Maps.me

MAPS.ME
Original author(s) Yury Melnichek, Alexander Borsuk, Viktor Govako
Developer(s) MapsWithMe GmbH, My.com
Initial release 2011
Stable release
6.5.0
Repository github.com/mapsme/omim
Written in C++, Objective-C, Java
Operating system Android, iOS, BlackBerry
Size 75 MB[1]
License Apache License 2.0[2]
Website maps.me

MAPS.ME (formerly named MapsWithMe) is a mobile app for Android, iOS and BlackBerry that provides offline maps using OpenStreetMap data. In November 2014, it was acquired by Mail.Ru Group and became part of its My.com brand. In September 2015, the app was open sourced.[3] First, the whole team has developed an application in Switzerland and Belarus. MAPS.ME was founded by Yury Melnichek, Alexander Borsuk and Viktor Govako. Under the leadership of Alexander MapsWithMe got its first 2.5M users worldwide. Yury Melnichek was leading the project from November 2013 until April 2016 when Evgeny Lisovskiy took over.[4] In early 2017 the philosophy of the app changed, leading it to be supported by unobtrusive adverts, which can be disabled from the settings menu.

Features

Acquisition by Mail.ru Group

The application was initially developed by Zurich-based MapsWithMe GmbH with a development office in Minsk.

In 2012, MapsWithMe came in first in the Startup Monthly competition in Vilnius. The team won a nine-week traineeship in Silicon Valley as a prize.[6]

In November 2014, MAPS.ME was acquired by Mail.Ru Group to be integrated with My.com, and the app was made free of charge.[7] The engineering team was relocated to the Mail.Ru Group office in Moscow to continue working on the project.

Data source and technologies

All map data for MAPS.ME is taken from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. In addition, hotels are offered in partnership with Booking.com.[8]

Technologies used in the app:

API

MAPS.ME provides a free API to developers for both commercial and personal use.

YotaPhone

In 2013, developers of YotaPhone, a Russian smartphone with 2 displays (LCD front, e-ink back), requested MapsWithMe to develop a version of the app especially for the e-ink display of the device. MapsWithMe released a special version of the app optimized for both color and e-ink screens of the smartphone.[9]

The main screen allows users to see maps of all countries, drop pins on the map, and find their location. Then it is possible to move the maps to the e-ink display to use the map in the energy saving mode.

Currently, support of YotaPhone is excluded from last releases (as at 4 May 2016).

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://maps.me/apk/
  2. ↑ mapsme/omim on GitHub
  3. ↑ @MAPS_ME on Twitter
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Maps.me map creation guide". Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  6. ↑ http://goaleurope.com/2012/04/16/eastern-europe-belarusian-startup-mapswithme-wins-startup-monthly-in-lithuania/
  7. ↑ "Mail.Ru Group, One of the Largest Internet Companies in Europe, Acquires MAPS.ME". 13 Nov 2014. Retrieved 9 Dec 2014.
  8. ↑ "MAPS.ME Now Shows 800,000 Hotels from Booking.com". 28 June 2016.
  9. ↑ http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/20/yotaphone-dual-display-review/
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