The HERE Maps app is changing. Starting today with the latest Android and iOS updates, the app is renamed HERE WeGo. This major revision includes improvements to its functionality and design, all geared towards the #1 way people use our app – working out the best way to get to where they want to go.

The first change is a simple one, but it’ll save you time and it helps people get straight to the primary function of the app.

When you open HERE WeGo, the ‘Where to?’ instruction in the search box invites you to enter a destination. Input this, and you’re taken straight to choosing between different modes of transport to get to where you want to go – without that extra click on the ‘find a route’ icon that used to be at the bottom of the screen. Bam!

The new Route Comparison screen is where you’ll see additional information in HERE WeGo, and also the most design changes.

Starting today we are beginning to roll out new transport options. In the many major cities in which it operates, alongside the existing car, public transit, cycling and pedestrian options, you’ll find new options from car-sharing firm Car2Go. This will show you where the nearest available cars are on the map, with the estimated cost of using the rented car to get to your destination, the fuel level and more details about the car. You can even just press a button to launch the Car2Go app and reserve a car on the spot.

In addition, in many cities*, you can get taxi information for your route – the latter including approximate fare, wait time and a call button.

We will be adding taxi information for more cities and more car sharing services over coming months.

Last, but by no means least, bicycle routing is once again improved – now with elevation profiles – so you can judge available routes by the effort required, as well as updates on what’s coming next.

Because there’s more information on the screen, we’ve changed it to a lighter coloured background which aids readability and also lets the new icons shine a little more.

Most of our new features for HERE WeGo will also be available on our web app – soon now available through wego.here.com – which will become the default web address. Again, there’s a new focus on getting to places, rather than just looking around, and new transport providers in the mix.

Why WeGo

On the name change. ‘HERE Maps’ was a bit too generic, we think. Too similar to a bunch of other, lesser apps. And the truth is that very few regular users open our app to look at a map – they want to get somewhere and find the fastest way to do that.

Putting its main use – getting to places – front and centre, and into the name, is intended to help people understand what the app is for, what to expect from it and how to use it.

Patrick Weissert, Director of Consumer Experiences at HERE, explains the change of emphasis in the app:

“We’re in the midst of a massive change – a mobility revolution – and the new app reflects this.”

“The first two urban mobility revolutions came with the railways and then cars. They gave birth to large cities and then the suburbs.

“Now we’re changing again. Urban mobility is becoming an on-demand service. Increasingly, in metropolitan areas, people don’t need to own a car any more. Instead, there’s a fast-moving, emerging landscape of car-sharing, bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, car pooling, peer-to-peer rental and ride-hailing services, there are even providers now offering flight sharing!”

But all these different services – great as they are – come with an overhead. People might need to switch between 5-10 apps to assess all the different options for any trip. In practice, they’ll probably stick to the same 1-2, and thus never consider what might be better options from other providers.

HERE WeGo aims to cut out that app duplication and overload and give people as many choices as possible, as quickly as possible, under a single banner.

HERE WeGo is available today for Android and the new functionality is also available in the latest iOS update – your next app update will replace the HERE Maps app with HERE WeGo.

We hope you agree that these are all really positive changes, and look forward to hearing your reactions.

*Taxi fare information will be available in the following cities/areas at launch:

Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Greater San Francisco Bay Area, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Stuttgart and Toronto.