Motorcycling with the Go App for Android
grof
Registered Users Posts: 95 
Supreme Trailblazer
Supreme Trailblazer
I recently joined this forum to get some help with an upcoming trip. I tried lots of different apps and planners but finally settled on using the MyDrive desktop app to plan the Route and the Go app on my phone to speak it back to me. I found and was helped with a bunch of really useful findings that I thought I'd share in one post. I hope you find them useful.
1) Using the My Drive desktop app, one can plan a route, can now avoid motorways as one of the criteria, but also choose a level of 'Thrill' and also have the app display 'scenic' roads to help with ones choice. No need to always go Fastest as prescribed by Google Maps and others.
2) Syncing this route with other devices allows the user to access the route using the GO app on their phone, but the best bit is that if you use 'Serena' as the voice and check the correct settings, 'she' will read out the road names and so you can just slip the phone into your pocket and use a pair of earbuds. Eyes on the road the whole time! Instructions are clear and often have lane instructions in plenty of time.
3) You can share routes that you've made by exporting a GPX file from MyDrive. Friends can then go into MyDrive on their PC and log in then select MyRoutes they then have an option to import a GPX file. Once they have done that and checked the option for it to Sync to their Units then they will have it in MyRoutes on their TT units.
You have the same option on your account to import .GPX files created on various sources.
I must credit YamFazMan and DougLap for most of the above advice, I've just put it together in the hope its as useful to someone else as it was to me. Thanks both.
1) Using the My Drive desktop app, one can plan a route, can now avoid motorways as one of the criteria, but also choose a level of 'Thrill' and also have the app display 'scenic' roads to help with ones choice. No need to always go Fastest as prescribed by Google Maps and others.
2) Syncing this route with other devices allows the user to access the route using the GO app on their phone, but the best bit is that if you use 'Serena' as the voice and check the correct settings, 'she' will read out the road names and so you can just slip the phone into your pocket and use a pair of earbuds. Eyes on the road the whole time! Instructions are clear and often have lane instructions in plenty of time.
3) You can share routes that you've made by exporting a GPX file from MyDrive. Friends can then go into MyDrive on their PC and log in then select MyRoutes they then have an option to import a GPX file. Once they have done that and checked the option for it to Sync to their Units then they will have it in MyRoutes on their TT units.
You have the same option on your account to import .GPX files created on various sources.
I must credit YamFazMan and DougLap for most of the above advice, I've just put it together in the hope its as useful to someone else as it was to me. Thanks both.
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Comments
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I forgot to mention that a perennial problem with using Android devices with earphones is that the volume control often adjusts itself downwards until all audio is lost, which can mean losing directions without realising.
There is however a free app I found called 'volume lock' which simply allows the user to lock the volume in a fixed position. Brilliant! I have now been using it successfully for some time.1 -
I should also point out that it is all but useless if you want to share a route with an iPhone user running the GO app. Shame as that is precisely what I wanted to do.0
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I have never seen the Avoid Motorway option on MyDrive, where can I find it.0
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Hi @raesewell
If you Go to MyDrive on your PC and select Plan a Route, then at the top you select the Vehicle type , in the middle you select Fastest or Thrill and at the Bottom you will see Avoid Nothing. Click on Avoid Nothing and you get a number of options including Avoid Motorways.
Now you should remember if you just send the route to your Rider without saving it as a Track if you have not got Avoid Motorway selected on. your Rider it will recalculate including Motorways if appropriate.
If you want to ensure the Avoid Motorways is maintained then save the Route as. Track and Sync it to your Rider. Then when you select the Route from My Routes the Avoid Motorways is applied even if your Rider does not have that set in the Route Settings.
Doug1 -
Hi sorry for the tardy reply, thanks for the info. The avoid Motorway option must be a fairly recent addition. I will make use of it.0
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HI @raesewell
Yes it is a new feature added within the last month or so.
One thing you need to be aware of.
If you set the Avoid Motorway option in MyDrive and then Send the Destination to your Tomtom unit if the Tomtom does not have the same Avoid Motorways setting it will recalculate the route and include Motorways if appropriate. If however you Save to MyRoutes in MyDrive then Sync it to your Tomtom unit it will retain the Avoid Motorway as it sends it as a Track which mean it will religiously follow that irrespective of Traffic data etc.
Doug5
