go where no one has gone before, try one of them.
My car is stored and unavailable for testing, until the weather improves here in Ontario, Canada.
No guarantees on that timing.....

 

Was considering a C8 to park next to my C7 GS M7. With all of this kind of BS and other issues bought a Lexus RC. Flawless and pretty fast.

 

so you downloaded Waze directly in to the C8 instead of using it through your phone? How did you do that? Then I guess your phone would have to act as a hotspot to use it? Thanks, Sam

 

Yeach.

 

The car only needs a data plan that you can connect to thru the car's wifi network, does not have to be OnStar. You can connect the car to your home wifi router and all the features will work. Obviously it won't work while you are driving so connect the car's wifi to your phone hotspot if you have one. I have an iPhone with an ATT plan that I get a hotspot for free. You simply enable the hotspot on your phone, connect your car's wifi to it, and voila! All the built in features will work. You could also do this with a portable mobile hotspot if you have one. The key is the car just needs to connect to some kind of data plan thru it's built in wifi.. It's under settings, wifi in the infotainment system. OnStar just happens to be a data connection you can pay GM for, but you can still use your own.

 

To me this is a reasonable work around to not have to pay for an OnStar subscription. It is a little bit of a hassle to have to bring your phone with you when you drive but most people do anyway. A phone can be set to automatically turn on the hotspot when you are in the car. But there times when a phone can be finicky and it could be a hassle trying to convince it to work while you are driving.

 

For now, and being Canadian, I have the "3 year OnStar full functionality package that bumped the price of my C8 by C$1200" connectivity, as well as wifi in the driveway from the home wifi router (good for fast downloading large files, like maps), and a phone with unlimited talk/text/data (200GB unthrottled/month) good in the US and Canada. My "co-pilot" has a phone that shares the 200GB/month, but we're finding it's wat more than we'll use unless we stream TV/videos/music. We sometimes watch TV on the road, bt the screen size isn't ideal.
I could use the phone as a wifi hotspot, but I won't need to do that until my OnStar package expires November 2026.
I don't use the Waze on the phone via the data plan because I've found the Nav apps I've tried can sometimes be battery power vampires while running.
My phone don't support NFC or conductive charging, so I'd have to plug them in somewhere, and the USB ports in the middle storage box would be awkward to use for me hard wired.
So, the last answer is, park the C8 in the driveway, use it's Infotainment Settings (DIC) menu to find the Network settings, scan for the home wifi router's SSID (name), select it and enter the wifi access password, OK any other confirmations, and the car now connects to the home router when in the driveway. Saves me bandwidth on OnStar and our phones data plans (even though we have 200GB shared/month), and my home router's (Canadian) ISP is cheaper ($$) for unlimited than the others. Once you're connected, go to the DIC (Infotainment) touch screen and select Google Play Store (might have to swipe left/right to find it), sign in with any google/android account (I use my free gmail.com address) and search for the NAV app that you want to try (Here WeGo and Mapfactor both have offline maps capability), download, install, open the app and look for the "maps" functions. There will be a "use offline" tab or link in the app, select it, and follow the instructions and download the maps to the car's SSD, then play around with the app, until you get it to create a route, and follow it. Doesn't have to be a long one, just do local for testing.
If this is confusing, or "above your pay grade" for techie skills, ask your kids or grandkids for help.

 

Good summary.
If you choose to use a NAV app with offline maps, you can download and install it in your driveway using your home wifi router.
They work without any connectivity, once they're installed and the maps are downloaded.
On some phones, you have to fiddle with some of the associated settings when creating a "wifi hotspot".
On mine (ASUS ROG series) Data Saver must be "off" for the Hotspot thing to work. If it's "on", the HotSpot icon is grayed out.
There may be other subtle settings nuances, but trial and error can usually circumvent them, too.

 

Another consideration if choosing to use your phone like a standalone Garmin GPS, is battery life.
Some smartphone NAV apps are power vampires, and I would need to plug my phone in to keep it charged.
It doesn't support proximity/NFC charging, and there aren't a lot of powered USB outlets in the C8.