I don’t know why Google nor Apple Maps work well or at all in South Korea, maybe a licensing or privacy issue, luckily I read about and downloaded NAVER and found it to be very good, clear and detailed instructions, especially when riding the subway or just walking (I did not drive so can’t say about that mode). It froze a couple of times on me but overall it worked fast and responsive.

Has lots of good features and works fairly well most of the time. It does have weird annoying quirks. An example is a recent stay at a well known large hotel in Gangnam. It would never correctly set my location at this hotel, it kept insisting I was 80 feet away across the street. The other super annoying thing is that there isn’t an simple “end route” or cancel option, at least that I could figure out, so once I committed to a route and started travel, I couldn’t get it to stop running and trying to direct me. There are certain things that are just not intuitive. BTW, Google Maps worked just as well for directions in the Gangnam area.

I’d say about 70% of the time the app works fine. However, the 30% of the time that it doesn’t work really pisses me off. The app doesn’t account for tight connections between buses, and if a bus runs late (as is often the case on long distance bus routes), you will miss your connection. I’ve lost hours of my time simply because I had to wait 40-60 minutes for the next bus in a remote location because Naver doesn’t account for this. Be aware!

It works and is super helpful with navigating public transit, especially in advising when to prepare to get off the next stop but the walking and discovery is a little hard. It doesn’t always orient when walking and hard to discover new places. Also be aware that it’s easier to navigate to specific locations if you put the address in Korean.

Used mostly for walking and transit directions in Seoul for 10 or so days.General-many more, much more obtrusive ads in free version. Didn’t try paid version to see how much such ads are diminished.-lacks many places of interest that users of g maps take for granted, eg public toilets and drinking fountains which seoul has many more of than are shown on naeverWalking+it works for directions because ROK government allows it, but doesn’t include elevation gain/loss like better apps in other cities.Transit+shows real-time transit arrival/departure times.+clearly shows station exit numbers for transit stations with multiple exits/entrances-doesn’t tell user which train car to board/exit to expedite ingress/egress or prioritse escalator/life access for accessibility.-doesn’t allow mixed mode very well, particularly mixing ride-hailing/walk or private bike/walk or bikeshare/walk.+/- does other things like make restaurant bookings and payments if you’re into that.

I arrived in Seoul, Korea, three days ago and was recommended Navver by a hostel mate I met in Okinawa. Despite my initial apprehension due to some negative reviews, I decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did! Navver has proven to be a high-performing app, possibly one of the best I have used. It stands out by providing rich detail through live activities on iPhones with dynamic island support and helpful notifications on the home screen. The audio guidance is clear and precise, making navigation through the bustling streets of Seoul a breeze. What impressed me the most is Navver’s eagerness to deliver an exceptional navigation experience in a major city. The app is incredibly helpful, and I found it to be more detailed and user-friendly than Apple Maps in many aspects. My only feedback is that for those who cannot read Korean, including tourists, the station numbers are not shown in the app (additional some gate entry doesn’t match the maps guidance making hard to determine which line direction to enter). Adding station numbers would make it much easier to quickly understand one’s location and navigate to the next station, similar to the system in China. Overall, I really like the app experience. With minor adjustments, Navver has the potential to be a major competitor to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Highly recommended for anyone navigating Seoul!

Did a 3 month solo travel to South Korea and I used this app every day, not kidding. My Korean is very veryyy limited and I grew up in a countryside so had no experience with public transportation or cities other than airport “subways” lol. This accurately told bus arrival times, gave detailed information and graphics for getting from one place to another, you can save restaurants and shops (even super obscure ones you wouldn’t think would be listed, I went outside of main cities a lot) in different folder types and the markings of the folder color show up on the map all together. Very helpful for planning out stations, where to eat, where you’re staying, how to get literally anywhere. I’m so grateful to this app where I didn’t have to ask any strangers directions to places, a lifesaver for introverts and anyone who isn’t versed in traveling Korea. I’ll always download it when I visit. So many grumpy reviews, yet this was a lifesaver for me!!!!

I don’t know where all those bad reviews coming but this is the best app you want to use it in English. When using public transportation it’s 100% everything in English compared to their competitors app when you create directions all public transportation navigation is in Korean language so if you don’t understand then you don’t know where to go. Make sure you allow in settings to use your location. It’s not as good as google maps but very close to it. Thumbs up for devs who work on this project from fellow developer :) The only thing reviews section only in Korean language so can’t leave reviews and yes if you read this review please add translation to reviews so we can translate even if we can’t leave it. I think Google translate API should be good thing to integrate for it.

I was in Seoul for a month and I relied on Naver maps everyday to get me around. Granted it is not flawless but I don’t understand the massive whining about this app. Yes, it got me messed up a few time but it was absolutely better than nothing. Once I learned my way around the public transportation I used it to check bus and train times which were insanely accurate and the walking part of Naver was great. It directed me to all the places I needed to see. So I give it five stars because it was a great app for the month I used it. I didn’t give up after the first time it got something wrong. I kept at it and with the help of the app and the kind Korean people I was able to have a wonderful experience. 🇺🇸

I am absolutely confused why this app has received so many negative reviews. Maybe people are upset that this Korean app has some *gasp* Korean? Nonsense. This app showed us very accurate directions to places we needed to go. It showed us timetables of when the next train and bus was arriving, as well as accurate walking directions. There is a setting to change it to English (which is what we used), but some places (for example, restaurants) will not have an English translation and that’s okay. It wasn’t slow or buggy when we were using it in South Korea. I highly recommend this app for travel!