The developers of the Route 66 Navigation app announced they have added some new features with the new year.
Route 66 Navigation, offered by Touch Media since 2018, is available for both iPhones and Android operating systems.
A news release detailed the improvements:
A key update introduced early in 2024 is the enhancement of HERE’s maps within the app. These now feature more appealing color schemes, detailed three-dimensional displays of notable buildings, increased details and road visibility along with various other background improvements.
The developers also addressed common user feedback by enabling map scrolling during navigation. The new engine allows for improved navigation and connectivity to Route 66 from diverse locations. It intelligently finds the nearest connection point while correctly determining travel direction, facilitating a continuous journey along historic Route 66.
Voice navigation integration using phone system voices marks another major change; users can now navigate in any language supported by their phone’s operating system. Additionally, an upgraded over-speed voice notification system warns users of speed limits to help them avoid potential speeding fines.
In this version, a feature has also been added to help users bypass toll sections when connecting to nearby historic Route 66 (there are no toll sections on historical Route 66 but some connecting roads or parallel highways, for example in Illinois or Oklahoma, may have them).
Several minor enhancements aim at making traveling on Route 66 even more comfortable. The Route 66 Navigation app is available for free download. The complimentary version allows users to plan trips and explore over 1,200 Points of Interest (POIs) on Route 66, curated by the esteemed author Jim Hinckley. These POIs are organized by state and city along the route.
Additional features include access to the comprehensive Route 66 Guide Book in eight languages, scheduling options for various events on Route 66, and articles from Route 66 News. Subscription-based navigation services are offered for one week or one year, providing turn-by-turn directions with voice commands. Unique features such as notifications for approaching POIs, offline functionality in areas without mobile or data service, and full Apple CarPlay support for iOS users enhance user experience.
Touch Media said other improvements are coming and will be announced later this year.
The competing Route 66 Ultimate Guide stated in a recent Facebook post:
Don’t be fooled into giving your information or money to other Route 66 apps that are created in other countries and don’t have to follow US privacy and user security laws! The Route 66 Ultimate Guide app is created in the USA and right on Route 66 in Illinois.
I asked Marian Pavel of Touch Media to respond. He replied with a lengthy email.
He stated Touch Media’s home base of Slovenia is a member of the European Union, an ally of the United States and a member of NATO.
He also pointed out the Route 66 Navigation app must comply with privacy laws in the countries where it is offered, including the U.S.
Pavel added this:
At the same time, the protection of personal data is extremely strict in the EU, it is subject to several regulations of the European Commission, according to which the national legislation of the Member States (including Slovakia) is regulated, the most important and well-known is GDPR.
To my knowledge, the protection of personal data is significantly stricter in the EU than in the USA, so any user data is paradoxically better protected in the EU than in the US, and this applies to customers from any country in the world.
All data that Route 66 Navigation collects is strictly anonymous, we use common analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Google Firebase and use it strictly for two purposes – to analyze the functionality of the application and identify crashes or other problems, and to anonymously collect statistics data about user behavior on Route 66. We never collect personal data, no data is ever paired with a specific person, no data can be personified. […]
We are as transparent and fair as possible towards our clients, information about all permissions in the application can be found in the App Store and Google Play on the application page.
It’s also been demonstrated that Pavel is true blue in his love for Route 66. He travels the route at least once a year and often more, and a great many businesses on the route think highly of him.
(Disclosure: Touch Media and Route 66 Navigation previously have been advertisers on Route 66 News.)
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