Navigation [Huawei watches]

Review by eFreeware

Navigation [Huawei watches] is a paid companion app from Mobiteka that puts Google Maps directions on a Huawei smartwatch. It sits in the Maps & Navigation category and costs $2.99, with no ads and no in-app purchases. The idea is simple: you keep the phone where it is and read the next turn, the remaining distance and the arrival time from your wrist.

The reason to consider it is the pairing of glanceable directions with vibration cues. Instead of propping a phone on the dashboard or pulling it out at every junction, you get the maneuver as text and an arrow, plus a buzz pattern that tells you which way to go. For anyone who already wears one of the supported Huawei watches and navigates by Google Maps, that is a narrow but real convenience.

It is worth being clear about what this is not. The app is a companion to a separate watch-side client, so it only makes sense if you are willing to install that piece too. It also shows directions as text and symbols rather than a moving map. This app suits anyone who wants the next turn on the watch instead of pulling out a phone, and it concentrates on turn-by-turn prompts rather than a full map view.

Turn prompts without the map

The core feature is turn-by-turn guidance shown on the watch face. Upcoming maneuvers appear as directional arrows with accompanying text, and the app syncs distance, time and ETA from the phone as you move. The developer describes this as real-time data, and the practical effect is that the numbers on your wrist should track the route running on the phone.

Haptics are the second half of the experience. The app vibrates for turns, and the pattern is specific: a left turn produces two short vibrations, a right turn three. Once you learn the code, you can keep your eyes on the road and let your wrist tell you what is coming. That is the part I find most appealing, because it removes the need to look at a screen at the moment you least want to.

The trade-off is that there is no map image. The app displays arrows and text, so you get the instruction rather than the surrounding streets. That keeps the watch display readable, but it means you are trusting the phone for context. If you like to see the shape of a route before a junction, this approach will feel thin.

Voice, themes and the Android 10 caveat

Alongside the visual prompts, the app supports voice guidance and more detailed vibration signals. The developer is upfront that these are experimental, and that they work on Android 10 and below only. On newer Android versions you should expect the arrows, text and basic turn vibrations rather than spoken instructions.

There is also a set of custom themes, letting you pick a color scheme for the watch display. The stated purpose is to match your style or improve visibility, which is a small touch but a sensible one for a screen you read at a glance in changing light. It does not complicate the app.

The app is pitched for driving, cycling and walking. Those are different situations with different needs, and the text-plus-haptics model suits all three reasonably well: a driver gets a buzz before a turn, a cyclist gets a prompt without stopping, and a walker gets the ETA without staring at a phone. The same limitation applies throughout, since none of them get a map on the watch.

What the app needs from you

This is not a standalone product. The watch-side client, Navigation - G Maps Viewer, has to be installed on the smartwatch, either from Huawei AppGallery on the watch itself or through the Huawei Health app on the phone. The phone app then acts as the bridge. Both halves are required, and the app supports a specific list of Huawei wearables: Watch 5 Next, GT6, GT5, GT4, GT3 Pro, GT3, Ultimate, Fit 4, Fit 3, Fit 2, Watch D, Watch 4 and Watch 3.

The purchase is a one-time $2.99. There are no ads and no in-app purchases, so nothing inside the app asks for more money. That is a straightforward arrangement.

Setup asks a fair amount of you. The first launch involves granting permissions in the phone app, and the phone and watch need to stay connected over Bluetooth for directions to appear. The developer also asks that autostart be enabled for the app in phone settings, that background activity be allowed, and that notifications be switched on for Google Maps. On Huawei and Honor phones the autostart path runs through Settings, Apps and App launch, where you search for Navigation - G Maps Viewer, turn the toggle off and switch to manual management. The exact location varies by manufacturer.

Getting it to work the first time

The routine is easy once the groundwork is done. Start a route in Google Maps on the phone, and the watch picks up the directions on its own. The emphasis is on starting navigation rather than merely opening the map; the app needs an active route before it has anything to mirror.

When directions fail to show, the developer points to a short list of causes. The Bluetooth link between watch and phone is the first thing to check. If the watch is connected but the app reports an unauthorized status, the suggested fix is to uninstall and reinstall it, which is a blunt remedy but a quick one. The autostart, background activity and notification settings cover most of the remaining cases.

My advice is to run through these settings before you need the app in earnest. A navigation companion that needs several settings configured is not something you want to debug at the start of a journey. Set it up at home, confirm that a short test route appears on the watch, and the rest should follow.

It is also worth deciding in advance whether the text-only display suits how you navigate. The app is at its best when you already know roughly where you are going and want confirmation of the next move. Used that way, the arrows and buzzes do their job without asking for attention.

A narrow tool for Huawei watch owners

The app has a 3.0 average from 390 ratings across more than 10,000 installs, which suggests a mix of satisfied and frustrated users rather than a runaway success. Given the number of settings involved and the experimental status of voice guidance on newer Android versions, that spread is not surprising. The app was released in January 2023 and was last updated in July 2026.

The value here depends entirely on your setup. If you own one of the supported Huawei watches, use Google Maps for driving, cycling or walking, and want turn prompts and haptics without looking at the phone, $2.99 is a modest ask for a focused tool. You are paying for a bridge between two pieces of hardware you already have, not for a full navigation suite.

It does one job: it moves the next instruction from the phone to the watch. For the right owner, that is enough.