Google Maps will soon give you better recommendations(techcrunch.com)
techcrunch.com
Google Maps will soon give you better recommendations
https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/08/google-maps-will-soon-give-you-better-recommendations/
92 comments
>> Maybe it's because I'm using an iPhone 5S
It's not.
It's not.
I don't know. Just tried it on my OG Pixel. Maps loaded in about a second, and the search field activated instantly when I tapped it. So... maybe it is? Or maybe the Maps app on iOS is just slow?
On my Pixel 2, and the 1 before it, the Maps UI is sometimes weirdly jerky. Purely anecdotally, it feels like there is some blocking network IO on the main thread.
It definitely could be. Apple literally admitted to slowing down older generation iPhones. I don't know how you can really consider it a non-factor.
2 reasons. 1) they’ve only acknowledged doing this on iPhone 6 and later. 2) it’s slow as shit on my brand spanking new iPhone X as well. A slower phone def doesn’t help, but it’s not the primary issue here.
Whoa, really? I noticed Google Maps being slow as shit on my Galaxy S5 and thought it was just because it was an old phone. I guess getting a new phone isn't going to help then?
(I've been meaning to upgrade to a newer phone, maybe an LG V10 or V20, soon for several reasons; the S5 has been great but it's now 4 years old. But I guess Google Maps being slow isn't a valid reason any more.)
(I've been meaning to upgrade to a newer phone, maybe an LG V10 or V20, soon for several reasons; the S5 has been great but it's now 4 years old. But I guess Google Maps being slow isn't a valid reason any more.)
It's really strange to me, that Apple Maps is so smooth in comparison to iOS Google Maps. (Whether or not it is helpful is another question that I'm disregarding here.)
In a technical sense, both apps are displaying all the same kinds of things: satellite tiles, scalable road vectors, rotated outlined text for street names, 3D buildings if you like, etc. But Google Maps is dog-slow compared to Apple Maps at doing it.
Is efficient painting logic for a maps app on mobile a genuinely-hard problem that Apple Maps is being really clever at solving? Or is it an easy problem that Google Maps is being really stupid at solving?
In a technical sense, both apps are displaying all the same kinds of things: satellite tiles, scalable road vectors, rotated outlined text for street names, 3D buildings if you like, etc. But Google Maps is dog-slow compared to Apple Maps at doing it.
Is efficient painting logic for a maps app on mobile a genuinely-hard problem that Apple Maps is being really clever at solving? Or is it an easy problem that Google Maps is being really stupid at solving?
On my iPhone 8 Plus, it's under a second and honestly, not that bad.
If it's open in the background it's nearly instant to switch to it, unlike some other apps.
If it's open in the background it's nearly instant to switch to it, unlike some other apps.
It’s fast on my iPhone X. There’s probably other factors in play
I think op is saying he/she experiences the same thing on current-gen hardware.
I'm on an iPhone X and just tested and the keyboard shows up immediately when I activate the search field.
I'm on an iPhone X and just tested and the keyboard shows up immediately when I activate the search field.
You are taking things out of context. For starters, they did not do that on the iPhone 5S, only on 6 and newer [0].
[0]: https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/
[0]: https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/
> "Google will soon launch a new version of Google Maps that will give you more personalized recommendations"
I've used enough of Google's products by now to know that the word "better" in this title is probably inaccurate. :)
I've used enough of Google's products by now to know that the word "better" in this title is probably inaccurate. :)
I'm looking forward to the momentum this will give OpenStreetMap through the sheer annoyance at Google.
But I sure wish Google would stop trying to read my mind and just do what I tell it to. Guess the descent is inevitable, since we're the commodity we have to fight with the service, explicitly or implicitly. But oh how I yearn for the days of old when they pretended to be nice.
But I sure wish Google would stop trying to read my mind and just do what I tell it to. Guess the descent is inevitable, since we're the commodity we have to fight with the service, explicitly or implicitly. But oh how I yearn for the days of old when they pretended to be nice.
It is going to be "better." For Google.
Hi everyone! Less than happy to read this news, as my husband and I have been working on a similar solution for some time now. We've created an app https://maplog.it/ which allows you to create different lists, share them with others and give you better recommendations for places to go out. We are currently working on an iOS and Android apps. Do you think it makes any sense to continue or should we just drop the idea? Would love to hear what you think!
Hey magdadc,
I founded a company competing with Google Maps on another level (map tiles & other geoservices), and I think it's super important to have competition in the mapping space (just look at how much it costs if you want to use Google's data anywhere!).
Your site looks super polished. Keep up the good work!
One thing I don't particularly like is having to sign in to see a map of things nearby. I'd love a main view that shows me just the map with interesting places marked as pins. (E.g., "Places Near Me" takes me to a signup page, which immediately turns me off.)
Best of luck!
I founded a company competing with Google Maps on another level (map tiles & other geoservices), and I think it's super important to have competition in the mapping space (just look at how much it costs if you want to use Google's data anywhere!).
Your site looks super polished. Keep up the good work!
One thing I don't particularly like is having to sign in to see a map of things nearby. I'd love a main view that shows me just the map with interesting places marked as pins. (E.g., "Places Near Me" takes me to a signup page, which immediately turns me off.)
Best of luck!
Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement! Good point on 'nearby' being locked.
All the best luck to you as well!
Actually making good, meaningful recommendations isn't a solved problem. Google has mass, and anything with more than ~4 stars generally isn't going to be awful, but it's a blunt instrument. Searching just slightly more specifically than that and the wheels come off.
I don't immediately see how your app solves the problem, it seems there are some lists of things, but it's an unqualified jumble. I am looking at the best bars in London list, and pretty much all my favourites are on there, but Gordon's, Duke's, Termini and Calooh Callay are very different places for different occasions (and, especially in the case of Duke's, different budgets), and there is nothing to help me decide.
Finding a bar, even a relatively good one, in London isn't a valuable problem, IMO, and certainly not one Google isn't going to beat you at -- finding a bar like Duke's in, say, Zürich is (for the particular subjective value of 'like' that I have in mind). A list of "that kind of bars" with a few options in every city might be a good answer, but I don't envy you the challenge of curating that sort of thing at scale.
I don't immediately see how your app solves the problem, it seems there are some lists of things, but it's an unqualified jumble. I am looking at the best bars in London list, and pretty much all my favourites are on there, but Gordon's, Duke's, Termini and Calooh Callay are very different places for different occasions (and, especially in the case of Duke's, different budgets), and there is nothing to help me decide.
Finding a bar, even a relatively good one, in London isn't a valuable problem, IMO, and certainly not one Google isn't going to beat you at -- finding a bar like Duke's in, say, Zürich is (for the particular subjective value of 'like' that I have in mind). A list of "that kind of bars" with a few options in every city might be a good answer, but I don't envy you the challenge of curating that sort of thing at scale.
Thanks for the feedback! Agreed - for us using Google stars or tripadvisor ratings was useless in finding new places, as it's an average of thousands of people's opinions, who have different tastes and priorities.
Our stab at making finding places easier is to let people share their favourite places with friends (via lists) - you might not trust Google's bar recommendations, but you would trust your friend who goes out a lot and has a similar taste.
Our stab at making finding places easier is to let people share their favourite places with friends (via lists) - you might not trust Google's bar recommendations, but you would trust your friend who goes out a lot and has a similar taste.
> “Today, our users aren’t just asking for the fastest route to a place but also what’s happening around them, what the new places are and what the locals are doing in their neighborhood,” Google VP for engineering and product management Jen Fitzpatrick noted in today’s keynote.
Are users really asking for this? I only ever use Google Maps for driving directions. I like that I can type the name of a place and it finds matches near me, but that's all the personalization I've ever wanted.
Are users really asking for this? I only ever use Google Maps for driving directions. I like that I can type the name of a place and it finds matches near me, but that's all the personalization I've ever wanted.
Yes, I do. I use it a lot to find restaurants. Say I search for "Turkish Restaurant", I'm presented with a map with locations nearby, allowing me to click on each of them and check opening hours, the website, reviews, etc.
It's an awesome tool to discover things in a neighbourhood.
It's an awesome tool to discover things in a neighbourhood.
I travel for work a lot, often to new places, and Google Maps is my go to for restaurants almost nightly when on the road. Just in the last week Maps helped me find 2 new favorites in Flushing, NY.
I use Maps as a gateway to new areas. If I can't see new places automatically, if I'm not notified, if I'm not otherwise aware of new places, how am I going to come across them?
I think asking locals can be one solution. If not, check out a blog of the city you are visiting, they might publish new places there.
I get a local newspaper that shows restaurant openings and closings; it seems like a much better fit for that kind of information than something global like google maps.
Google maps should be answering two questions: Where is it, and how do I get there. "What's cool and new in my city" seems like a feature that's being shoehorned on because it's a possible revenue channel.
>asking locals
I like that for hippie reasons like building community and a sense of connection to other people, but I'm also a little disappointed I didn't instantly recognize that the objectively best way to know "what the locals are doing in their neighborhood" is to "ask them"
Google maps should be answering two questions: Where is it, and how do I get there. "What's cool and new in my city" seems like a feature that's being shoehorned on because it's a possible revenue channel.
>asking locals
I like that for hippie reasons like building community and a sense of connection to other people, but I'm also a little disappointed I didn't instantly recognize that the objectively best way to know "what the locals are doing in their neighborhood" is to "ask them"
> Google maps should be answering two questions: Where is it, and how do I get there. "What's cool and new in my city" seems like a feature that's being shoehorned on because it's a possible revenue channel.
No, Google Maps should be answering the questions users are asking. And, apparently, users are asking those questions.
No, Google Maps should be answering the questions users are asking. And, apparently, users are asking those questions.
If you have access to a local who's tastes (and temperament and budget) are calibrated to your own, it's a good strategy. If you are in a place for a while and want the most out of it, researching on blogs etc is absolutely the right thing to do. But if you are passing by and looking for a place to have lunch, that's not feasible. Heck, even finding a local who routinely eats out in the local area (in a great many places, people will eat at home most of the time) can be a challenge - in touristic areas, the great majority of people will be other tourists or trying to sell you something. Google Maps, on the other hand, can instantly tell you if the brasserie on the main square is a tourist trap or decent, or if there is a small independent café with great salads on a side street five minutes from you. That's the problem Google Maps is solving.
Fair enough, but I have a hard time google maps is building this system purely out of altruistic intentions, and not to sell us on the locations that pay their way into the "hip local venue" group a la yelp.
Sorry, but this is a very unimaginative comment. Yes, people use the app differently than you. For me, this would be extremely helpful while traveling. Right now I piece together the information I want from various travel/restaurant apps.
I use it almost daily to recommand coffee shops or places to go to. It's not always the best at this task but it's quite good.
I've searched "Food near me" at least once a week this past semester. I wish I could do something like "tampon near me" to be able to find a business that sells tampons near me for example
Both Google and Apple have several recommendations for me in Bellevue, WA, including the closest likely suspect, the Chevron gas station down the street. I assume you've tried this and had less successful results?
I use Google maps to get directions - usually for public transit. And then I use it to tell me where a coffee shop is at my destination.
When I'm on the bus I use Google Maps to tell me how close I am to the destination bus stop. It's not great for this. You have to really zoom the map in to get the bus stops to display. And the GPS positioning isn't great - often it'll show me travelling through the middle of a field rather than the road I'm on.
When I'm on the bus I use Google Maps to tell me how close I am to the destination bus stop. It's not great for this. You have to really zoom the map in to get the bus stops to display. And the GPS positioning isn't great - often it'll show me travelling through the middle of a field rather than the road I'm on.
While we're at it, I hate when you click on a search result hoping to see the location, but instead it covers up your entire screen with pictures of food.
All the responses are talking about finding places to eat but I think Google still has a little ways to go in their recommendation / AI engine that they keep toting out in marketing events.
Take for instance my silly effort to get the assistant to help me out while I was driving on the highway a few weeks ago and had an emergency suddenly crawl up on me: https://imgur.com/v2Y1hsC
I didn't really expect that to work, but it would've been nice if it could've pulled up the closest business with a public washroom... I know Google maps is always asking me questions on that type of stuff.
Or the time where I hit the road towards a blizzard last winter and I asked Google to tell me what the highway conditions were like and I got some search recommendation for road conditions in a different country.
Maybe improvements to "recommendations" in general can solve these other problems that I figure are very navigation-centric in nature.
Take for instance my silly effort to get the assistant to help me out while I was driving on the highway a few weeks ago and had an emergency suddenly crawl up on me: https://imgur.com/v2Y1hsC
I didn't really expect that to work, but it would've been nice if it could've pulled up the closest business with a public washroom... I know Google maps is always asking me questions on that type of stuff.
Or the time where I hit the road towards a blizzard last winter and I asked Google to tell me what the highway conditions were like and I got some search recommendation for road conditions in a different country.
Maybe improvements to "recommendations" in general can solve these other problems that I figure are very navigation-centric in nature.
Two things:
1) I generally don't want to do what everyone else in a given area is doing. I prefer the off-the-beaten-path stuff. Will Google know this?
2) Will Google monetize the inclusion in the "local hot spot tonight" recommendations?
1) I generally don't want to do what everyone else in a given area is doing. I prefer the off-the-beaten-path stuff. Will Google know this?
2) Will Google monetize the inclusion in the "local hot spot tonight" recommendations?
Yes. The kind of recommendations I want are things like: "Go for a walk in this park you've never been to. There are benches to read on." and "Go for a bike ride on this route. You'll see parts of the city you'd normally never see."
I don't have details on this, but I can't imagine it'd be less personalized for your off-the-beaten-path stuff than it is now, where we get the same as everyone else.
idk about recommendations, but I've started using Google Maps more than Yelp for calling restaurants and sharing addresses with friends because Yelp takes way too long to boot up compared to Google Maps.
Speed matters!
Speed matters!
Never thought Gmaps was considered fast.
When I open it on a new, top shelf Android, it takes a few seconds to boot. And it boots directly into whatever I searched a few days ago. Then I have to click back, wait for it to not lag, back again, repeat. Then finally I can search. Most often I click back and close it...
When I open it on a new, top shelf Android, it takes a few seconds to boot. And it boots directly into whatever I searched a few days ago. Then I have to click back, wait for it to not lag, back again, repeat. Then finally I can search. Most often I click back and close it...
Just tested on my iPhons 6S+. Maps took about 2.5 seconds to boot, 1 second to load search predictions, then showed exacty results instantly after I chose the search term.
Yelp took about a second longer on each step, with worse search predictions with partial string input, making me spend more time typing. Also the text is harder to read and the search box is harder to activate. So UX seems to also be a factor adding human lag time to the equation.
Maps isn't instant but it's the better of two nonideal options.
Yelp took about a second longer on each step, with worse search predictions with partial string input, making me spend more time typing. Also the text is harder to read and the search box is harder to activate. So UX seems to also be a factor adding human lag time to the equation.
Maps isn't instant but it's the better of two nonideal options.
Take a moment and ponder what would happen if you hooked a trailer full of racing shells up to a 14-passenger bus, tossed a set of keys to the assistant coach of the crew team and told them to get to the Charles river.
Yes, better restaurant suggestions is exactly what will make Maps more competitive. /s. The Valley Filter Bubble(TM) rears its ugly head once again.
Just giving people an "I don't know the area, please don't give me a route with a million steps and rapid fire turns when there exists an alternative with a fraction of the complexity that only takes several minutes longer" check box would differentiate them from every other consumer grade route planning software and make using maps for a route in an unfamiliar area (example use case: picking something up on CL) or when driving something bigger than a SUV in a dense city way less stressful.
A little warning that "this route contains under-height structures" (the location and height of which is publicly available) with a little icon on the map for each one would probably reduce the number of rental trucks, motor-homes and mini-buses that get can opened by an order of magnitude or two.
There's a lot of little low hanging fruit but reducing the number of routes your route planning software sucks at isn't as sexy as trying to predict what restaurants people will want to eat at.
Yes, better restaurant suggestions is exactly what will make Maps more competitive. /s. The Valley Filter Bubble(TM) rears its ugly head once again.
Just giving people an "I don't know the area, please don't give me a route with a million steps and rapid fire turns when there exists an alternative with a fraction of the complexity that only takes several minutes longer" check box would differentiate them from every other consumer grade route planning software and make using maps for a route in an unfamiliar area (example use case: picking something up on CL) or when driving something bigger than a SUV in a dense city way less stressful.
A little warning that "this route contains under-height structures" (the location and height of which is publicly available) with a little icon on the map for each one would probably reduce the number of rental trucks, motor-homes and mini-buses that get can opened by an order of magnitude or two.
There's a lot of little low hanging fruit but reducing the number of routes your route planning software sucks at isn't as sexy as trying to predict what restaurants people will want to eat at.
Honestly I'd appreciate it if Maps stopped giving recommendations. They always pop up whenever I open the app, and I never want them. Unfortunately there's no way to turn them off, so every time I need to open Maps, I'm forced to wait for recommendations to load, and then swipe them away, before it's useful to me.
Terrible UX, thy name is Google.
Terrible UX, thy name is Google.
Largely via Android Auto, I've had mixed experiences with Google Maps recommendations in the past.
What I really want it to do is look at my calendar, and if I have something scheduled soon with a location attached, suggest providing navigation to that. This has worked sometimes, but it's completely not reliable as it sometimes simply doesn't do it.
What I really don't want it to do is blindly suggest navigating to locations I've previously been to. The last couple times I went to the dentist (something I do approximately twice a year) it's asked if I want to navigate there every day for the following week.
The only thing I've found (mostly) reliable about it is if I get in my car at the end of the day, the navigation suggestion is 'home', and in the morning, it's 'work'.
What I really want it to do is look at my calendar, and if I have something scheduled soon with a location attached, suggest providing navigation to that. This has worked sometimes, but it's completely not reliable as it sometimes simply doesn't do it.
What I really don't want it to do is blindly suggest navigating to locations I've previously been to. The last couple times I went to the dentist (something I do approximately twice a year) it's asked if I want to navigate there every day for the following week.
The only thing I've found (mostly) reliable about it is if I get in my car at the end of the day, the navigation suggestion is 'home', and in the morning, it's 'work'.
The feature I want can be found in Microsoft's MapPoint for DOS back in 1993: the option to plot the shortest route based on distance. I drive a slow, old truck that tops out at about 60 on flat roads and I prefer to avoid interstates and to take the shortest mileage route, since the lower speed limits of small roads are rarely applicable to me. On a drive from the Midwest out to the western deserts, 150 miles makes a big difference.
Google Maps (and in fact just about every nav program) has an option for "no highways". That'll probably be better for your objective than just plotting the shortest route, which may very well follow a highway at some point since highways frequently are more direct.
Yes, I use this option frequently, but it's still not always the shortest. For instance, here in Kansas, it will avoid interstates but route you on U.S. highways, even though there are more direct state and county roads. I want to see the very shortest route and make that decision for myself.
Hmm... usually when I use Google Maps (esp. on the desktop version), it'll give me several route options at the beginning. One of those is usually the fastest, and another is usually the shortest distance. You can then pick the preferred route and it should follow that (though, during driving, it can get screwed up if you take a wrong turn and then try to re-route you on the fastest route again).
I've wanted this too after my wagon's struts went out. Not highway safe.
Choosing walking directions comes pretty close to meeting this use case.
instead, how about giving me directions that dont involve 20 turns down tiny residential streets with 10 stop signs to travel 2 miles. when it can be done with 1 turn on 2 major roads with 2 traffic lights and an extra 0.1 mile? or multi-point routes on mobile? or a maps app UI that doesnt obstruct 60% of the actual map?
so many google products seem to reach EOL at "good enough". see also: Gmail, etc.
so many google products seem to reach EOL at "good enough". see also: Gmail, etc.
Are you sure that's not Waze? Google Maps is deliberately a lot like the latter, even if both products are from the same company. Maybe there is something in the road network (e.g. a segment with bad information) along the route you are thinking of that results in what you describe.
i have never used waze. google prefers to minimize distance rather than minimizing route complexity (for some minimal distance or time cost). my wife and i have an ongoing joke that google takes you on the most "scenic" drives through the most obscure neighborhoods.
Where in the world are you? If you think Maps has complex routes obsessed with shaving seconds, you should try Waze just for a day. :-)
Not the person you are replying to, but I find in Vancouver it does that a lot as well.
Instead of turning left at an intersection with a light and dedicated turn lane, I find it will often suggest I turn left then right then left to skip the intersection. It always turns out worse.
Instead of turning left at an intersection with a light and dedicated turn lane, I find it will often suggest I turn left then right then left to skip the intersection. It always turns out worse.
Very interesting, thanks. Does the map show lane information? I don't know how accurate that is outside of the US. Or maybe in this case it's overestimating the impact of live traffic data for that red light. Sometimes it feels to me as if, over time, it learns from routes that it suggests and I repeatedly avoid, but that might have been just a coincidence and it might have learned that from aggregate data, not just mine.
To reiterate, though: at least until a few years ago, according to PMs involved, Google Maps was tuned to keep directions shorter and simpler to read, describe (if you're a passenger) or even remember.
To reiterate, though: at least until a few years ago, according to PMs involved, Google Maps was tuned to keep directions shorter and simpler to read, describe (if you're a passenger) or even remember.
It's pretty accurate about which lane you need to be in. I wish it would announce with more notice, but the info is dead on.
I find Google Maps _vastly_ underestimates how hard it is to turn onto a major artery without a light. It seems to think that turning left across three lanes of traffic without a light is "free". In practice, I have been stuck making these turns for 10+ minutes before. I've noticed it underestimates bridges as well.
> Sometimes it feels to me as if, over time, it learns from routes that it suggests and I repeatedly avoid, but that might have been just a coincidence and it might have learned that from aggregate data, not just mine.
That could be the case. Given my usage of Google Maps was less than once a month, it may not have had much to learn from me. I would also rate these poor experiences as bad.
I find Google Maps _vastly_ underestimates how hard it is to turn onto a major artery without a light. It seems to think that turning left across three lanes of traffic without a light is "free". In practice, I have been stuck making these turns for 10+ minutes before. I've noticed it underestimates bridges as well.
> Sometimes it feels to me as if, over time, it learns from routes that it suggests and I repeatedly avoid, but that might have been just a coincidence and it might have learned that from aggregate data, not just mine.
That could be the case. Given my usage of Google Maps was less than once a month, it may not have had much to learn from me. I would also rate these poor experiences as bad.
> Where in the world are you?
Chicago
Chicago
How about excluding unpaved trails from bicycle directions? I've been screwed by that too many times. A gravel trail is not a bike route, for most bikes anyway.
Here's my suggestion for Google Maps: how about handling toll roads better? It's all-or-nothing. Why not put a little gray box saying "20 minutes shorter, $1.50", or "1 minute shorter, $29.50"? If you turn on toll roads, it'll happily always route you on a toll road or toll lane, even if it isn't any faster. And here in DC, toll roads can easily cost you $30-50 per trip.
Maps already gives you route options to choose from, both when you first start, and during your drive; why can't they do this with toll roads? Are they secretly working with EZ-Pass?
Maps already gives you route options to choose from, both when you first start, and during your drive; why can't they do this with toll roads? Are they secretly working with EZ-Pass?
That's actually one of the suggestions I left them on the product.
I've the choice between toll-lanes or not on my way home, I'd love to know how much faster it'd take if I get on the toll lane...
But in that particular case, I'm not sure how that information is gathered in the first place, it might be hard for them to figure out which cars are on the toll-lane, and which cars are not since both the express lane and regular lane are next to each other.
I've the choice between toll-lanes or not on my way home, I'd love to know how much faster it'd take if I get on the toll lane...
But in that particular case, I'm not sure how that information is gathered in the first place, it might be hard for them to figure out which cars are on the toll-lane, and which cars are not since both the express lane and regular lane are next to each other.
Surely a simple filter algorithm could figure out the toll-lane thing: if you have a bunch of cars reporting speeds on what seems to be the same road, but you know that there's toll lanes there, and the speeds reported fall into two extremely different ranges (one crawling, one highway speed), then it seems safe to assume that the slow vehicles are on the regular road and the fast ones are in the toll lane.
Plus, while they aren't perfectly accurate, toll lanes are usually far enough away from the regular lanes that modern GPS devices in those lanes should be able to generally show themselves biased in that direction (relative to the devices stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic).
Plus, while they aren't perfectly accurate, toll lanes are usually far enough away from the regular lanes that modern GPS devices in those lanes should be able to generally show themselves biased in that direction (relative to the devices stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic).
I have requested and gotten added several bike paths (all paved) to Google Maps so it would route properly through a park, so it might be someone with an mountain bike who requested Google to add it?
the data quality is probably not there for this to be too reliable. a lot of bike trails/paths are just plain missing.
It is though. Those routes are colored brown on maps, and are likely as easy to exclude as interstate highways. The route text for those segments also indicates "unpaved trail."
Anyone still use Maps in the car? I use Waze.
Yes, only use maps since Waze will redirect you onto surface streets to save an insignificant amount of time with a large amount of inconvenience.
Yes. I've tried Waze, and the only advantage it has is showing where cops are (which isn't very reliable, the data is frequently out of date and it shows cops where there aren't any, or doesn't show ones that set up their speed trap recently or are on a rural road).
Google Maps will show you alternative routes as you drive, telling you how much extra time they'll take (or save). Waze does not do this, it only shows you one route. I frequently want to take a slightly different route than the one shown, perhaps because I'm coming to a stoplight and it shows the alternate route of turning right to be "similar ETA", and by turning right I can avoid spending 1-3 minutes at the light.
Basically, Waze is just too minimalist. I want more information, not less.
Google Maps will show you alternative routes as you drive, telling you how much extra time they'll take (or save). Waze does not do this, it only shows you one route. I frequently want to take a slightly different route than the one shown, perhaps because I'm coming to a stoplight and it shows the alternate route of turning right to be "similar ETA", and by turning right I can avoid spending 1-3 minutes at the light.
Basically, Waze is just too minimalist. I want more information, not less.
Waze and Google Maps are the same team run by the same management.
we know. but they are vastly different.
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The implication is that as a company you will eventually pay google to rank higher in the recommendation listings. Listings are advertising.
It'd be nice if it stopped harassing me to leave reviews and pictures for every place I stop these days.
Your definition of harassment seems to be one most people wouldn't agree with. There are setting to turn this off. Another solution is to go to a competitor like Apple or Bing Maps.
Mmm. Is it the end of the cartographic value of Google Maps? I mean, I want an accurate, up to date and objective map. I don't want recommendations, except when I ask for them.
If your just looking for routes/traffic, perhaps try "Waze" - also owned by Google. It has maps/routes without all the other bloat like recommendations.
I can't remember the last time I depended on Google Maps for directions.
I'm not sure I want my map to be giving me recommendations. I'm definitely not certain I want my map to be able to give me better recommendations because of how much data that company has on me.
I guess all the more reason to continue using Apple Maps.
I guess all the more reason to continue using Apple Maps.
> I guess all the more reason to continue using Apple Maps.
It is unfortunate that OpenStreetMap doesn't have the resources to create mapping apps at parity with Google Maps. I just want a map app. Not a recommendation app. Not FourSquare. Just comprehensive maps, routing, and possibly traffic data. OSM, please take my money for this!
The only way for us to receive long term value from digital tooling is through participation, resource contribution, and stewardship of organizations that can protect these projects (Similar to how Signal received a very large cash contribution for ongoing support, or how OSM and other renowned open source projects have official organizations formed, elected governance, etc).
It is unfortunate that OpenStreetMap doesn't have the resources to create mapping apps at parity with Google Maps. I just want a map app. Not a recommendation app. Not FourSquare. Just comprehensive maps, routing, and possibly traffic data. OSM, please take my money for this!
The only way for us to receive long term value from digital tooling is through participation, resource contribution, and stewardship of organizations that can protect these projects (Similar to how Signal received a very large cash contribution for ongoing support, or how OSM and other renowned open source projects have official organizations formed, elected governance, etc).
maps.me (https://maps.me/download/) might be just what you are looking for. Maps, routing and traffic, mostly usable mobile app.
This is brilliant! Thank you for sharing! It’s exactly what I was looking for.
I finally decided I wanted to use OSM as my main app, and what I have been doing is adding things to it when I see it doesn't have it. That way it can slowly get better, and have what I need with it. I have actually found that if I can't find something on it, I can use Duckduckgo to find what I need, then it can open it on OSM and I can mark it.
What app are you specifically using? I find it hard to find a well done one for Android.
This should not be all that difficult to do. We have the open map data (OSM) and Valhalla for routing. There are tons of online OSM viewers, so I would guess it to be possible on a phone.
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Maybe it's because I'm using an iPhone 5S but it would still be nice.