Bad experience going back to google maps

So for context, I’ve used sailfish OS on all my mobile devices for some time now, and their default maps app is HERE WeeGO (Here Maps on android)

Got a work phone that needs android recently and I had no idea the user experience had gotten this bad for maps on android.

These are the differences I’ve noticed moving back:

  • spatial accuracy is very poor, constantly jumps around on the road
  • offline maps are buggy
  • the nav constantly pesters you about speed traps and traffic patterns, obscuring the screen to try to get you to respond
  • changes your route mid-drive
  • gets addresses wrong about 10% of the time
  • if you enter an address at or near a business that’s closed it makes you confirm you actually want to go there
  • activates google voice with no obvious way to disable it without digging through settings
  • has toll roads and ferries ON by default
  • every update seems to reset preferences, so you may be headed towards a toll road unawares and won’t know google voice is on till the bars pop up and obscure your speed/heading info in the UI
  • the way they’ve implemented the dynamic zoom to adjust to relative speed completely removes any spatial reference
  • might be placebo but its routing seems to be worse than HERE or osmand
  • the walking mode shouts at you every 30 seconds because the location info is so jittery that it reroutes constantly to the point of being unuseable.

Ended up switching back to the android version of HERE on the android phone and forgoing the system integration because it was incredibly frustrating to use.

In the past Google Maps wasn’t anywhere this bad, I don’t know how they let this happen.

Anyone else share this experience?

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Have not expeierenced any of those issues but, I use garmin for the most part as I dont like using my phone for gps when driving and only use it on rare occasions. I do use offline maps almost exclusively as I use pay for what you use data.

guessing traffic related

that is good and pretty industry standard

These aren’t HW issues either, as switching to HERE fixed the issues that may have been due to a bad work provided phone.

if you route to toll roads, especially in states like florida, you should at least disclaim it.

It is not good.

also I get the route changes to some extent, but don’t do it at major intersections when I’ve already commited to a left turn and then try to loop me back instead of sticking to the original route.

I mean thats all personal preference type of thing, and pretty sure like i said its probably on on 90% of gps apps by default. If you live in a toll area you know it and if you are vacationing etc you should also have done a bit of research.

I honestly dont use it enough to know about the route change thing, I usually look up directions on google maps prior to ever doing trips to begin with so im not going anywhere blind.

yeah, im aware it’s common, first thing I disabled. the issue is that every update resets your preferences without notifying you

I do a lot of road travel for work, so I can’t afford a sunpass, a turnpike monthly, a highlink pass, an easypass etc etc all at once

?? Would be reimbursed or at worst a tax write off

yes, but the expense upfront is prohibitive because I’m not driving any kind of regular route.

I work in media, not freight.

none of this is really relevant to the bad UX though.

If you have to drastically modify your behavior for it to work it’s bad UX

easy pass is preloaded and only bills you when you go below a certain value. I use that and even then I dont always take toll roads

DC traffic in general sucks, yeah.

This is almost certainly your phone, ive never noticed this on google maps on any decent phone. maybe its slow hardware and bloated maps?

Not sure about here, but routing will be better on osm so long as the places you go have local contributors.

that’s the thing though, other gps applications don’t reflect that.

I guess it could be but it’s fairly modern hw, galaxy s8

Eh there are a few toll roads here but I dont drive by any of them regularly, its mostly for my trips back home. I pay like $10 to avoid 30 extra min of driving.

makes sense. you bmore or richmond based?

Silver Spring ish area Bmore has those tolls, MD200 has tolls VA 495 has express toll lanes for traffic

I hate driving in DC proper. Last 2 wrecks ive been in were there. One was parked at a gas pump and someone just rammed my rear bumper for no reason.

I try and avoid going down there as much as possible (usually do) and when i do I usually take the shitty metro. (been in this area for like 10 years maybe been down there 15 ish times)

I wish I could but news happens there way to often not to

had to do a round trip there 3 times on the docu I was helping shoot last year

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I have similar issues with every phone I’ve owned in my little slice of this world.

Not hardware, location.

currently have an iPhone 6 plus (pristine condition)

then why do other gps applications work fine if it’s location dependent?