this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024
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I'm going to paste here the comment I wrote on another post about this same issue:
Organic Maps and OsmAnd are not adding ads during navigation. Nor "promoted pins". Nor ads when browsing the map. Nor tracking your every move.
Seriously, give them a try. And remember that, if the maps are lacking information, you are free (and encouraged) to improve them on OpenStreetMap.
But they aren’t providing live traffic congestion, right? That’s the only reason to use Google Maps. Not because of the maps or navigation.
Well that kind of comes as a result of the whole 'tracking your every move' part
I mean, I feel like that's going to happen regardless if you're using an Android phone. I don't think using a different app for GPS navigation is going to change that. I'm not saying we shouldn't push for more stuff to be opt in and allow people to have their privacy maintained, but in the market right now, the app you use for GPS isn't changing who is tracking you.
Sure but…that’s not the point. It’s easy to find alternative maps or navigation apps.
It's really not. Not usable ones. I've tried so many open map Alternatives and they suck. Wildly outdated, streets that don't exist anymore, streets that do exist not on the map, nonsensical directions, extremely poor voice navigation directions, not knowing about tons of addresses so even if I just give it the raw address it still can't find it and I have to basically go find the address on Google and then manually place a pain in the open map.
I'm not even in a weird place, this is just around Washington State mostly between Everett and Tacoma. The answer I always get is "oh well if you see something wrong submit a correction". Ignoring the fact that that is wildly unhelpful if I'm somewhere new and don't know where I'm going, if I had the time to sit there and build Maps I would just build my own God damn map.
Would desperately love to replace Google Maps for my navigation, especially lately but nothing else even comes close
Have you tried the navigation apps by the old school navigation unit brands ( TomTom, Garmin etc.)
Unless you can’t spend some money on this thing you “desperately” need to replace, those are better for navigation than any map app.
Let me rephrase, I'm desperate for a more open, not garden locked solution. Paying for Garmin and tomtom is just paying for a different corporation locked solution.
It's the same way I'm desperate for a replacement for Plex. But the closest thing, jellyfin, is terrible. It fails to match media, fails to play back certain files, and a bunch of other issues that Plex just does not have. Despite that I have donated to the project, I want to get away from plex and support something open. I want to get away from Google and support something open. But I need to be able to have a minimum amount of functionality.
That's how I know you're really young, you spend brain cycles and time to wish for something that doesn't exist instead of simply accepting there is no better solution right now, and make the best of what you have. I feel silly for trying to engage with you. You say you want better navigation, I tell you how to get it, then suddenly something else is the priority. It's the same idiotic way of thought that the "I won't go vote against fascism, because I wish there was a better democratic candidate" clowns apply to an imperfect situation. Despicably silly. Sorry.
Yo chill dude, I'm 32. I'm allowed to want something that doesn't exist, I'm literally the one that said it doesn't exist. And I do accept there's no better solution, that was the point of my original message. There is no alternative to Google Maps. Sure I could go get TomTom or Garmin but then I'm just paying for an equivalent Google Maps experience. Which would just be me spending money for no reason, I have had a Garmin in the past it's a good GPS but I wouldn't say it's better than Google Maps so I don't feel it's worth the money.
It's also just another closed Garden system that has many of the same problems as Google Maps that I'm trying to get away from. Just because I have a desire for something better does not make me a child.
I'm not even going to bother addressing that insanely leap of logic you made to somehow compare this to voting and fascism
Magic Earth gives you live traffic info, and is based on Openstreetmap. Not open source though (unlike OsmAnd and Organic Maps).
I'm sure congestion info on the maps is valued by some, but not all. Many people just use maps to navigate unfamiliar places.
Then using Google maps is the worst choice. It will algorithmically guide you into the lake
I love organic maps and openstreetmaps. The biggest thing missing is satellite view. I like to wander around and explore an area on maps before visiting. OSM has more interesting/relevant details and better visual color coding than the vector street map on google. Google has a satellite map, which is non-negotiable for me especially if I need to quickly orient myself while driving in a new place. I use three layers loaded into qgis for planning trips: OSM, google maps satellite, and a topographic map from USGS. I sometimes use organic maps on my phone if I don’t have access to a computer with qgis. I rely on Google while on location because organic maps lacks a satellite feed.