‘Revolutionary’ is a rather over-used term when it comes to technology, but it seems entirely appropriate when referring to Apple’s iPhone. It’s been nothing less than a game-changer in the mobile world, single-handedly re-inventing the touch screen smartphone and the way that software apps are distributed.
We’ve long been interested in producing a version of CoPilot for iPhone – we showed 0ff an early version at the CES back in January. So when Apple recently allowed the sale of turn-by-turn navigation apps via the iPhone App Store it was quite simply, game-on.
Today we launched CoPilot Live on the UK App Store, bringing CoPilot’s full-featured navigation experience to the iPhone. Starting at £25.99 and available to download directly to the phone, it includes UK and Ireland maps with 7 digit UK postcodes (unlike some other iPhone navigation products we won’t mention). As with all CoPilot products, maps are stored on the phone not downloaded each trip. There’s no need for extra hardware or monthly fees – just start CoPilot on your iPhone, enter a destination and go there.
CoPilot for iPhone is the first new smartphone platform announcement for CoPilot since … well … Android in June, and we are very excited to be able to be able to bring CoPilot directly to wide audience via Android Market and the App Store. In addition to being able to buy the product instantly it enables users to very easily obtain software updates automatically to users.
Meanwhile, the first review of CoPilot Live for iPhone has been published on PDA 24-7 and it’s fair to say that it did quite well:
“CoPilot Live for iPhone is spectacularly good. It is hard to comprehend the value buried in this application. It is the very best satellite navigation solution available on the iPhone at this time, and I suspect it will be in 6 months time as well.” Read the review in full at http://www.pda-247.com/
More information about CoPilot Live for iphone is available at www.copilotlive.com/iphone
[ratings]
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107 Comments
I read this communicate, but I’ve got a question:
Why do you sell only UK Maps at 33€?Why aren’t there Italy,Germany,Spain maps….but only Europe at 79€?
@stejano – Other map regions will be available soon. We’ll post on the blog when we have news to share.
@Stephen T – If you’d like to buy the Europe version then it’s best to wait for that to become available.
Is it possible to buy a map upgrade for Europe now, or do we have to wait until the Europe version is available?
Hello. Thank you for this great info! Keep up the good job!
Hello!
Co-Pilot for Iphone Europe version seems to be a very interesting app! However, I was not able to find on the web if this Europe version has been translated in french (app and voices). If not is it planned to do it?
Regards
Will the Europe version get the same updates as the UK version – e.g. speed camera etc?
When the other languages (e.g. italian) will be available for the Europe version?
Hi, when is the USA map set likely? I assume my exisiting maps/map license from my WM copy won’t apply? I’m going to the states in two weeks and would like to get this running if possible!
Where did the Europe version go? Its not in iTunes anymore??
Wanted to by Europe version and its gone from iTunes and ALK site!??
Where its gone?
Will buy UK and get Tomtom Europe I guess!
i downloaded copilot for my iphone 3gs through the apps store, however im experiencing problems, once i get into the program i went through the stage of choosing the voice assistent then it goes into ‘Create Your CoPilot ID’ i fill in my email and a password and click on OK- and then all of a sudden the program closes- please help somebody!!!!
Am having same problems as above. Help much appreciated.
Solved above by deleting appplication from both iPhone and PC and starting process again. The first time I tried to register I was not near a WiFi link and it was only afterwards did I see the warning that you must be near a WiFi link for the intial registration.
Did anyone get the Europe version at all or is it faulty like Sygic was when it arrived in iTunes/appstore?
Got Navigon and will have to wait for Tomtom then.
Downloaded this app from iTunes store (UK maps) – just what ive been waiting for. I had Co-Pilot on PDA some time ago and loved it.
Full postcode and turn by turn work effortlessly.
i have 2 gripes, firstly i’m used to the QWERTY type keyboard and the alphabetical one takes some getting used to. Wouldnt it have been easier to just use the iPhone supplied keyboard for data entry? The second problem is not returning to your journey when youve answered a call.
All in all a fantastic product though and a complete master stroke to price it at £26, will take some beating.
This sounds totally opposite of what i have brought, i have a 3gs and it will not connect to gps and alk email reply ime is 5 days loosing faith every day, Any ideas how to solve this?
Got this and am very impressed. One thing i can’t get working however is the Live Link. Keeps telling me to check my internet connection when the connection is fine. Live weather works ok but live link simply won’t connect
I quit CoPilot today. I used it on my HTC-Dream running Android 1.5. The maps for my town were too outdated (Perrysburg Ohio, a Toledo suburb). The street I live on was not on the map, and then most infuriating, it would NEVER route down I-75, which is obviously the fastest way to get through/across town. It just had a special kind of hate for I-75, to the point it would literally route me into a rest stop drive, off of, and back on to I-75, just so it could get itself off that street for 20 seconds. Beyond insane, and I couldn’t figure out how to get it to use that road. It sucked too much of my RAM, didn’t put enough on the SD card. I couldn’t disable the voice direction, it always turned itself back on every time I exited. It doesn’t swap between apps, if I had to go to another app, to answer the phone, or to check/send and SMS, it would shut itself off, and have to do a full software reboot when swapping. It would not take addresses from my browser or address book. It would not send addresses/coordinates/locations to my address book. I tried. I gave it a good 3 months. I’d like to get my money back, but I doubt that will happen. The google maps app, while not having the nice 3D display, works well enough, especially since it added the direction arrow. In my town, there was no Speed Limit Data, There was no construction data, there was no stationary camera data.
CJD, wont it charge you for a 2nd tme tho?????
RT joost and scoobydu, was just about to buy the EU version (great value) and it disappeared? Please bring it back Christian!
@David – We are currently making some updates to the Europe version and expect to make it available on the App Store again shortly.
@Stephen T – Some users have problems signing in with the CoPilot ID, using a wi-fi connection fixes the issue in most cases. Product will be back on iTunes soon, so you can review it later. Thanks for the feedback and feature suggestions.
@Pakman – Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I’ll pass your comments on to the Product Management team.
@Ed – QWERTY keyboard will be available as a free update.
@CJD – Some users have problems signing in with the CoPilot ID, using a wi-fi connection fixes the issue in most cases.
I bought the EU version on Friday but it no longer shows on iTunes so I can’t leave any feedback there.
1. Live link won’t connect via GPRS, EGDE or 3G so journey I made today was not trackable by friends on the Live Link URL
2. Can’t use Copy and Paste in the app so can’t copy postcodes from Safari into copilot
3. When going <5 mph arrow turns to circle as if stationary so lose directions. No good in slow moving traffic
4. GPS signal lost many times on my 30 min trip on South Coast, UK. did think it was clouds on way there but return journey not a cloud in sight and lost GPS signal two or three times, and again no Internet connectio. For Live Link even though Weather worked fine and had GPRS/Edge signal.
Would be nice if arrow stayed on road when signal lost assuming existing direction and course instead of not displaying any direction at all
5. Lost track of current position a few times, and slow to pick up
Those are my negatives.
The positives:
1. Nice graphical UI, easy to use and follow
2. Like the Live Link potential if it works in the future
3. 7 digit post code
4. Customisable display options
5. Fast recalculation
6. Quicker than Navigon to restart after phone calls
This is a good port but it needs an update to fix the above issues. Sometimes the display shows "calcating route" aftercare restart but it wasn't. Had to go into options and change the display to remove it. It needs the traffic update and speed cameras, and the planned GPS improvements.
Provided the above issues are addressed this will be the best Sat Nav for the iPhone and will outsell TomTom because of the price.
I hope this helps potential buyers and ALK to address the faults
2. Fast recalculation
Posted the above directly from the iPhone, so excuse the spelling and grammar. All caused by the iPhones terrible spellchecker which replaced some of my misspelt words automatically
Got this and am very impressed. One thing i can’t get working however is the Live Link. Keeps telling me to check my internet connection when the connection is fine. Live weather works ok but live link simply won’t connect. I have deleted the appplication from both iPhone and PC and re-installed but still have the same issue!Keeps telling me to check my internet connection Keeps telling me to check my internet connection please help.
Downloaded yesterday and was mortified to find my road has no house numbers available. The road name is also spelt wrong. How to I notify errors like this?
@David – thx
@Pakman – thx for the nice roundup, it made me think twice and wait for an update, and og ofcourse the Europeversion to appear again in iTunes store.
I bought the European version on Friday night, great like it! TOMTOM have lost out to another customer.
Although I’d like to leave a review and the app in itunes has disappeared!
With the initial sign-in, I established a WiFi connection, then I noticed I had to establish safari browser session to http://www.alk.eu.com/
Not 100% sure if this will work again, but it worked for me.. I had tried about 10 times to get signed in, it finally worked after this.
Really like CoPilot, after only ever using TOMTOM on my old Nokia N65 phone (now going on ebay). Shame you can’t add your current GPS position to ‘My Places’. Can’t wait for the update and safety-camera warnings to work.
Although how can you turn the voice commands off completely? I can turn the direction voices off, but not the starting voice. I like to only have the voice directions on when I am in a city centre or close to destination in built up areas. I used to be able to do this easily on the TOMTOM, It would be nice if they could alter this.
All-in-all great software!
Previous comment “Shame you can’t add your current GPS position to ‘My Places’”
Now found you can record current GPS position, how stupid do I look!
NICE can´t wait to buy the European version – due for a review in denmark.
Thanks Christian; here’s hoping “shortly” is very short!
Me too…..
Hi
a couple of points for the uk iPhone version
1. Why is live search only available at startup rather than from the live services menu ?
2. When I chose home I only get voice info rather than voice and the turns shown on the map ?
3. When I clear a route it remains shown on the map until I zoom in or out
4. Why can I only have the aa as my breakdown service ?
I’d appreciate it if you could tell me when/if the above items will be fixed or if I am just being a numpty and can’t find the options
cheers + it’s generally a good app
Jon
Got this and am very impressed. One thing i can’t get working however is the Live Link. Keeps telling me to check my internet connection when the connection is fine. Live weather works ok but live link simply won’t connect. I have deleted the appplication from both iPhone and PC and re-installed but still have the same issue!Keeps telling me to check my internet connection and now tells me INVALID LIVE USERNAME AND/OR PASSWORD but i can still log on to the live account on my pc with my same details help help…….
Some good points from JonT on uk iPhone version
1. Why is live search only available at startup rather than from the live services menu ?
2. Why can I only have the AA as my breakdown service?
@Darren,
A few of us have reported the Live Link issue. Works fine with Wifi, but not when you’re out and about via GRPS/EDGE or 3G.
I had a reply from ALK asking about setup, and have responded. Still waiting for them to confirm it’s a Bug and whether it’ll be in the next update or not.
I also bought the EU version they day before it vanished from iTunes. Christian Oliff (above) replied saying they were making some updates to the Europe version and it should be available again soon. What those updates are exactly is still not clear.
Will the Europe version get the same updates as the UK version – e.g. speed camera etc?
Hi, yes it will do.
Great to hear – are you able to advise an approximate timeframe for re-release of the European version for iphone? – i.e Days, weeks, months?
I hope it’s not weeks or months. To be fairer to the people that shelled out the £60 as opposed to £25, the Europe version should be updated and released at the same time, if not before the less expensive UK version gets it’s update.
I’m still trying to get Live Link to work. As a last resort, I backed up my device in iTunes, then did a restore back to factory settings, then restore from backup, then a resync. This took hours to recopy 15GB of Music, Apps and Photos. First few attempts, Live Link worked on GPRS, and Wifi and 3g. However it’s not consistent, and this morning, got 3 failed connection attempts, then a successful one after checking for mail (via GPRS). The connection in CoPilot appears to be, a try once deal. I’ve not seen any evidence of any periodic attempts at reconnection. Perhaps this should be a feature/enhancement if it’s not already and not obvious.
ALK Support are responding, but so far, they’ve confirmed it works fine on their handsets and need convincing further that it is actually a problem others are experiencing and not just me.
Has anyone else contacted ALK Support about Live Link issues?
I hope they do take this issue seriously, and truy to fix it before putting Europe back on iTunes, otherwise those who bought the EU version will have to wait even longer for the update, and downloading 1.3GB and resyncing to the device is not a quick task.
It may be showing, but I’m gradually becoming disappointed with this App. It reads a great Apps with lots of features, but some don’t work, and some need improvements, and for those who’ve shelled out already, we need some encouragement from ALK that the fixes are acknowledged, are being addressed and an ETA on a solution.
Like a few others waited and waited for the TomTom release. When i saw the europe edition on the app store, i let my breath out and decided on purchasing it, but it had disappeared. So, when will it be released? Or am i going to have to hold my breath again. My Doctor says that this is not conducive to my health.
Coupe of things for you to pass on if you would:
Can you make it so that successive turns within a short distance (<500 yards) are announced? It only tells you to turn at the turn which is very dangerous. It displays the next turn and distance but it's too dangerous to keep looking at the screen.
Can you dip the music when announcing instructions?
Please check the reviews on the app store as others have said much more than me!
Thanks.
P.S. How long until this will be updated?
Been doing more testing on this Live link, and so far come up with one way of getting live link to connect.
- Open and check an email account or Safari Web Page with a GPRS/3G connection
- Then load CoPilot
It seems CoPilot decides internet connection won’t work and no matter how mamy times you try in that same session, if refuses to connect. Exit, then open Safari or Email to establish that connection, then reload CoPilot after this, the connection seems to be successful and quick. Initial connected via Sfari or Email can sometimes be slow, and perhaps CoPilot times out before connection can be initially made. Once connection works with Email/Safari, further connections seem quicker, and CoPilot seems to prefer it.
I’ve not been on any journeys to test whether it remains connected, perhaps be able to do this tomorrow or at the weekend, but if anyone else with live link problems is willing to try this, and update, it would be great to hear if it works or not
It would be really nice to be able to import iPhone maps addresses into CoPilot… I’m not sure how this can be done…
I have tried saving the full address to a contact, but CoPilot doesn’t seem to pick it up.
The POI don’t seem to contain some Hospitals in the Greater Manchester area, seeing I work for the NHS, this would be useful. I still have to find the address elsewhere and manually type it into CoPilot.
When will Live Traffic be available?
***Really Nice to have features would be***
1. Is there anyway to include iPOD fwd/rwd on the touch screen to skip tracks when playing music, so you don’t need to drop out of CoPilot to change the track?
2. Are there any plans for voice commands to be built in to CoPilot, i.e. fill in address by voice command or select ‘Home’ by voice?
Many Thanks,
Stephen
I have made Danish reviews for Navigon, Sygic and now iGO all for iPhone – but I would love to make one about CoPilot Live 8 Europe….
@ stephenT
Just double press the home button at the bottom of your phone twice when in the app to bring up the iPod controls when songs are playing. This works in any app.
This was a review of the copilot s/ware i put up on itunes (sorry for the doubling up but just wanted ALK to know how i felt about the s/ware):
A work in progress i’d say. And NO it’s not a TOMTOM beater (not yet anyway!)
A word of caution for people who thought £25.99 isn’t much for a full blown satnav program. It IS when you consider how buggy this app’n is! I really really wanted this app’n to shine, I already own a Navigo & also another Satnav unit. TomTom redirects me within a few milliseconds on the satnav units, the refresh on the screen is near enough instant. You can pick up a Navigo online for about £40 or so which comes with TurboDog 5 satnav s/ware. TomTom can then be purchased & hooked up to these units also! But even the basic £40 for T/Dog s/ware is far far better than this!
This CoPilot s/ware does seem to have been rushed very quickly to beat the TomTom iPhone Killer App’n in my view and some others i’ve noticed. If TomTom prices themselves around the £40 mark for the iPhone you could forget about all the other satnav progs out there that’d be the one to go for, BUT CoPilot could still win if they sort out there problems as there are a number of good points (ie bright screen , very loud voice, easy to follow screen, being able to pick a contact & point/click on the address as the destination, best is the 2 turn option – excellent! this is just naming some of the good bits but the bad bits let the s/ware down markedly!). Bad areas are: Very Very poor refresh rate on the app’n, whilst driving the screen update is sluggish at best, when you stop the arrow turns into a circle (this is normally what you see when you are completely stationary) & it then takes quite a few seconds for the app’n to pick up your pos’n when you start moving off again even though the GPS signal is full/green, whilst moving and you have a number of successive turns the app’n can’t handle it (the 2 turn option is handy in this case but if you have 3 or more turns forget it, just park up & wait for the app’n to see you again! – this doesn’t seem to be a problem with the phone but rather the s/ware),
Improvements: improve the refresh rate of the s/ware, sort out the drop-outs of signal or retaining info on where you are, sort out the speed of the s/ware, camera alerts (bringing that update asap), live traffic alerts (if this will be provided for free then i would say that the probs i have with the s/ware may be waivered (to a degree) but from i have gathered this is likely to cost £30-£40 per year!
If you have £30-£40 spare DO NOT buy this s/ware. Unless future updates correct the issues, go out & buy a dedicated SatNav unit for £40 (the Navigo is excellent), I only purchased this app’n for ease of use as I found it a struggle to remember to take the SatNav unit with me on journeys so having it on the phone seemed ideal! But it is NOT! If you need an app’n to get you from A to B in a hurry and with no issues do not buy this, if you don’t mind parking up on several occasions during your journey so the s/ware can see you again, and not knowing exactly where you are at all times this is the app’n for you. In-case anyone is wondering I ran this on my iPhone 3GS, so the slow updates & refreshes is a s/ware issue!
As an aside for people having probs with the copilot ID screen (i had exactly this same problem, even did a reset still no luck, even removed the s/ware then re-downloaded it & re-installed all still with no luck but then …) BEFORE running the app’n pls pls enable your WIFI (this app’n will NOT work without it, o2 is not enough!) then boot up the s/ware & go thro’ the setup screens & finally you will be able to activate it! It’s a pain to do but once its done its then let down by a SLOW appn – shame! From this & the other probs I and others have noticed i do feel this app’n was rushed to try & beat the tomtom fanfare! BUT it has fallen flat on its face, but ALK can sort out this bugs (or i hope they do on their next update) tomtom has NO chance!
in addition to the above i have also noticed that lack of accuracy of the navigation, ie taking you down strange roads or back-tracking on yourself whilst driving. pos’n of arrow (if it appears) isn’t always correctly. the update (if they ever do one) must try & make a marked difference to the useability & accuracy of the s.ware as otherwise tomtom will steal the day! and i most certainly don’t want that, as i do feel ALK has got the right idea but just need pushing to get it done to a fully working version as this program feels too rushed to beat tomtom!
@Jon T
God that’s good, I never knew that! Thank you.
Just a word of thanks to Stephen T.
Just installed copilot on my iPhone, had problems activating the program even though I was right by my router and wifi was turned on. Thanks to his suggestion about connecting to http://www.alk.eu.com/ in safari it worked for me.
Why is the Live Search only available from the startup menu? I can’t find it anywhere else. It’s a good feature, but annoying that you have to kill the app and restart it to do new searches.
Also, I haven’t found any easy way to stop navigating to a destination other than editing the current route and deleting all the waypoints. I would have assumed there would be a menu item that says “Stop Navigating” that would instantly clear the current navigation.
Is there a way to re-center your view on your current location if you have moved the display to another area?
Hi Christian et al
Any more news on the European version getting back onto the App Store? I’m travelling at the end of the week…!
TomTom is out, and reviews on the AppStore indicate TomTom have nailed the GPS fix, and do not have the same problems we see with CoPilot with signal dropping or loss of current position.
Support indicated it’s a restriction of the iPhone, that the phone should be mounted near the windscreen (which it is) with a clear view of the sky (which it is). Also, UV treated
Windscreens can hinder the GPS signal. Bummer. My Renault Scenic has a UV treated windscreen, so support seem to be indicating that I can’t use CoPilot on an iPhone in my car because of the hardware and my windscreen. Fortunately, our other car doesn’t have the same UV treatment, and I have exactly the same GPS reception issues in that it loses my current position or shows me to be on the smaller side road parallel to the dual carriageway I’m on, and recalculates the route, and tells me “right/left turn” ahead when there isn’t one.
Navigon (which I also own) doesn’t have these issues, and according to the AppStore reviews, neither does TomTom. I want decent SatNav software on my iphone that does what it’s advertised to do. Navigon and TomTom succeeds where CoPilot fails, and CoPilot wins on the Live services and UI.
Please ALK, accept the GPS receoption and Live link issues as a problem, and fix them. So we don’t have to check my email/safari, switch off Wiki, stand on one leg and face south west before loading CoPilot, or buy a new windscreen and I’ll be a satisfied customer.
Hi,
Installed Copilot on my iPhone a week back. Whenever I start the app, it just sits on the screen saying “Determining Current Position…” for nearly 10-15 mins… When it gets the GPS position it works for 2-3 mins and again the same screen comes up saying “Determining Current Position…” Tried uninstalling and installing as well..
Had a friend’s TomTom and it was the best navigation device regards to what it is supposed to do. The UI of CoPilot is really good, but it does not do what it is supposed to do that is Navigate…
Can anyone help me on this one? Or should I ask for a refund?
Really need help….
@Sanket Mistry – I had the same problem and I had to remove ‘CoPilot’ from my iPhone to reinstall, luckily it worked after the second attempt!
Hope this helps!
Steve
seems the developers are ignoring this blog as they don’t seem to have updated it in a while. i also now feel that these “trusted reviews” people are being paid off by ALK, look at the Eidos/Batman issue with fake reviews!
after numerous comments about placing on the w/screen to improve the signal & doing this & that i decided to fork out some money on a w/screen mount for the iphone & copilot. its running on a 3Gs so it should be more than quick enough. tried it out & what a disaster. i had originally rated this s/ware as 2* on itunes but have since brought it down to 1* as this s/ware i have no idea what type of s/ware it is but it is NOT a satellite navigation aid, it’s in fact a great way to destroy your iphone. me-thinks apple & alk are one & the same, they thought of the most infuriatingly rubbish app’n and brought it out before the best hoping to get mugs like me to buy it. once we bought it we’d have no choice but to throw the iphones out of the car window in disgust at such a poor alpha (is that what comes before beta s/ware?) s/ware.
tried it out on the w/screen mount, the gps was on/off all the way thro’ the journey. on occasions i was going backwards, the icon changed to a square blob, the gps pickup was worse than i could ever have thought. it was un-useable a waste of money, that is why i am now asking itunes for a refund as this s/ware is in breach of the Sales of Goods Act in the UK as its not fit for the purposes it was intended for! i wanted to get from A-B yet this unit doesn’t know where i am 1/2 the time, the arrow changes to a circle whilst driving
tomtom seems to have the gps sorted so why can’t ALK. i like the GUI for the s/ware its nice and gives a lot of info but with the lack of GPS how can this s/ware be taken seriously & trusted reviews gave it such a high score – that’s the main reason i bought this over other GPS s/ware. i don’t think these developers (ie ALK) will respond to valid -ve points on this s/ware & i do not feel they’re going to update it anytime soon. they’ve made their money now they’re off! shame as i really wanted them to succeed over the tomtom monopoly!!!
Hi thetazman, you can be sure that we are not ignoring this blog, just a little behind in responding. Sorry for that. While sometimes we wish we could influence reviewers, I can also assure you that we are not paying-off Trusted Reviews or any other journalist/blogger for that matter.
I’m sorry that you have experienced GPS issues with your iPhone. We have noticed that all navigation apps – TomTom included – have users who are experiencing GPS performance issues. We have plenty of customers who report that CoPilot provides better GPS performance in fact. What I can tell you is that we are working hard to improve GPS performance, and will pass these on to our customers for free via updates.
Please note that all software updates must pass through the App Store approval process, which – as is widely documented – can take several weeks. Once approved, updates will immediately become available via App Store updates on the phone or via iTunes.
i decided that it was time to go android. i got myself the htc hero, no navigation software so i purchased the lastest and greatest copilot. i took my first trip 200 miles down south to wales. although i did keep losing the gps signal it did work great until 2 miles from my destination – when it packed in altogether and just froze the app on my phone. the only way i found to solved it was to re-install copilot. now working again fine but still it looses the gps signal. why?? i never had this problem with previous htc’s using tom tom. please help, is this a recognised bug??
I just bought the Co-Pilot software my new iPhone 3GS and whilst I can get a fix when the phone is on if I switch it to airplane mode to conserve battery Co-Pilot just will not get out of the “Determining Current Position” mode. I had the iPhone on the windscreen and the sky was pretty clear, but after an half hour journey it still couldn’t get a “fix”. I left it on a table in the garden to see if it would eventually get a “fix” but after another half hour I gave up. I had great hopes for this app after reading the reviews but if it can’t be used simply with GPS alone then it’s not worth keeping. Anyone know how I can get a refund in the UK?
Richard, this is a limitation of the iPhone not the software. When the iPhone is put into airplane mode it disables the GPS chipset, so no navigation software works and Google Maps won’t get a GPS lock. Whilst true GPS only receives signals (so doesn’t transmit) the chipset that Apple uses is an Assisted GPS which augments the GPS received info with cell tower triangulation for a quicker location fix. Maybe it cannot shut off the cell tower triangulation (which probably requires a brief transmit) independently of the GPS receiving function, so has to shut down the entire GPS chipset?
I totally agree with all the other posts. This app promises a lot but in practice it is too unreliable. I too bought a windscreen holder to ensure the iPhone is in range and found that on the outgoing journey it was fine, but on the return (with the phone in exactly the same position) it kept losing signal and in the end had to switch off as it had no idea where I was and kept getting position and then losing it 5 seconds later. I also noticed that the gps marker frequently jumps around which confuses navigation and leads to incorrect instructions. They need to release an update to improve the gps fixing quickly
When will the Europe update be available?
ALK Support have not responded to me for last few days, perhaps my rant upset them.
I just wanted to know whether to expect an update this month, whether it will address any GPS fix issues, or live link issues we’ve experienced, and if traffic will be a paid feature. i did read somewhere it’ll be £20 for traffic (one off payment), but personally, I think they need to get the software stable before adding any new features.
I purchased copilot live for my iPhone last night, mainly because of the good reviews it has received and becuase it appears to be such excellent value.
Overall, I am pleased with it, apart from one higly annoying (and in my opinion fairly major) flaw, the fact that if it is less than 500 yards to your next turn, you do not get any instruction until to are right on top of the junction, which is completely unsuitable for driving in the city, it makes it far too late to change lanes etc…
Even upping the final warning to 8 seconds is not enough.
So, we either need:
* More options in the distance list such as 50, 100, 150, 300
* A higher permissible value than 8 seconds for the last warning
* Chained instructions
Better still – all of the above.
Hi, thanks for your message and the constructive feedback. We will feed your commments back to our development team.
With regards to the questions relating to European Mapping.
The full European maps version of CoPilot Live have been submitted to the App Store. The approval process can take several weeks, and we will post a news item here as soon as it goes live.
Hi Roy – Yes the European Application will include Safety Cameras.
Hi Darren – Thanks for the feedback. We’re looking to increase the choice of breakdown services available soon.
Hi. I purchased copilot for iPhone last week and I am afraid I have just asked for a refund. It just cannot get a GPS signal. I have decided that the all in one device nirvana I had so long dreamed off just isnt meant to be!
The app information on Itunes has been updated but the app itself hasn’t? what’s happening with that? I was hoping the GPS issues would be solved, its pretty annoying constantly loosing signal even though I’m not moving
!!
Is it just a general september for live or is it a September 1st Live services ??
THANK YOU
!
The European version is live i app. store now.
And I really like the new European Update!!
Same level as my Navigon, TomTom, and far better them iGO and Sygic.
I’ve had an awful last few days with this Application which lost GPS signal constantly, and sent me completely the wrong direction when it did have a signal. This was when I really needed a Sat Nav as I had no idea where I was. This evening’s usage was a complete disaster. The police had closed the road on my way home from work, with no obvious diversions. I got completely lost. Loaded CoPilot in the hope it would save me, but no GPS signal, crashed after a reload, hung on the splash screen, and after a reboot just wouldn’t find me a route. If it won’t work in the UK, what hope do I have in Europe. Forunately for me and this evening’s fiasco, I also have Navigon UK. Loaded 1st time, calculated my route, and GPS signal within 10 seconds, and I was off. Full instructions, as and when I needed them. Excellent advanced guidance. I knew where the next turn was, how far away, and the exact time to turn. Navigon is far superior to CoPilot for Sat Nav.
I like the IU on CoPilot, and after using it with my XDA Orbit for a couple of year, I was excited when I saw EU version for the iPhone back on August 7th. I needed Europe maps, for my trip next week (as mentioned above) and regretted not buying Navigon Europe at the intro price. I bought CoPilot EU wihtout hesitation, and what a huge disappointment. I’ve raised issues with Support, and it’s now been a week since my last reply. I also tried to “report a problem” reported to Apple in iTunes, as the software is not fit for purpose or work as described, but it just refers me to the Developers ALK.
I read when I got home, that there is now a new update to CoPilot EU, and I hope this is the update I’ve been waiting for. It’ll take me all night to download the 1.4GB application, but I’ll give it the once over tomorrow. Any hint of the previous issues, and that’s it!
I’ll request a refund, and continue to do so. If this was bought from a shop, I’d be back in there demanding my money back, but sadly, it’s no that easy with iTunes and the AppStore.
If anyone else has managed to test EU version since the update, please let us know how it’s doing.
Hi,
When are you releasing the middle east version of copilot for iphone?
Tks
Found a fault in the Europeversion; 8.0.0.373
Go to ‘Settings > Show more options’ to all options.
Create custom routing profile for more accurate routes and times – BUT keybaord is missing I only se a t, and can´t create a customruteprofile?
I hate the tapsounds – please, please enable a on/off feature!
Found one more fault in the Europeversion; 8.0.0.373
Optimizing Stops
Note: Your start point and final destination will not be altered. However, if you want the final destination to be included in the optimisation, select Options from the pop-up menu select Take Breaks and check Optimize Final Destination.
It does optimize the final destination?? Must be a fault.
Found these faults/bugs in the Europeversion; 8.0.0.373
1. Photonav is not an option/available, but in Add Stop/waypoints – you can add a photonav?
2. Optimizing Stops Note: Your start point and final destination will not be altered. Hmm but it does get altered?
3. Go to ‘Settings > Show more options’ to all options.
Create custom routing profile for more accurate routes and times – BUT keybaord is missing I only se a t, and can´t create a customruteprofile without a keyboard?
4. I hate the tapsounds – please, please enable a on/off feature!
Love the interface “allthough its not iPhonestyle UI with swipe/gestures” plus all the nice settings and features!
But it looses GPS-signal all the time comparred to all the others; Navigon, TomTom, iGO, Sygic. Can´t play iPod and navigate at the same time – the voiceover should fade the iPodmusic to work well.
Still trying to activate it. Can’t find any assistance other than to try again with wifi connection – which I was doing all along. I’m not prepared to pay for something then wait for a fix and will be looking for a refund – unfit for the purpose.
When the fix is available, hopefully a trial version will be available to test. Looks like not getting activation running is the start of potential issues.
Subject: old or very outdated maps
I was very excited when I first downloaded and started the program until I actually used it. I was going to Santa Fe from Whichita Falls. The program directed me on to oneway streets as if they were two ways and reculculated my route in a roundabout fashion than a more direct route which I discovered by accident when I chose to ignore the bad advise given.
I am supprised because the map if really updated as claimed byt the promos should not have misdirected me. In fact we were ‘ led astray’ on 2 occasions. Yes we got lost when we followed the directions as was proposed by CoPilot.
@ianh64 – How many times have you tried to register?
It took me 30 or 40 attempts one time while connected to a WLAN, It will work eventually I’m sure.
I have downloaded this app through the iTunes store on my mac, synced it with my iPhone 3gS and have tried completing the initial setup using a wifi connection (I have sat right next to the router). Error 808 no Internet connection is what has come up time after time. I have tried deleting the app from my iPhone and reinstalling again only to get the same response. I have turned off my iPhone after installation and turned it on only to fail again. I have reset my iPhone and reinstalled the app only to fail again. For some silly reason this app does not want to work on my iPhone regardless of what I try. Am I going to have to wait for an improved update or is there a solution to this problem?
since my last update over 2 weeks ago, i requested a refund from iTunes and rec’d it without no issues. the CoPilot Live s/ware was un-workable. It was going to be my main satnav s/ware but with all the issues i had no other choice but to get my money back. the s/ware wasn’t as described. i could not get from point A to point B with this s/ware, and god forbid if the roads had been blocked!
tomtom has some minor issues with the gps fix but nothing like copilot. i have not yet purchased another iPhone satnav program as i am waiting upon the next update either from tomtom or copilot. whoever updates sooner will get my business again, here’s hoping it’s ALK as to be honest i don’t want tomtom ruling the satnav world. but ALK is taking their time with this update. if ALK can lick the GPS fix issue they will be onto a winner, also no details from them on map updates – will it be free for life or for 1 year? where can we download them from etc…
I have to say that im really disapointed with co-pilot, i’d waited and waited, read all the reviews and it seemed that this was the sat nav for me. Jesus, how wrong could i be!! I feel ripped off. It also seems there is nothing i can do to get my money back either, nobody wants to take responsibility, usually if you buy something that doesnt work you take it back and get a refund, no chance here!! The thing is though i so want it to work because it looks great, and i wanted everything on my iphone rather than having loads of things stuck to my car windscreen. I’ve sat in my car for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and finally 15 minutes trying to get a gps fix… nothing, and yes ive turned my phone on and off… nothing!! What i dont understand is why it will work on my brother in laws iphone who lives around the corner from me!? (must add though that it is selective on his phone as to when it feels like working). I just want it to work, can anybody help? Is there anything i can do to get it working the same as all these other folks who leave fantastic reviews?
JUST MAKE IT WORK!! ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!
I’ve just come back from holiday in Portugal, where I would have liked to use my europe version of Co-Pilot… After landing I couldn’t figure out why the Co-Pilot software wouldn’t find a GPS signal! ‘Determining GPS Position’ and I couldn’t understand why anything wasn’t happening….
Finally I realised that ‘DATA ROAMING’ needed to be on!!!! This then gave me/confirmed my GPS position. I gave up after this as switching roaming on gave me a flood of email alerts, etc. REALLY REALLY DISAPPOINTED with this need to turn on Data Roaming, WHY IS THIS?
I was connected to a telephone network and not just in ‘Airplane Mode’!
Surely the idea of Co-Pilot European version and downloading about 1.4GB of app + maps is so there is no need to be connected to the outside world when overseas!
I hope you can get this sorted soon!
Hi Stephen
Sorry to hear about your experiences with CoPilot Live in Portugal.
Sometimes the GPS receiver in iPhone will use the mobile internet to get an initial fix. Once you have a GPS connection, it is then possible to go into ‘Settings’ in CoPilot and disconnect the data connection.
Perhaps try it when you’re next in Europe?
Regards
Tim
Hi Tim,
I appreciate what you are saying, this is something ALK should to raise with Apple.
This is not really the way this should work!?!?!
Surely any Satnav software should work like a dedicated satnav system, without a requirement for a mobile network or data (roaming) requirement.
Do other Satnav companies have the same problem? Can you submit a change request to Apple?
What if I got lost in a really rural area in the UK with no mobile phone signal, decide to start to use my Co-Pilot software on the iPhone to get me back to humanity. I’d have to drive round aimlessly until I got a signal to get a GPS fix, is this correct?
Thank you for replying.
Stephen
I stopped using it, and didn’t even try when I was in France last week, which was the reason I bought the EU version I might add.
Until they sort out the maps, the routes and most of all the voice guidance making it more intuitive and better instructions, it’s not worth using for navigation. I spend more time looking at the phone screen and arrows that I do the road, to ensure GPS signal is still there, and because the voice guidance said “to turn just ahead”, which was no help. Dangerous in my opinion
Navigon is doing the job for me perfectly.
Until CoPilot fix the problems, they can keep their new enhancements, or just rename their Application to “NoPilot”
Why can this just not find your current location. It does not seem to work in Northern Ireland at all, continually determining current location even though it apparently has 3 bars out of 4 GPS signal.
I also deeply suspect that bad reviews are being removed form the App Store since this App seems currently has a 4.5 star rating. Either that or false 5 star reviews are being posted. Surely this all you have to do is look at the general contents of all other reviews here and note the general bad experiences being had by users to confirm this.
I.e. App Store average review = 4.5/5.0
Average review here if scores were given I suspect would be 1.0/5.0
This needs to be sorted out NOW.
Just read through this blog after trying to get a sensible answer from ALK. I phoned them up because of the same problem that everyone here is mentioning (no GPS fix, sitting around in my car for ages waiting for something impressive to happen etc etc) and the response was for me to delete the app from phone and itunes and then download again and reinstall.
Done this. Rubbish – still same problem!
I can handle a £1.79 application being rubbish but NOT £26 of my hard earned!
It is strange that the app store reviews are SO glowing and all this blog can produce is frustrated people wanting to get refunds….
“Determining Current Location…, Determining Current Location…, Determining Current Location…, Determining Current Location…” AAAAARRRGHHHHHHH !!
SORT IT OUT NOW!!!
I feel very dissapointed with copilot for Iphone. I have been an Alk user on my PDA for several years now. This app just gets even more glitchy by the day today I tried to go to the nursery where my son is to pick him up and despite not being able to tfr the details in from contacts i manually entered the address for some reason it wants to take me straight home. We are now unable to amend routing and the GPS fix is dreadful sometimes when for example I am on the M53 it seems to think i am on an adjacent “a” road or residential road before it works it out that yes i am on a motorway and driving at 70 mph ! I will be emailing apple about a refund as I don’t feel this is a dependable piece of software and they need to get this sorted PDQ I have installed it and then uninstalled it installed it uninstalled it – i think you get the picture. I wish Alk would come out and be honest about what issues they are having with this as I would rather have waited a bit longer and got an app that works as well as Copilot 6 that i have on my PDA than this .
Pak man you summed it up earlier
Until they sort out the maps, the routes and most of all the voice guidance making it more intuitive and better instructions, it’s not worth using for navigation. I spend more time looking at the phone screen and arrows that I do the road, to ensure GPS signal is still there, and because the voice guidance said “to turn just ahead”, which was no help. Dangerous in my opinion
Tomtom could be getting my business
After contacting ALK three times I’ve had to contact iTunes for a refund on the European version of CoPilot. The primary reason is that whilst travelling at less than 5mph the vehicle position indicator changes from a chevron to a circular puck, and the system stops updating the vehicle position. The software does not restart updating the vehicle position until the vehicle is driving at greater than 5mph again.
This means that it is possible to travel some considerable distance (at 5mph which is faster than walking pace. I am not running journeys just to obtain a satellite fix and voice commands!
The last telephone call I had with ALK yesterday confirmed this behaviour occurs on the other platforms besides the iPhone. I cannot rely on a satnav which does not work when travelling slowly.
Such a shame as I had carried out a lot of research and this appeared to be the best satnav software for the iPhone, but none of the reviews covered this point. I did come across people complaining about the cursor changing to a puck (I don’t mind that) but for it not to update one’s position is ridiculous.
Further to this I was using it last weekend in Derby, UK. I was following a route, turned left at a roundabout as it indicated (and told me), and then once I had completed the turn it recalculated the route and told me to turn around where possible! I am not very impressed with a system that changes its mind whilst you are correctly following its route and tells you to make a U-turn!
Hmm – my previous message seems to have got a bit garbled! It meant to say …
This means that it is possible to travel some considerable distance (at less than 5mph) without the screen updating, and without voice commands. Working in the west of London means I often am in stop-start traffic rendering CoPilot useless as a navigation device. Furthermore it is supposed to have a ‘walk mode’ but it suffers the same problem of not updating one’s position unless you are travelling greater than 5mph which is faster than walking pace. I am not running journeys just to obtain a satellite fix and voice commands!
I am experiencing the same as most other people on here. I used to use co-pilot for the O2 XDA and found it a great application – not so for the iphone, I have set it up, I have a data connection – and if you turn it off and start again it then knows where you are….but that’s it, it doesn’t track while you’re moving, it just sits there waiting for a connection…
Please can someone let me know how I get a refund, this is rubbish!
Taken from our FAQ, see if this helps…
Having problems with copilot on 3g, the screen is going dark then off, the voice continues, I can’t see a setting anywhere to force it to stay live. I have a secure email account that requires a password for the phone this makes it impossible to use as when the screen blanks I need to enter the code, ant thoughts?
This application is totally rubbish.Determining current position cant go from the screen its always there.I have tried it in three different cars it doesnt work. i have unistalled and installed it again still the same.I was going to manchester from london kept on loosing gps signal on birmingham toll it lost the signal i followed the wrong way and ended up 30 miles away.then i switched of co pilot and followed the map application to go to my destination.I have tried every thing i could do but to no awail if i dont get my money back i m just ringing the trading standards (uk)to get my refund
I bought the latest North American version, 8.0.0.421 and will mostly use it in Canada. But I noticed that Canadian addresses do not include any postal code!!! It is much easier to find an address by using postal codes in Canada and I was really disappointed to see it is not included in this application. Please include them in your database.
The fact that GPS functionality disables while traveling with a low speed, is really annoying! and sometimes it takes several minutes for app to detect fast movement again!! The result is that I will travel quite a noticeable distance but the indicator still shows my previous position! I believe this is the MAIN ESSENTIAL functionality of a navigation device to detect current position fast and accurate enough! So the GPS reception needs mandatory update.
I have had the exact same problem as Darren, and have had a total lack of response from support, despite sending two follow-up emails. Shame, as it looks like Alk are becoming a bit like TomTom – no support!
I am unable to get a solid fix with my copilot app on my iPhone. I have version 8 Live, which I downloaded and installed on 1st October 2009.
It has not as yet picked up a fix whilst in the car, even if I’m stationary for over 5 minutes. If it has picked up a signal whilst outside of the vehicle is drops it as soon as I start moving.
I have tried all solutions I found on the internet prior to asking this question.
Following are solutions I have tried.
1. Switched off iPhone and on.
2. Uninstalled app and re-installed.
3. Uninstalled app, deleted from itunes and re-downloaded. Restarted iPhone and then installed and restarted iPhone.
4. Disabled 3g on iphone to not use AGPS.
5. Disabled location services and restarted to get closer fix.
I have checked at various points and the iPhone picks up it’s location fairly accurately on Google maps with 3g enabled and disabled. The pinpoint on the Google maps is pulsing to confirm location fix.
I have been using it now for 4 days and tried most things I could find. I’m not even getting a fix walking out in the open.
Any help would be much appreciated.
I would just like to add, that I am a power user and work in the Tech industry, so if you have any technical solutions I will be able to follow them.
Used Copilot for iPhone for the 1st time today. Very disappointed. GPS signal was picked up but frequently lost it throughout the journey, with the chevron staying as a puck in the same location even though I was moving at 30mph. I gave up in the end. My friend, who was in the car with me, has TomTom for iPhone and after swapping my phone for his, in the same cradle, TomTom was far more reliable. It’s a shame as the interface on Copilot is nicer than TomTom, but it must be more reliable. Please fix this!
Very dissapointed used first time today on the M27 to and from work and kept getting the determining location message. I bought this after reading the reviews on iTunes I will be trying to get my money back, but after reading the comments on here I won’t hold my breath.
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble getting a GPS fix. Here are some tips from our support page:
* Make sure that your iPhone has a clear view of the sky. This will help you get a GPS fix quicker
* When you start CoPilot your position will be quickly displayed using the mobile Internet connection, however it may take more than 5 minutes to get a full GPS fix
* You may wish to wait 5 minutes to get a full GPS fix after starting CoPilot before setting off on your journey
* There is an on-screen indicator in CoPilot which shows the status of your GPS fix. This is the small flashing satellite dish in the bottom right of the driving screen.
* If this still fails, try powering off your iPhone by holding the power button down then swiping the red POWER OFF bar to the right, then power on and try again.
Having just read all the comments I thought I’d chip in my £0.02. Been using this app for 3 weeks now. Been as good as any sat nav system I’ve used. Quick gps lock, acurate maps, stable application.
People are more compelled to comment on the menufacturers site for negatives I feel!
Not working at slow speed.
e.g. in Paris, where there are a lot of traffic jams, and so moving speed is less than 15 kmph, CoPilot is not working. (iPhone 3GS). plans are not updated, just a fixed pastille
I have had copilot live on my iphone for a few months and it has worked really well until this weekend. I got to my destination fine, but when I opened copilot to get directions for returning home is got stuck and constantly displayed ‘determiing current position’ and ever since whenever opened it displays the same message. I wondered if there was a problem with my iphone’s GPS, but maps works fine. I spoke to a college who also has Copilot live and his is now doing the same thing. I’m not at all happy that I have paid £25 for something that is now useless! This is just not on. I suggest that anyone looking for sat nav on an iphone looks elsewhere because now it plain and simply does not work!
i have just bought copilot for the 3gs and it just does not seem to work! the phone has a clear view of the sky but just does not leave the ‘determining current position’ screen, even after i left it for an hour!!
Why???
and is it possible to get a refund for this software in the uk?
help would be greatly appreciated!
Please try power cycling your phone (turn it off completely and then turn it back on). Also try going to iPhone settings and do a ‘Full Reset’ on CoPilot.
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