I imagine certain features like Google Maps’ different busyness indicators might be missing because otherwise that would require telemetry?
For walking nothing beats OpenStreetMap. Absolutely destroys Google maps as it knows all the footpaths and what is and isn’t walkable.
For driving I’m stuck with Google due to Android Auto.
For finding businesses etc Here is the best alternative but frankly Google is in a different league in this regard, nothing beats it.
If you want a good alternative for driving try out Magic Earth! Also uses openstreetmaps and has some Waze like features to report stuff
Thanks, I tried it a while ago (two years or more) and didn’t like it then, but it looks a lot better now. Will give it a go on some routes I know and see how it does!
I am waiting for an android auto update where it has a mute button for navigation, if it had that I could live with all the inconveniences.
I am not using Android Auto, but cant you just change the voice volume to 0 in the app? Wont it carry over the settings to the car?
Sure but that is a lot more difficult to do when you forget and your a mile down the road and it’s illegal to use your phone while driving. I might use it for my normal drives that I just leave on for reporting and use gmaps for navigation until it’s added though.
OrganicMaps, love it
Currently on vacation and switched to organic maps for the trip. Some stuff is awesome and some is kinda counter intuitive. Try to stick with it for now and see if I get used to it.
I use OsmAnd~ it’s very nice ,and open source . Oh and if you use the F-droid version you got the pro feature .
OsmAnd is awesome, I use it especially for cycling. It has an awesome cycling/hiking route planner, and even the smallest forest paths are on the map!
Oh yes for bike it’s amazing . I even find 1 accesses to a highway store wich normaly are not alowed .
openstreetmaps.org ecosystem
for navigation I use Organic Maps: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/app.organicmaps/
I like OsmAnd too, but it’s too much for most of my use cases. I still use it for recording trips.
I use Open Street Maps. There are multiple clients available, but the one I use is called OSMAnd+. It pretty much works just as well as Google Maps in my experience.
I like OsmAnd as a client for using open street maps. I hadn’t heard of organic maps though which someone else mentioned- I’ll have to give it a try!
Open Street Maps. It has some gaps or missed addresses/neighborhoods/roads because it is built on contributions of volunteers.
Try OrganicMaps (https://organicmaps.app) on Android. It’s awesome!
it’s nice, but its navigation/route finding can be pretty atrocious
This is my favorite front end for openstreetmaps. The only problem is I live in NJ and most addresses are missing. I usually just get coordinates from Google maps and add them manually.
Only thing I consistently don’t see well done are parks and other green spaces, where the boundaries are ill defined or missing. Other than that, also my mainstay
Try adjusting them on openstreetmap.org/edit, takes a few minutes at most
Can you use this with Android Auto?
I use Organic Maps on my degoogled pixel. Does not have quite as much data as google maps, but works really well for navigation and uses openstreetmaps’ data.
I’m curious, what are some steps I can take to degoogle my phone? Obviously using non Google apps when possible (browser, email client, etc…)
What worked for you?
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
Even lineage OS isn’t available for my motorola g73, so I just removed all google apps, including google play services, via adb
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
Solid! Thank you
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
there is grapheneos for pixel and some other devices
I use GrapheneOS without Google play services. All apps I use are either from fdroid or the aurora store. You could also install lineageOS or eOS, Graphene only runs on Pixels.
Almost all alternatives use OpenStreetMaps. I prefer Magic Earth but all of them are similar enough
The main issue is OSM. They lack many addresses (varies A LOT among different countries, some are fine) and POIs. Please consider contributing yourself, because it depends only on volunteers!
It is SUPER easy. Just download StreetComplete on Android to add multiple different info in a very easy way (or just house numbers which are the most important info) and EveryDoor for POI editing/deletion/addition in just a few clicks. And don’t worry if you don’t input something because you aren’t sure as long as what you enter is correct
interestingly in my region in germany osm is more reliable in regards of house numbers then google is
in some areas osm is insanely detailed, with trash cans, flower pots, and all kind of stuff. Nerds fucking rock.
Some basic information, including building numbers, can also be edited from within Organic Maps.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/
It’s the only one I know, I’ve also done mapping for them and updating several places around my home town.
I like Organic Maps. It uses the openstreetmap data.
Open Street Map is legitimate. In bicycling communities, Strava is the gold standard app for tracking rides, and it uses Open Street Maps on the backend. It’s always super accurate for me, even for fairly obscure bike trails off the beaten path.
I noticed allot of the trails in my area are mapped better than on Google.
My house doesn’t even exist on OpenStreetMap, so I don’t have much faith in it
Then you can map it and add it to the map with a free account and some “proof”, unlike Google Maps where the main road to my colleague and his four neighbours houses still isn’t on Google Maps after almost a year of reporting. The road is almost a year old but my colleague still can’t get deliveries to his house.
Try it out! The mapping community on OpenStreetMap is often very helpful and open to new people.
This is why these alternatives fail. We could be talking about maps or MS Office. If the end user has to “fix” the software, it will fail. Google spends A LOT of money maintaining google maps so that the user does not have to.
All software and services has bugs and missing features, Google maps as well.
The difference here is that the user is actually able to fix these missing details on the maps themselves if they want. Or ask the local mapping team for help.
Have you ever tried to correct anything on Google maps?
I have given feedback on google maps on businesses that are either closed or have the wrong hours on google maps. Google maps has a feedback option that is easily accessible from location on the map. That’s about the extent I am willing to participate.
Yes, many times. I’d say 80% of the time, my correction goes through the same day.
Have you ever tried to correct something on Google Maps? I get the desire to want to switch to open alternatives, and I’m all for it, but Google Maps is not exactly hard to get fixed yourself.
Yes I have corrected Google on numerous times and sure the changes go through, only to be rescinded after about three months.
I work at a small business with only a few employees, one of my tasks is to update our online presence. Our warehouse is located in an awkward position which makes it hard for deliveries to find us, often they call for directions. I have gotten Google to change our pin position to a more correct place and also added a small road to get to us but these disappear after about three months. I have tried to contact Google about it for over a year but I have gotten no answers.
Fix it or STFU
Chill man
Organic Maps. It uses OpenStreetMap as a backend, plus it has hiking trails as well.
magic earth for regular use and herewego if openstreetmap doesn’t have data and I’m in a hurry
both are proprietary but way better than google
I also input data in openstreetmap if it doesn’t have it from gmaps webview(by divestos) so I can use it in future without relying on proprietary services
Similar question, but what’s the best app for following a gpx track? Like just plot it on a map with my current location centered
I use OSMAnd+ for this. I can plot out a route to take on the motorcycle using Basecamp and then send the .gpx to my phone and OSMAnd will load it up and let you follow it.
Osmand with some of these custom maps that add address data to the normal maps. It works amazingly and is also entirely offline.
Why isn’t that address data included in OpenStreetMaps and/or OSMAnd by default?
good question :( why not upstream the data?
I’ve been using Osmand for years, it works fine here in Denmark. I just use the standard maps.
Offline functionality used to be very important to me, but not so much anymore. Still I’d hate my map to stop working, just because I don’t have good enough signal.
I find offline still very important. Great for travelling, mobile data, and reliability
But I also have a SD card full of music on my phone. And no cloud storage
Oh my thank you so much, this and no trafic data are my main 2 pain points with this app, now it’s one less!
