May 5, 2022 - Technology

Carmakers adopt what3words app for voice navigation

Joann Muller

Image of a 10-foot square block of pavement in NYC, identified by a three-word address. — Three words identify the precise location where a taxi might meet you. Image courtesy of what3words

As voice technology in cars has improved, it has opened the door for apps like what3words, a voice-navigation tool that helps drivers get precisely where they're going.

What's happening: Nearly a dozen manufacturers have integrated the London-based company's technology into their vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Subaru.

By dividing the world into a grid of 10-foot by 10-foot squares, each designated by a unique combination of three random words, the technology helps drivers navigate to places where an address isn't enough.

Why it matters: The app could enable rideshare drivers to find their customers more easily, for example, or delivery drivers to find the right door to an apartment building.

Drones could also use what3words to make sure packages are delivered to the exact location in a backyard.

Between the lines: Some places, like stadiums or industrial parks, have a single address but multiple entrances and parking garages.

Some pop-up venues may have no address at all.
Some places have no street address, such as beaches, national parks or hiking trails.

How it works: To pinpoint your location, you can share your three random words — your what3words address — with other app users.

"We're not trying to replace street addresses," the company's chief marketing officer, Giles Rhys Jones, tells Axios. "It's more like a super zip code."

Yes, but: For what3words to become the universal navigation tool the company aspires it to be, it needs to be integrated into rideshare and delivery apps like Uber and DoorDash.

Some services in the U.K. like DHL, DPD and Hermes are using what3words, but so far none of the big delivery companies in the U.S. have signed on.
Some emergency dispatch centers in the U.S. are using the technology, however.

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Carmakers adopt what3words app for voice navigation

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