Windows Phone has a couple of really quality navigation solutions in its store. But it appears that Nokia’s own HERE Maps was the most popular navigation app on Windows Phone devices. Therefore, users were unpleasantly surprised when they weren’t able to run the app after the upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile Preview, and by the fact that the app also disappeared from the store.

So what happened? Is that some bug that Microsoft will deal with in some future build? No, HERE Maps app was removed from Windows 10 Mobile on purpose.

Maybe you didn’t know, but Nokia sold HERE Maps to a coalition of German auto companies comprised of Audi AG, BMW Group and Daimler AG this summer. The new owners, of course, had an option to keep HERE Maps in the Windows Store, but apparently they chose not to. We don’t have any official announcement about removing HERE Maps from Windows 10 Mobile platform, but the fact that it disappeared from the store shortly after the new owners bought it, tells us that they decided to pull out the app from Windows, and focus on bringing it to their own auto platforms.

As a replacement for HERE Maps, Microsoft released its own Maps app for Windows 10. And although it offers some nice features, like aerial view, road directions, and more, users are not quite impressed with it, and they still consider HERE Maps a better solution.

If you don’t want to use Microsoft’s Maps, there’s actually a way to bring HERE Maps to Windows 10 Mobile again. You can find all instructions at XDA Developers, but since the process requires Interop unlocking of your Windows 10 Mobile device, if you decide to install HERE Maps again, you’re doing it at your own risk.

Tell us in the comments, are you missing HERE Maps from Windows 10 Mobile, and which app is better, Microsoft Maps or HERE Maps?

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