Google Maps' unreliability

I am generally happy with using Google Maps on my cellphone for navigation when driving but it is frustratingly unreliable. Usually it works fine but, for example, when I needed it after going awry thanks to some poorly signed construction, it was silent so useless to me without a navigator-passenger. Today it also became inconveniently silent (despite the audio test being fine and the not-muted icon being selected) and stopped automatically rerouting; it also looked different so I suspect an update. Fortunately this time not only had I a passenger but their Google Maps still worked fine.

I want an app that I can expect to work rather than wonder if it will. I wonder if there are free equivalents that also know of current congestion but are not wont to regress severely. Businesses commonly seem to have an unfortunate tendency to ruin software that was fine as it was.

Update: I now realize that a fallback app may suffice. Having something less good that I can fire up when Google Maps fails is at least far better than having no useful navigation at all. Of course, my favorite spiral-bound street atlas of the area remains out of print, perhaps thanks to electronic competition.

Update: An app update for it came the following week. I shall have to test it out.