Jesus, that is a gross way to inject advertising into turn-by-turn navigation.
Edit/update from 9to5google so this post does not spread what is apparently inaccurate information: https://9to5google.com/2024/07/08/google-maps-pop-up-quick-detour-ad/
How long before they weight routes based on the billboard ads you’ll see along the way.
Man. I almost downvoted you purely outta anger for that idea lmao. Fucking hell.
Google execs already thinking “shit, buy some electronic billboards and show relevant ads as each phone goes past”.
Sad that will be the only part of Blade Runner we get. Where’s the flying cars, dammit!
At least we’ll get giant nude Ana de Armas holograms, right?
…right?
You’ve driven on public roads with other people, and you want to add a third dimension to that?
Helicopters
Where’s the flying cars, dammit!
That’s what aircraft are! We have personal aircraft already. They’re expensive and complicated and impractical.
With gmaps constantly suggesting off-ramp->on-ramp detours at over/underpasses to help you
shorten your eta by 1 minuteincrease merging traffic, I doubt they would have any ethical hesitancy behind it.Honestly, I imagine they may already have a deal (possibly under the table) with clearchannel and the likes.
I’ve not seen gmaps taking these kinds of routes. I’m UK based if it makes any difference at all, but I’m always grateful for my route seeming to prefer a smooth choice to the absolute fastest.
This man has manager written all over him! Put him in charge of google maps! - Google probably
Does it have traffic data?
Unfortunately not, and the time estimates are quite inaccurate. Sigh, it’s the price for not having to deal with Googles shit
Sounds like you just have different shit to deal with
No.
The only OpenStreetMap based navigation app with live traffic data is Magic Earth. It’s not foss, but gratis.
They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps. That is the reason live traffic is only available in just some countries: https://www.magicearth.com/feature-availablity/#hd_traffic
They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps.
https://www.magicearth.com/faq-en/
Do you share data with third parties?
We send position data to our traffic provider to generate real-time traffic information. The data is anonymized on the phone, using a changing key (so it’s not linked to you), and it is deleted after 5 minutes.
They have a good privacy policy though. I haven’t really had many issues with their app.
Thanks for this, I’m going to try this out on my way home. My main use for Gmaps is to determine the quickest way to and from work during peak hour, so keen to see how Magic Earth’s traffic data compares.
the quickest way to and from work during peak hour
Everyone is using Google for that, so on average, traffic on all alternative routes will level out quickly and it doesn’t matter which one you choose.
This assumes everyone has the same destination, which is rarely the case
not really, not everybody has the same destination, but a lot of people need to go in the same direction at a given moment (thats why you are stuck in traffic in this situation).
But at that point what are you even gaining? If you’re looking for privacy you’re just trading Google tracking you for “third party service provider” tracking you
No. It means they get the data from somewhere else, maybe from some carsharing app, or from some government db from car counting thingies mounted on traffic lights, etc. There are other sources to get traffic data ftom, but usually following users is more convenient and reliable
They wont tell us where they get it from, they only say it’s not generated via this app. They are followimg someone, but not me.
No, if you want that, just use Magic Earth. It’s a great app, btw.
Id recommend osmand over organic maps
Personally I been using organic maps because Osmand isn’t giving me better directions and it needs more permissions and it doesn’t have working voice directions
Osmand would be the best one if it wasn’t so slow. Compared to organic maps the rendering lag is not only noticeable but very annoying
I don’t like how OsmAnd limits the number of maps you can download for free, Organic Maps’s donation model is much better in my opinion.
Organic Maps is fine. It’s what I use, although I am not located in a great area for OSM. Are there any specific benefits to OSMand?
Contributing by updating roads and POIs is fairly straightforward and can be pretty fun ^^ https://openstreetmaps.org/edit
Of course! I do that all the time, and I agree it’s fun. OrganicMaps uses the same data, I just find it a little simpler to use and clearer to read.
Did Osmand change that bullshit where if you changed your device you can fuck right off with your previously bought maps and pay for them again because they didn’t tie them to store account
Is there any way I can help contribute public transport information to OSM? It’s the one thing that Google maps does that I can’t replace.
If public transport mapping is your goal, it might make sense to try out the MapComplete Train Station https://mapcomplete.org/stations and Bus Routes https://mapcomplete.org/transit themes which give an easier, more focused, mapping interface. Quest apps like Street Complete can also make getting into OSM a bit easier, though OSM Beginners Guise is great too. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Beginners'_guide
Yes! https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Public_transport though it is a bit complex to fully add routes, adding stops is super easy!
OSM doesn’t really track live and exact public transport schedules (you can define static routes and say which interval the tram/whatever comes but that’s about it). Organic Maps is working on implementing live data: https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/5331
I wish I could get satellite view but I totally get why that’s not a thing
Is it too much to ask for an app that just does one single thing. Everything doesn’t need to be an advertising platform.
But line no go up.
Google is definitely turning into IBM where they just exist because of inertia and not because of anything they actually produce.
The only line I care about is the line that takes me from A to B
They need the money for the next quarter earnings report.
So do I :((
Is it too much to ask
Are you willing to deliver them consequences if they don’t do it the way you want?
I stopped using Google maps so I guess so
What do you use?
Apple Maps. It sucks lol
Looked pretty good the last couple of times I looked at it. What sucks about it?
Those AI electricity bills don’t pay for themselves.
Yeah… we pay…
Interesting to observe how our intuition is failing us while dealing with digital products. When someone gives you something for free on the street, naturally you get suspicious and start asking yourself “where is the catch?” But when there’s a free app - no second thought. Everyone is using it so it must be ok. Well, Google and Facebook are nothing but glorified advertising agencies. The whole reason of their existence is to make money on ads. Edited: typos.
Damn Google be speed running how quickly they can make me replace all their services. Google Maps and Youtube are about the only 2 I still use.
They used to have a reputation for employing smart people… Dumbass middle managers took over a while back and started making the stupidest decisions.
That’s what happens when MBAs start to weasel their way into any business.
Heard someone assert that MBA’s have ruined the world. Seemed a hyperbolic statement at the time. Though casting my eyes around an ever more enpoopified landscape, it’s tough to disagree.
Having taken some “Business for IT” courses… It’s buzzwords all the way down. The buzzwords are defined with buzzwords that are defined with buzzwords that…
MBA are stupid people who think they’re intelligent. I have my M.S. in CS earned summa cum laude and some of these business idiots think their grad degree was even remotely as difficult as mine.
Same thing that happened at Boeing.
Revanced on my android.
I’ve been getting a lot of ‘suggested’ locations and sponsored pop ups in Google Maps the few weeks. I get that it’s a ‘free’ product, but ugh. My GPS while I’m driving down the highway is one of those things that really, really needs to be clutter-free.
Google doesn’t give a shit if you live or die, so long as their corporate partners at Shell Oil and Sheets checks clear
It is by no means free tho. They are making lots of money from selling your location data and furthering their market dominance by forcing it on everyone by default
They get that same location data with or without maps. As long as you are using stock android, Google knows exactly where you’ve been even if you enable airplane mode. They get your position with WiFi networks and other phones around you and store that data with timestamps. Maps doesn’t give them any extra data, it simply binds you into their ecosystem.
I get that it’s a ‘free’ product, but ugh.
Yes, he/everyone understands that for the past decade lol.
It’s not a free product, your data is being sold.
I know. I’d assume everyone on Lemmy knows. That’s why I said ‘free’ in scare quotes and not free.
Oh I didn’t notice the quotes lol that’s what I get for being tired on a Monday ☠️
clutter-free is OsmAnd (Open Street Map) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OsmAnd
This ad company is becoming a huge nuisance.
And unfortunately, for maps, it’s basically just Apple and Google. I’m trying to get used to OSM, but it just isn’t easy to do the things I want to do: find directions to a store.
MapQuest is still a thing. Bing maps… exists. Wave, even though owned by Google, hasn’t been fucked yet.
Magic Earth is another open source alternative besides OSM.
Magic Earth uses OSM map data.
osm sucks at addresses. The only way I can use it for navigation is doing google to coordinate conversion and just saving all the places. I haven’t seen this new google change but we’ll see if its enough to make me drop the last google service I use.
Edit/update from 9to5google so this post does not spread what is apparently inaccurate information:
I know we are desperate for content here on Lemmy, and I can google hate circle jerk with the best of them, but maybe just delete the post if it is a complete clickbait lie… you could also reword the post as a fact check, ‘no, google isn’t injecting adds into maps.’
Wait dude, you interrupted me mid jerk. Shame on you.
Here, something to keep you going.
Ah yea it does. Can you repost that, but slower…?
G
O
O
G
It’s possible former Redditors don’t realize you can edit the title of Lemmy posts.
Sure, I could. But I wanted to leave the original post as it was for transparency. I figured that was the most “open” thing to do.
You can edit titles on Lemmy, make say “BS journalists throwing google under the bus to get more ad revenue from google ads.”
Fair enough, but reading the comments it appears your edit isn’t explicit enough, or people just read the headlines I guess.
I dont know if i can keep using google stuff if this is the way they are going.
Why does everything have to be a fucking advert.
Who even likes adverts?
Just fuck off.
who even likes adverts?
Advertisers
I have been using Kagi as an alternative search engine for over a month now and can’t see me going back to Google anytime soon. Googles results are just full of adverts and garbage.
Google expected infinite growth in a finite system. Now that the growth is slowing they are trying to increase yield from their current pool of resources instead.
Why dont these companies accept theybarent worth as much any more and just provide less services until they balance off.
The stuff they cant afford to provide could be taken on by someone else. Being a one company does all type master of none sort of thing is clearly bad for society and the economy.
I dont really know what im talking about but i just dont get why they see losses and an end to growth but take the position of “we need to find a way to keep this going” instead of “we need to sell off things until our company is making money again, even if its less money”
In the US everyone just wants to see the line go up, they don’t care how it happens. They are beholdent to a corrupt and inept class of disconnected aristocrats that don’t know their face from their ass
I dont think it’s unique to the US, companies in other countries have to play the same game or be lost to obscurity.
The moment this starts happening to me, I’m going to start giving every single sponsored stop I see a 1 star review.
Tbh that kind of behavior will almost certainly be stopped automatically
It’ll be fun while it lasts.
i hate the cyberpunk technodystopia we built.
we didnt even get the cool cyborg augmentations or the pew pew lasers. just fucking ads.
Excellent idea. I give gas stations that play loud video ads 1 star and don’t go back. I give places that ask for a tip for a to-go order 1 star as well
I get the feeling, but if the business has no say in getting recommended, aren’t you just punishing businesses that may not even know this program exists? That would suck for very small businesses.
Edit: my brain was thinking recommendations not paid ads so please disregard.
Google isn’t going to promote small businesses that have no say. Google isn’t putting these ads up for fun. They do it because businesses pay them to.
It’s an ad, not a recommendation. As far as I know, Google doesn’t just serve ads for businesses that don’t pay for them.
Ah, yeah; hat would make sense
Gmaps has been actual hot trash for way the hell too long now.
GraphHopper, OSRM, and Valhalla all blow Google’s shitty routing algorithm out of the water.
OSMAnd really the only mobile app competitor worthy of putting gmaps out of its misery. The only problem is it still uses a renderer from the stone age and has lackluster address data despite the fact that said data is available for free online from several open source mapping projects (there’s some nice github scripts that can import ir for you).
Garmin forgot to invest in mobile technology. Sygic went to crap. Waze is just Gmaps+. Maps.me died even harder than Sygic.
It’s 2024 and yet some of the best navigation tech I’ve seen is from 15+ year old devices.
Edit: Also Android Auto can go to hell.
The old maps.me is reborn and active as Organic Maps now.
+1 for Organic Maps though I feel it’s lacking in some basic features.
Still renders much better and smoother than OSMAnd.
Yeah. OsmAnd (at least for me) suffers from the rather typical opensource thing that it can do lots of things and can be configured in a myriad of specific ways, and to use it you have to dive into it to configure them; Organic Maps, on the other hand, does less, but much slicker and simpler.
I’ve been using Gmaps since forever and can say I’ve never had any problem with it. I mean, it took me to the business office instead of the main entrance to a theme park once, but I can hardly fault it for that. Calling it actual hot trash just seems so out of nowhere to me. It’s a fine product that I’ve had great experience with.
Give it time. This shit gets worse every year.
Yeah. It was great for me on vacation. Searching for nearby restaurants or tourist attractions worked well.
It’s great on road trips! About a decade ago, my wife and I loaded up the car and just sorta started heading south. We were on the road for about four weeks using nothing but Yelp and Gmaps. It was great!
Is there an alternative to android auto?
Practically speaking, a dedicated head unit that runs its own software or a head unit that simply mirrors the output from a phone.
Both exist but the former has become rare in terms of quality UI and Navigation
Any links for the OS data street-number scripts?
This is an excellent resource!
2D and 3D map render took a hit, which may be why it is not added to the mainline maps.
I’ll keep the street number map deactivated, and enable when needed.
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Screw off.
Ok google take me to Liverpool.
I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. Today you are going to Vape Palace in Swindon, sponsored by CryptoPonzi++: you put the coins, we loot the coins!
“Google have borrowed this idea form Waze” doesn’t Google own Waze ?
Have never seen an ad on waze
Is this a joke?
Half the icons on the screen are Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s and any time you stop at a light a banner add covers have the screen.
You don’t see ads if you use Waze on Android Auto
Maybe it is regional?
Must be. All i get are popup exit warnings when sound is off
Haven’t used Waze in like 8 years, but it was bloated and then.
If you’re using a device or network-wide ad-blocker like I do, then you won’t see them. When I try to use Waze on somebody else’s phone, the ads are unbearable.
Last I knew, yeah. Google bought them years ago. Moreover, I don’t remember that “feature” being in Waze before Google acquired them. Those ads were the biggest reason I dropped Waze a while back.
"Google has been testing this idea in Waze "
It would be considered illegal where I live to interact with that popup while driving.
Same, I wonder if there would be any way to report it to the state AG, maybe some pressure to ban it could hit google
They’d rather you be forced to have it on your screen, like old school tv ads.
Ragebait is working: Fuck that evil corporation! OsmAnd all day every day.
Openstreetmap is really good…except for the detailed information about shops which is why I still use Google Maps if I need to know opening hours and other information.
OSM is just not widespread enough to be on the radar of shop owners to put their information on it themselves so volunteers have to do it. :/OSM for the win
I have been testing OsmAnd for daily use today, and I’m gonna be closing my maps presence in the coming months :-) . I was really happy how it worked and felt, very close to what I want. After some extra tweaking, it’s bound to be fantastic!
Is there any alternative that works well on android auto?
Maybe organic maps?
Thanks for the reference. Will try it out. Always had issues using openstreetmap for some reason. This seem more integrative rather than have the navigation app and the actual map being two separate entities.
Yeah, it’s worth a try. The usability depends on the trips you take and other factors. You need to download the maps beforehand.
I like it when I’m on foot or when I ride my bike, but for longer car trips I use other (online) apps for the traffic warnings and because I only have local maps downloaded.
It seems that ir doesnt have android auto version.
Since I updated my lineage version all gps apps that i’ve tried crash on android auto :(
