[E-Daily Reporter Yun Junghoon ] South Korea’s No. 1 navigation app, “TMAP,” is undergoing a dramatic transformation from a navigation tool to a “mobility social network” where users can share their travel experiences and interact through short videos. Building on the success of its location-search service “Where to Go,” the company aims to evolve into an “AI-native mobility platform” in the second half of the year by adding a wide range of short-form content and social features, allowing users to view every moment before and after their trips.

Tmap Mobility announced on the 9th that it is launching “Tmap Short Form,” a service that allows users to record and share short videos of the places they visit. The launch of this short-form service is expected to serve as a starting point for going beyond mere content consumption to pass the time, accumulating users’ actual visit experiences as “foot data” to further enhance AI-based personalized recommendation services.

One-Stop Service

from Watching Short-Form Videos to Saving Restaurants and Getting Directions… Covering “Daily Life, Driving, and Lifestyle”

The biggest differentiator of T Map Short Form lies in its organic structure, where “viewing” directly leads to “travel.” Just like with Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, users can enjoy videos and, when they come across a place they like, check detailed information (reviews, hours of operation, menus, etc.) without leaving the screen—and then save it as a favorite or get immediate directions.

The content categories consist of: △ “Places,” featuring information on restaurants, cafes, and travel; △ “Driving,” which shares tips for new drivers, vehicle maintenance, and dashcam footage; and △ “Life,” covering pop-up stores, shopping information, and practical lifestyle tips. The plan is to keep users engaged on the platform—even if they don’t have immediate travel plans—by allowing them to watch videos, leave comments, and follow creators who match their interests within T Map.

Content will be provided by “T Map Certified Creators,” who have undergone quality verification, as well as through voluntary participation from general users. Initially, videos will be recommended based on general popularity, but the plan is to eventually provide a thoroughly personalized scroll feed that reflects users’ travel data.

“Where to Go” Surpasses 4.5 Million MAU… Cross-Usage Rate with Navigation App Jumps to 34%

T-Map has been meticulously building out its platform to transform itself from a simple utility app into a “mobility lifestyle platform.” Starting with the location recommendation service “Where to Go,” launched in September 2024, it has successively introduced AI hashtag reviews, location coupons, and a step counter.

The results are evident in the numbers. As of last May, the monthly active user (MAU) count for “Where to Go?” surpassed 4.5 million. Notably, the share of “cross MAU”—users who discover a location via “Where to Go?” and then navigate directly to it—has surged by a whopping 34% compared to January of last year.

The cumulative number of reviews based on trip verification is also rising sharply, at an average monthly rate of 16%. Recently, the app has significantly enhanced its practical features, including automatic real-time travel log recording and parking availability information for Gimhae and Cheongju airports.

Follower Feature and Walking Directions Added in Late July… “The Ultimate Goal Is to Be AI-Native”

T Map’s evolution shows no signs of stopping. In the fourth week of this month, it introduced “Real-Time Walking Directions” to help users easily find locations on foot, and in the last week of July, it laid the groundwork for a full-fledged social network through an update enabling users to “follow” and “be followed” via open profiles. A major overhaul of the “Where to Go” service is also scheduled for this coming September.

In the second half of the year, a groundbreaking “mobility social feature” that directly connects users will be added.

Jeon Chang-geun, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Tmap Mobility, said, “We know exactly which users have actually visited specific locations,” adding, “We are preparing a real-time interaction (Q&A) feature that allows current and prospective visitors to ask and answer specific questions—ones that cannot be resolved through reviews or short-form content—directly within the platform.”

The reason Tmap Mobility can boldly expand its territory into the social and content domains lies in its overwhelming “mobility big data”—derived from data on 15.5 million monthly mobile users and vehicle infotainment systems (Tmap Auto) installed in over 20 domestic and international automaker brands.

The data accumulated as users search for locations, drive, and post short-form content serves as the core fuel for AI. Going forward, Tmap plans to integrate “A.dot,” the AI personal assistant from SKTelecom(017670), to further enhance its conversational agent based on a large language model (LLM). The roadmap includes not only voice-only navigation control but also the integration of a chat agent that analyzes reviews, photos, and short-form content to suggest optimal travel routes and provide summaries of locations.

The former CPO stated, “T Map is evolving beyond a simple navigation service into a mobility lifestyle platform that seamlessly connects everything from pre-trip exploration to in-trip driving, and post-trip recording and sharing.” He added, “By combining mobility data and content with AI, we will provide a differentiated experience and ultimately evolve into an ‘AI-native service’ to lead the mobile and in-car infotainment markets.”