Can I save what3words addresses?

what3words is planning to support this function in the near future. It is already an available feature on a few of its partner apps, including Navmii and Pocket Earth.

    

Why do I see different words every time I press the location button?

Even top of the range smartphones have fairly basic GPS chips, so the accuracy of your current position might be imprecise. what3words converts GPS location into a 3 word address, so when your device thinks you are in a different 3m x 3m square – even if you actually aren't – the 3 word address updates to that position.

If your device isn't giving you a stable current location, try moving the map so that the pin is in the position that you want.

Can I search for lat,long coordinates?

Yes, what3words supports the following formats for latitude and longitude (lat,long) coordinates:

30.606775,29.907674

S30.606775,E29.907674

30° 36' 24.39" S 29° 54' 27.626" E

When I search for a place or street address why does it sometimes show the wrong location?

Converting a street address into a single point (lat,long) on a map, is called geocoding. Unfortunately this process is often inaccurate and highlights the current problem with traditional addressing.

what3words uses information from Google Maps on its website and apps, which means that any search for a traditional address will show results sourced from Google. Once you’ve searched for a street address, it is advised to double-check the pin’s position on the map and move it to the right square if needed.

One of the great benefits of a 3 word address is that it will always refer to the same exact point in the world, whereas street addresses depend on the quality and accuracy of their geocoding database.