Experiences with navigating using the Flow app

[DieBoy]

I've a Bosch Smart System with a Kiox300 display.

I've (attempted) to navigate unfamiliar routes (downloaded from Komoot) using the Flow app.

I'm interested in other people's experiences of doing the same.

My experience to date has been suboptimal, but I'd like to determine if that's down to my phone's GPS, the fact I ride with my phone in a pocket or bag, or that simply the Flow app is crap for navigation.

 

[Bummers]

My opinion is the flow app is dogturd for anything but road navigation. It was also delayed for some reason where when using komoot on the phone for nav there was no issues.

 

[DieBoy]

I'll expound a bit.

Despite giving the app permission to access precise location all the time, some phenomenon are:

1) Saying I need to turn left in 250 metres then 5 seconds later screaming I'm "off route" because I've now ridden past the turning, forcing me to stop and do a 180⁰. Probably more common the faster I'm riding. I've also experienced this on-road on the way to a trail. It's as if the app is refreshing far too infrequently.

2) Constantly complaining I'm off route if I'm riding 30 centimetres to the right of where it thinks I should be. Common on wider fire breaks and forest tracks. On the occasion there was a parallel track this caused no end of confusion.

3) Being confused about which direction I'm riding. Occasionally as an added "bonus" of turning around due to issue 1.

On one ride told me I was off route and going the opposite direction to what I should. Turned around, the map on the display spun around madly. After 2 metres riding, complaining again I'm off route and need to turn around. After a couple of goes of playing silly buggers I gave up and rode home the way I'd come.

I suspect the app is making the false assumption that I've my phone attached to the handlebars. It shouldn't really be making this error because the app *knows* I don't even own the Bosch phone grip.


So to date trying to navigatie with the Flow app has been unreliable to very frustrating. As I mentioned, I want to eliminate my phone being the problem before I complain to Bosch.

 

[Bummers]

Your point 1 is what I meant when talking about it being delayed. The instruction that a turn coming up in 250m is 20 seconds late so you miss it.
I found it so frustrating to use.