FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you affiliated with The Villages?
The Villages GPS is not affiliated with, related to, or originate from in any way The Villages, Inc or development company and is a completely separate service-provider.
How much is the application?

The cost is $6.99. This is a one time fee!! All future updates, enhancements and improvements are included in this price. Once you pay $6.99 you own the app forever. It is possible the price will go up in the future so download it right now at this unbelievable price!!

Why should I pay for this app?
  • We have spent years mapping every inch of The Villages and customizing this app
  • We will continue to make improvements to the app at no additional cost to you!
  • We give you turn by turn voice directions
  • Paper maps are selling for $5.00 each and only give you part of the information and are not user-friendly
  • You can customize your app on how you want it including having your favorites, etc.
  • You can be anywhere in the country and use the CAR GPS!
  • Easy Search options easily plots restaurants, stores, pools, golf courses and much more!!
  • WE HAVE THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING SO YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TOO!!
Is there a tutorial of what everything does?

Yes! We have a section called “Take A Tour” on our main screen. Click on that to see what everything does. You can zoom in on each slide to get a better close up view.

Is the app transferable from my tablet to my phone or vise versa?
No. The app will only work on the actual device you downloaded it on.
How did you map all of the cart paths?
We hired a specialist that actually lives in The Villages to map out all of the routes Golf Carts are allowed on.
Can I switch between cart paths and roads?

Absolutely.  You are given the choice within the application to decide which map to use.

Will I be able to save my favorite locations?

Click the Heart… When it turns Red, it will be in your Favorites. Click it again to uncheck it. It’s that easy!

How do I save my home address in Favorites?

Go to the “Search” button on the top right in the Main menu and type in your address.

Once it finds your address, click it and then down in the middle left you will see Favorite this place….Click it and hit ok.

Now go back to the Main Menu and click “Favorites” and you can Edit the name of your address by holding down on it until the box pops up. Then type in Home.

You can move it to the very top of you Favorites if it isn’t already there by clicking “Edit” and then to the right of it, There are 3 little lines. You can hold down on those and move your Favorites around.

Now it will always have it there.

App not working inside my house or building.
You could be having interference inside of your house. Try going down the street a block and try the app again in a safe place.
While driving, my app freezes up for a few seconds. Why?
There are a few places in The Villages where cel phone signals drop out that will really mess up the app because it needs to know where you are at all times.
Will this work on my iPad or tablet?
Yes, if you have a data plan. It was designed to run on both phones and tablets but for it to work while driving, you will need Cel Service “Data Plan” as there won’t be wifi available while driving.
How do I download it to my Tablet?

With your iPad, you go to the App Store and search The Villages GPS.

Once you find that, you can click download and you will be good to go.

Will there be a Windows Phone version?

Not at this time.  We will support both iOs and Android based phones and tablets.

If you see 'Route not found' every time.

After you opened the app for the first time, there is a popup that says:The Villages GPS Would Like To Use Your Current Location Don’t Allow OR Ok

The user should have clicked OK but clicked Don’t Allow.

There are two ways to fix this:

1. Allow location in Privacy Settings.
2. Delete the App and go to the App store, download it again (Free) Then click OK when prompted to use your current location

Steps to Allow location in Privacy Settings.

1. Click Settings
2. Click Privacy
3. Click Location Services… Make sure it is On
4. Scroll down to The Villages GPS and click On (Green)
5. Close the App by double clicking the bottom “Home” Menu.
6. Swipe up on The Villages GPS App until it goes away.
7. Click Home button once.
8. Click on The Villages GPS App and you are good to go.
Steps to Delete the App and reinstall.
1. Hold down on The Villages GPS App until it shakes and shows an X
2. Click X
3. Click Delete
4. Click Bottom Main Menu on phone the stop the other Apps from shaking.
5. Click App Store App
6. Click Updates on bottom right.
7. Click Purchased
8. Click Not on this Phone up Top Right.
9. Scroll down until you see “The Villages GPS App”
10. Click on the “Cloud with an Arrow pointing Down”.
11. Wait until it says Open… The click Open
12. Click “OK” when the Popup asks “The Villages GPS” Would Like To Use Your Current Location. Don’t Allow OR Ok
Marked a golf course as a 'Favorite' by mistake. How can I 'Un-Favorite' it?

That is very easy to fix…. Go to your Favorites…. At the top right there is a button that says “Edit” Click that and then click the Red minus sign…. Then click Delete. That should do it!

Why is the app saying I’m so and so distance away?
It shows a estimate to begin with. Once you actually start driving, the app will adjust the distance and time to the speed you are going.
Where can I send suggestions and feedback?

Just click on Contact Us and let us know.

I can't believe that you don't show certain names when I search in he menu under Shopping, Restaurants, etc?

When you click “Shopping or Restaurants” We show you the top 30 results closest to your location at the present time. This is a great function that knows to give you the closest locations but sometimes the business you are looking for don’t update their website “meta tags” that say they are a “Restaurant” so they can occasionally can be left out in the search. The computers that do the Search for you uses Meta tag Keywords.

If you have a specific search and it doesn’t pop up….the best way to find those actual places is by:

  • Click “Search” at the Top right side
  • Type in your search
  • Then there will be around 20 of the closest locations of your search
  • Then you click on the “Heart” beside the location you like to save in your Favorites for quick access next time. Make sure the heart turns Red so it saves in your Favorites.
Is there a choice for direction orientation while driving?

On the iPhone, there is a little Compass at the top right hand side. You can click that to keep the roads from swiveling as you drive or turn.

On the Android, there is a green button in the top right side to do the same.

I have 2 or more devices. Is this $6.99 charge per device or a one time charge so it can be loaded on each of the family devices?

Unfortunately it is only good for the actual devise you downloaded it to.

The good news is, Once you pay for it, you will never have to pay again for life.

We will continue adding new places and making the app better and better for years to come and if the price goes up due to cost.. you will pay nothing more.

I have an old version of the app. Do I have to purchase yet another app to get the improved features or can I download an update?

It’s free for life! Just go to the App Store and click “Updates” You will see it in there waiting to be Updated.

Most Androids and iPhones have a feature that will update your apps automatically.

I want to buy the app but why does it say the app is not compatible with my phone or tablet?
Unfortunately, when it says that the devices hardware will not support it and will not be compatible, it is a hardware issue with your phone or tablet.

Perhaps you can take your phone or tablet to your provider “AT&T or Verizon etc” and tell them what you are trying to do. Hopefully they can help you.

Is there any easy way to exit from the app?
To Exit the App on an iPhone, double click your your Main Menu button on the bottom middle of the phone. You will see everything that is running right now. All you do from there is swipe UP on the app and it will go away and stop.

On the Android, All you do is keep clicking your Back button until you don’t see the app. That stops it.

Does your app have all the streets and paths South of 466A?

We have almost every single street and path up to date.

As you know… The Villages never stops building and they build fast! We are always updating streets and Golf Cart Paths.

Why doesn't your app have all the Satellite views South of 466A?

We use the latest possible Satellite imagery available on the market.

Just like you… We have to wait on those Satellites to come back around to our area and update everything.  We have the most up to date satellite software so they will update automatically as they take place.

When getting directions for travel by Golf Cart, the program has you on some roads that are not allowed. Why is that?

We use the latest software available on the market for all of the Golf Cart routes. We know that sometimes the app can drive you on a “not approved” street for Golf Carts in The Villages.  So until we make it absolutely perfect….  we actually took a full year to map every single Golf Cart path. They are in “Green”.  These certain roads Golf Carts are not allowed on are in “Red”.  The GPS route that our software suggest is always in “Blue”.

We have every time on the app a popup box with the Red, Green and Blue explanation.  It’s actually pretty easy once you use it a couple times…  When you use the GPS on the Golf Carts, we suggest everyone zoom over your whole route before driving it to make sure it takes you on all green.  If you see a red, once you get there continue in the direction of your destination on a GREEN trail and you can follow the green lines to your destination.

There is a “ReRoute” at the top right once your on the green line that you can push and if your far away from the red one it will take you to your destination once again…  It may take a few minutes to figure out but we are giving you the tools to do so to make it easy…

We are hard at work with our developers and the software to make it perfect and to say the least… I won’t go into details but this is a very tedious task and not a simple solution.  We are working hard to have it completed and thank you for your patience.

No audio directions?? I want voice turn by turn directions?
The app has full turn by turn VOICE directions for your golf carts and cars so your volume may be turned down. Please make sure your device volume is all the way up and not on vibrate.
Why can't I hear the volume on my iPhone?

The iPhone has two volume settings.  One for the ring and another for music.  We get a lot of emails saying that the sound isn’t working or is too low.  After they tried turning up the volume after clicking Start, it worked.

Steps to check your volume: 

1.Turn up your Volume as high as possible before opening the app.

2. Start a route from your home or wherever you are. 

3. After you click “Start” and it shows the route, now turn up your volume again. Now you are good to go.

After pressing the Start button it has a lag time before starting. Why is that?

The Start button is activated when you touch it. You are correct, there is a lag. What is happening is, we have added layers of green and red lines for your safety and they take a couple seconds to load, plus the route is being fetched at the same time with the present cell service you have. That is why there is a lag of a couple of seconds.

You just need to realize that it is loading a lot of things at the same time, so give it a couple of seconds and you will be on your way.

Point to Point address search.
When you click in to start typing….There is a Search icon on the top right… Click in that bar and type any address or place in there.

“Be advised that the Point to Point feature shows Car routes only. You can just add anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to your time depending on the distance.”

No Point to Point by Golf Cart?
We just added the Point to Point feature as a bonus…. We don’t have the ability to get those directions by Cart right now….To do that, we would have to sell a LOT of apps to be able to afford that option.
You can just add anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to your time depending on the distance.
Transferring the App
There are a couple factors about transferring the App.

If you are using the same type phone…iPhone to iPhone or Android to Android… It will transfer.

Why 2 Apps in the App Store and Play Store?
When you go to the App Store app and search for Villages GPS we have 2 apps.

One says. Villages GPS
The other says Vilages_GPS for App Store and Villages GPS Tablet for Play Store

Villages_GPS and Villages GPS Tablet were originally made for iPads and tablets back in the day. They won’t allow us to combine them into one.
They are exactly the same but we have to keep them because a lot of people bought those apps in the beginning, so as advertised, they get all updates free.

Why sometimes a Walmart, Publix, Aldi, etc are listed in Restaurants?

Some people that do a search for Restaurant or Food see the Walmart, Publix or Aldi because they offer food.  Sometimes they are “tagged” like this from their websites.  Also all Walmart’s all have a restaurant of some kind in them like a Subway.

Why won't the app map turn as I reposition my iPad?

Once you click “Start” on a route, you can then turn your device and it will work that way.

The GPS locator on all devices are located at the very top of your device. There is also a Compass that you can click to make the map stop from moving.

Once I started traveling it showed Satellite view then changed to a basic or blank view then half and half.
While driving and using the app, you are getting cell service off of cell phone towers around The Villages. Sometimes there is a lag and the Satellite Imagery can’t keep up with the ever changing roads as you pass by. We found if you pinch your screen with two fingers to change the zoom, It comes back into view.
When navigating the map sometimes shows me going sideways or even going towards myself. Why is that?
Some devices have motion sensors. Your device does not have one. If your device has a motion sensor, It will keep your direction straight.

Have more questions?

Click on Contact Us and send us your questions. We would be happy to assist.