‘Tuju je’? Not anymore: Malaysia’s homegrown app now asks Google Maps for directions

Malaysia’s Tuju navigation app now redirects Android users to Google Maps following an update released on October 30, 2026. — SoyaCincau pic

First Published: Tuesday, 03 Nov 2026 9:45 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Malaysia’s homegrown navigation app Tuju has finally found a solution to its biggest problem, and it’s brilliant. Instead of trying to figure out the best way to navigate you to your destination, it now simply redirects you to an app that already knows how to do it.

Following a recent update for Android users, tapping the navigation button in Tuju now brings up a message informing users that it will launch Google Maps to take them to their destination.

In other words, Tuju’s solution to its unreliable turn-by-turn navigation is to hand over the job to Google Maps. Problem solved!

Tuju for Android now redirects navigation to Google Maps

The latest Tuju update for Android is version 2.0.4, which was released on October 30. This comes ahead of the developer’s promised deadline of November 6 to restore its navigation feature.

Instead of providing turn-by-turn navigation within Tuju itself, the Android app now informs users that Google Maps will be launched when they tap on the navigation option.

This is certainly a much more practical solution than relying on Tuju’s previous navigation system, which struggled to provide accurate driving instructions. From our experience with both Android and iOS versions, Tuju was mostly giving straight and merge instructions without any useful context.

The irony is that Tuju’s homepage still prominently displays the tagline “Nak Pergi Mana? Tuju Je”, which translates to “Need to go somewhere? Just use Tuju.”

Except now, when you actually want to go somewhere, Tuju tells you to use Google Maps instead. And yes, Google Maps supports Android Auto.

For iPhone users, the Tuju app remains unchanged. The iOS version is still listed as version 1.5.5, which was last updated in November 2025.

Tuju’s navigation was disabled following widespread criticism

The latest development comes just over a week after Tuju received widespread criticism over its poor navigation experience. On 22 October, we tested Tuju’s navigation and found the experience frustrating and potentially distracting for drivers, with vague directions, inaccurate routing and a lack of essential navigation features. Following the backlash, LLM temporarily disabled the navigation feature.

LLM has clarified that Tuju was never intended to replace Waze. Instead, it was designed as a highway companion app, providing real-time highway updates, toll exit information, rest stop locations, live cameras and emergency assistance contacts. This came after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim encouraged Malaysians to use locally developed alternatives to Waze over national security and data privacy concerns.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil recently said the management responsible for Tuju must be held accountable if inaccurate information was presented to the government. — SoyaCincau