{"slug": "google-maps", "name": "Google Maps", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "Google's web and mobile mapping service with navigation, place search, and Street View.", "recommenders": 15, "commenters": 60, "warners": 19, "score": 3.579, "rising": 7.04, "first": "2025-12-10", "latest": "2026-10-29", "why": "Loved for looking up businesses and places, with Street View imagery and offline maps as standout features.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 15, "neutral": 23, "compare": 3, "warn": 20}, "spark": [0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 1, 3, 5, 1], "listed": true, "loved": ["Business & POI search", "Street View"], "caveat": "Poor routing", "short_quote": "I use Google Maps on Graphene. It works perfectly.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.google.com/maps", "pricing": "free", "aliases": ["Google Maps"], "verdict": [{"text": "Loved for looking up businesses and places", "cites": [{"id": 796869585, "item_id": 49804349, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49804349", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google is better at business and POI data", "excerpt": "I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation, while Google is better at business and POI data. I will usually look stuff up on Google Maps, but use Apple Maps in the car for navigation. Google's navigation is (last I used it) bad at telling me what's next. I'll turn, it will say nothing, then wait until I'm right on top of something to tell me to do it... I find it stressful. I've seen several people in this tre", "context": "", "use_case": "looking up places", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy"}, {"id": 791791152, "item_id": 49486947, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49486947", "by": "ButlerianJihad", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Maps will take me right to the place I want", "excerpt": "What you need to do, in the modern Web, is to flip that around. Anytime I need to search an entity with physical presence, I use Google Maps first. Maps is very good about getting the first result as intended and not showing superfluous non-matches. Maps will not chirp up with AI-generated responses. Maps will take me right to the place I want, and I can see a lot of profile info at-a-glance, and if I wanted their we", "context": "", "use_case": "searching physical places", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 780839491, "item_id": 48802468, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48802468", "by": "ponkipo", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Only use GMaps for finding businesses.", "excerpt": "As a active OSM contibutor with 7k+ changesets, Organic is my favorite map app I use for years traveling around the world, also donated to them. Only use GMaps for finding businesses. Tried CoMaps, saw no reason to migrate to it at all - why migrate to basically no-name app (in terms of popularity) which is developed by who knows who (not even a Maps Me or OM devs) if Organic is totally good, has updates, stable, wor", "context": "active OSM contributor with 7k+ changesets", "use_case": "finding businesses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 780870260, "item_id": 48804391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48804391", "by": "ffaser5gxlsll", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I find gmaps to be garbage for anything except looking up businesses", "excerpt": "I'm also a regular OSM contributor and I cycle between various apps/layers. I'm in the alpine region, regular hiker, and osm is the only map source I use (frankly, I find gmaps to be garbage for anything except looking up businesses). I regularly try comaps, but while it's pretty smooth at rendering, the detail is visibly lacking at anything except maximum zoom level. When enabling contour lines, it's cluttered and h", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}, {"text": ", with Street View imagery and offline maps as standout features.", "cites": [{"id": 797568784, "item_id": 49848049, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49848049", "by": "ljf", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past.", "excerpt": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past. Since my father died I love to 'walk past' his house on Google maps, changing the date to a time when he was still live, and look in to the lights on there and know that at that moment, he's alive and in the house, happy and probably reading a paper or a book. Forever. Somehow it feels even more poignant than my own photos of him.", "context": "", "use_case": "viewing historical street imagery", "switched_from": "", "story": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps"}, {"id": 787052768, "item_id": 49190798, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49190798", "by": "questionableans", "date": "2026-08-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I\u2019m glad to hear it\u2019s gotten better. This was a couple of years ago, when they were pushing the free trials. It\u2019s an earlier Model 3, and I barely drive it. I\u2019m clearly not a typical driver. I love keeping the camera views all on screen for situational awareness. I don\u2019t use cruise control and rarely use GPS navigation, even back when I used to drive cross country in previous cars. I guess I just got used to memorizi", "context": "", "use_case": "route familiarization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Waymo CEO explains why Tesla's camera-only self-driving falls short"}, {"id": 781194225, "item_id": 48824639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824639", "by": "matsemann", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for", "excerpt": "I upload street view pictures to Mapillary, which again can be used to automatically infer info into OSM (like signs etc) But I feel very few OSM mapping apps use street view / have it as a feature. But for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for. Like checking road conditions or finding nice places to camp when bikepacking. Which is why I also upload my stuff to Google (cars can't access most of these areas),", "context": "bikepacking", "use_case": "street view for road conditions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 789342176, "item_id": 49333886, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49333886", "by": "ssl-3", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Almost every part of the US that is East of the Mississippi is stored offline in my phone with Google Maps.", "excerpt": "I still keep a paper map in my car, and I still know how to use it. I even update it from time to time; once every year or two. It covers my usual area in broad strokes. I just haven't used it for a very long time, and I no longer have the constantly-accumulating pile of them that I used to have (for details in Chicago and Detroit and Pittsburgh and anywhere else where I've ever needed a map). Almost every part of th", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps and navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}, {"id": 746064688, "item_id": 46629043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46629043", "by": "reena_signalhq", "date": "2026-01-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver )", "excerpt": "Great question! Here's my essential travel stack: - Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver ) - Citymapper (best for public transit in major cities) - XE Currency (quick conversions) - TripIt (consolidates all confirmations in one place) One underrated tip: Download the local ride-sharing app for wherever you're going (Grab in SE Asia, Didi in China, etc.) instead of relying on Uber everywhere. What's your current ", "context": "traveler", "use_case": "travel navigation, offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?"}]}, {"text": " The most common complaint is routing that picks odd, slower, or dangerous detours", "cites": [{"id": 782188848, "item_id": 48886803, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886803", "by": "nostrademons", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer", "excerpt": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer when a faster route is clearly available or taking us on nonsensical detours, and I wonder if this experiment is a reason why. There's a hidden cost to this, and that's trust in the mapping app. I've stopped using Google Navigation for routine trips where I know how to get to the destination. It used to", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 782179985, "item_id": 48886249, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886249", "by": "ericbarrett", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road.", "excerpt": "Same. This is why I switched to Apple Maps. Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road. And it would be to save 2 minutes-ridiculous!", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 777073873, "item_id": 48567117, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48567117", "by": "XorNot", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns", "excerpt": "Maps straight up can't navigate sanely in Australia I've found. I've switched to OsmAnd for driving because it'll give a sensible main road following route. Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns and then winds up with idiot ideas like \"turn right into this two way 4 lane road we tried to slightly avoid\".", "context": "driving in Australia", "use_case": "driving navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}, {"id": 787289312, "item_id": 49205582, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205582", "by": "delfinom", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I love when Google maps in the NY metro area makes me want to take a left-turn, at a stop sign at intersection with a 6 lane road", "excerpt": "I love when Google maps in the NY metro area makes me want to take a left-turn, at a stop sign at intersection with a 6 lane road that doesn't get a stop. Yes, these insanities exist and are basically fucking death traps to attempt lefts.", "context": "drives in NY metro area", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}]}, {"text": ", alongside a sense that the app has gotten worse lately.", "cites": [{"id": 799938803, "item_id": 49996175, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49996175", "by": "aleqs", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "a meaningful decline in the quality and reliability of several other major software/apps and services - notably Google maps, Spotify, codex", "excerpt": "GitHub is now one of the least reliable services in my stack, I'm in the process of moving everything off and keeping it for public/open projects for discoverability/discussion purposes only. I've also noticed a meaningful decline in the quality and reliability of several other major software/apps and services - notably Google maps, Spotify, codex. (Is this because of AI?) Codex, especially, is a strange one - initia", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Incident with Git Operations, Pull Requests and Actions \u2013 Resolved"}, {"id": 795292625, "item_id": 49705789, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49705789", "by": "pdonis", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "as Maps continues to suck more I use it less", "excerpt": "> How does one not engage with the corporate product at all? By not using it. Which is exactly why I don't use X or Facebook, and minimize my use of Google (I use DuckDuckGo for search, and as Maps continues to suck more I use it less).", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "XCancel service is suspended until further notice"}, {"id": 774892210, "item_id": 48430763, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48430763", "by": "aleqs", "date": "2026-06-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "excerpt": "> should expect maybe 5x faster cycle in major software apps To what end and what would that even look like though? Enshittifying everything at maximum speed? The apps/platforms I use regularly - GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Harness engineering: Leveraging Codex in an agent-first world"}, {"id": 777069408, "item_id": 48566838, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48566838", "by": "Fordec", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "excerpt": "I used to be able to view maps in 3D. Not anything fancy, just a tilt shift. This year I noticed the feature appears to be gone. Also, if I want to see my home city with an up to date overhead view from this side of 2023 to see what has been built lately, I have to go look up Sentinel imagery. I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Business & POI search", "summary": "Commenters turn to it first for finding businesses and points of interest.", "quotes": [{"id": 791791152, "item_id": 49486947, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49486947", "by": "ButlerianJihad", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Maps will take me right to the place I want", "excerpt": "What you need to do, in the modern Web, is to flip that around. Anytime I need to search an entity with physical presence, I use Google Maps first. Maps is very good about getting the first result as intended and not showing superfluous non-matches. Maps will not chirp up with AI-generated responses. Maps will take me right to the place I want, and I can see a lot of profile info at-a-glance, and if I wanted their we", "context": "", "use_case": "searching physical places", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 796869585, "item_id": 49804349, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49804349", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google is better at business and POI data", "excerpt": "I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation, while Google is better at business and POI data. I will usually look stuff up on Google Maps, but use Apple Maps in the car for navigation. Google's navigation is (last I used it) bad at telling me what's next. I'll turn, it will say nothing, then wait until I'm right on top of something to tell me to do it... I find it stressful. I've seen several people in this tre", "context": "", "use_case": "looking up places", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy"}, {"id": 780839491, "item_id": 48802468, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48802468", "by": "ponkipo", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Only use GMaps for finding businesses.", "excerpt": "As a active OSM contibutor with 7k+ changesets, Organic is my favorite map app I use for years traveling around the world, also donated to them. Only use GMaps for finding businesses. Tried CoMaps, saw no reason to migrate to it at all - why migrate to basically no-name app (in terms of popularity) which is developed by who knows who (not even a Maps Me or OM devs) if Organic is totally good, has updates, stable, wor", "context": "active OSM contributor with 7k+ changesets", "use_case": "finding businesses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}, {"label": "Street View", "summary": "Street View and historical imagery are used to preview routes and revisit familiar places.", "quotes": [{"id": 797568784, "item_id": 49848049, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49848049", "by": "ljf", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past.", "excerpt": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past. Since my father died I love to 'walk past' his house on Google maps, changing the date to a time when he was still live, and look in to the lights on there and know that at that moment, he's alive and in the house, happy and probably reading a paper or a book. Forever. Somehow it feels even more poignant than my own photos of him.", "context": "", "use_case": "viewing historical street imagery", "switched_from": "", "story": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps"}, {"id": 787052768, "item_id": 49190798, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49190798", "by": "questionableans", "date": "2026-08-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I\u2019m glad to hear it\u2019s gotten better. This was a couple of years ago, when they were pushing the free trials. It\u2019s an earlier Model 3, and I barely drive it. I\u2019m clearly not a typical driver. I love keeping the camera views all on screen for situational awareness. I don\u2019t use cruise control and rarely use GPS navigation, even back when I used to drive cross country in previous cars. I guess I just got used to memorizi", "context": "", "use_case": "route familiarization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Waymo CEO explains why Tesla's camera-only self-driving falls short"}, {"id": 781194225, "item_id": 48824639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824639", "by": "matsemann", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for", "excerpt": "I upload street view pictures to Mapillary, which again can be used to automatically infer info into OSM (like signs etc) But I feel very few OSM mapping apps use street view / have it as a feature. But for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for. Like checking road conditions or finding nice places to camp when bikepacking. Which is why I also upload my stuff to Google (cars can't access most of these areas),", "context": "bikepacking", "use_case": "street view for road conditions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}]}, {"label": "Reliable daily use", "summary": "Many use it daily and report that it works reliably.", "quotes": [{"id": 804675489, "item_id": 50292218, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292218", "by": "sebastiansm7", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years.", "excerpt": "Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years. Dont know if are great at revenue, but are great products for me :)", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google Search is now less than half of Alphabet\u2019s revenue"}, {"id": 797584384, "item_id": 49849024, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49849024", "by": "TheOtherHobbes", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly", "excerpt": "For better or worse charging a phone every night wasn't that much of a downside in practice. And most users were happy to trade off tactility for touch screens. My memory of Nokia is that the apps and services just didn't work that well. Just after I got my first iPhone I arranged a meetup with a friend. I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly - almost unthinkable at the time, because ", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nokia Design Archive (2025)"}, {"id": 780317729, "item_id": 48769858, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769858", "by": "jitl", "date": "2026-07-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).", "excerpt": "I have a boring Mercedes mid-size SUV. Carplay works. I can skip/repeat tracks using the standard control on the steering wheel; the instrument cluster shows the current track the same way it's done with connected phones forever. On the center console screen, we use the Carplay view with 3 splits - one for Spotify, two for navigation (map & next direction). Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "CarPlay Is Additive"}]}, {"label": "Offline maps", "summary": "Downloaded offline maps let users navigate without cell service.", "quotes": [{"id": 789342176, "item_id": 49333886, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49333886", "by": "ssl-3", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Almost every part of the US that is East of the Mississippi is stored offline in my phone with Google Maps.", "excerpt": "I still keep a paper map in my car, and I still know how to use it. I even update it from time to time; once every year or two. It covers my usual area in broad strokes. I just haven't used it for a very long time, and I no longer have the constantly-accumulating pile of them that I used to have (for details in Chicago and Detroit and Pittsburgh and anywhere else where I've ever needed a map). Almost every part of th", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps and navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}, {"id": 746064688, "item_id": 46629043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46629043", "by": "reena_signalhq", "date": "2026-01-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver )", "excerpt": "Great question! Here's my essential travel stack: - Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver ) - Citymapper (best for public transit in major cities) - XE Currency (quick conversions) - TripIt (consolidates all confirmations in one place) One underrated tip: Download the local ride-sharing app for wherever you're going (Grab in SE Asia, Didi in China, etc.) instead of relying on Uber everywhere. What's your current ", "context": "traveler", "use_case": "travel navigation, offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?"}, {"id": 752638225, "item_id": 47039889, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039889", "by": "celsoazevedo", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still have Google Maps and Here Maps installed, both with offline maps", "excerpt": "For offline maps, I switched to CoMaps when they forked Organic Maps. Development seemed to be moving faster there. I still have Google Maps and Here Maps installed, both with offline maps of the areas I'm usually at or to where I'm travelling. Too much redundancy perhaps, but no service/data source is good everywhere and I have a lot of free space on my phone, so it's not a problem for me. For communications, I've b", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "We Need Apocalypse-Proof Software"}]}, {"label": "Traffic data", "summary": "Its traffic data is a reason some users keep it alongside alternatives.", "quotes": [{"id": 780975441, "item_id": 48810965, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810965", "by": "Magicrafter13", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets", "excerpt": "This is what I use in my main GrapheneOS profile. I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets (i.e. traffic) in all cases. Decent app though. I saw someone here mention proprietary code but I wouldn't worry about it, just install the F-Droid version. That's why I use F-Droid - to guarantee I don't get proprietary blobs.", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "use_case": "traffic data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 772755233, "item_id": 48297202, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48297202", "by": "lisplist", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still use Google Maps as well", "excerpt": "I switched to DDG about a year ago and it works fine for me. For some queries, Google still surfaces better results, but DDG is good enough that I don't really miss it. The only Google service I haven't been able to replace is YouTube - no real alternative. I still use Google Maps as well, but could probably switch to Apple maps without missing much. For hiking trails, Apple Maps has often been superior. I briefly tr", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Poor routing", "summary": "Routes can add needless detours, unprotected left turns, or residential roads.", "quotes": [{"id": 782188848, "item_id": 48886803, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886803", "by": "nostrademons", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer", "excerpt": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer when a faster route is clearly available or taking us on nonsensical detours, and I wonder if this experiment is a reason why. There's a hidden cost to this, and that's trust in the mapping app. I've stopped using Google Navigation for routine trips where I know how to get to the destination. It used to", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 782179985, "item_id": 48886249, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886249", "by": "ericbarrett", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road.", "excerpt": "Same. This is why I switched to Apple Maps. Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road. And it would be to save 2 minutes-ridiculous!", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 777073873, "item_id": 48567117, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48567117", "by": "XorNot", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns", "excerpt": "Maps straight up can't navigate sanely in Australia I've found. I've switched to OsmAnd for driving because it'll give a sensible main road following route. Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns and then winds up with idiot ideas like \"turn right into this two way 4 lane road we tried to slightly avoid\".", "context": "driving in Australia", "use_case": "driving navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}]}, {"label": "Declining quality", "summary": "Several commenters feel the app has noticeably worsened recently.", "quotes": [{"id": 774892210, "item_id": 48430763, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48430763", "by": "aleqs", "date": "2026-06-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "excerpt": "> should expect maybe 5x faster cycle in major software apps To what end and what would that even look like though? Enshittifying everything at maximum speed? The apps/platforms I use regularly - GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Harness engineering: Leveraging Codex in an agent-first world"}, {"id": 795292625, "item_id": 49705789, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49705789", "by": "pdonis", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "as Maps continues to suck more I use it less", "excerpt": "> How does one not engage with the corporate product at all? By not using it. Which is exactly why I don't use X or Facebook, and minimize my use of Google (I use DuckDuckGo for search, and as Maps continues to suck more I use it less).", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "XCancel service is suspended until further notice"}, {"id": 777069408, "item_id": 48566838, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48566838", "by": "Fordec", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "excerpt": "I used to be able to view maps in 3D. Not anything fancy, just a tilt shift. This year I noticed the feature appears to be gone. Also, if I want to see my home city with an up to date overhead view from this side of 2023 to see what has been built lately, I have to go look up Sentinel imagery. I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}]}, {"label": "Navigation prompts", "summary": "Some find late, unclear, or constant rerouting prompts and the pre-turn zoom stressful.", "quotes": [{"id": 796869585, "item_id": 49804349, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49804349", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google is better at business and POI data", "excerpt": "I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation, while Google is better at business and POI data. I will usually look stuff up on Google Maps, but use Apple Maps in the car for navigation. Google's navigation is (last I used it) bad at telling me what's next. I'll turn, it will say nothing, then wait until I'm right on top of something to tell me to do it... I find it stressful. I've seen several people in this tre", "context": "", "use_case": "looking up places", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy"}, {"id": 791767425, "item_id": 49485464, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49485464", "by": "gxs", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn?", "excerpt": "Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn? Yeah go ahead and completely change the scale of what I\u2019m looking at a night quite predictable time just as I\u2019m about to need the map the most to make a turn on a street I\u2019m not familiar with Absolutely fucking brilliant idea This is why I use Apple Maps and thankfully in the Bay Area it\u2019s more than at parity, it\u2019s frankly better All that said, this ", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Inception-style curved map for turn-by-turn directions"}, {"id": 787286432, "item_id": 49205402, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205402", "by": "mc3301", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever", "excerpt": "Yeah, I used to ride with a little speaker on one side of my helmet on the inside... nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever because it found a route that was 57 minutes instead of 59. I'd love a \"I saw your suggestions, I selected one of them, don't give me any more suggestions\" feature. This was on google maps. As for detecting rain, that'", "context": "motorcycle rider", "use_case": "navigation while riding", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}]}, {"label": "Ads and clutter", "summary": "Ads and clutter drove at least one user away.", "quotes": [{"id": 760199376, "item_id": 47512461, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47512461", "by": "xvxvx", "date": "2026-03-24", "stance": "warn", "quote": "The primary reason I moved away from Google Maps was because of all their ads and clutter", "excerpt": "The primary reason I moved away from Google Maps was because of all their ads and clutter, and I\u2019m running out of reasons to have an iPhone anymore. Once my current one needs replacing, I\u2019m going in a different direction. The Light Phone has my interest. Simple calling and text, maps, music and what appears to be a decent camera. I need to use my DSlR more often anyway. Fiio has some interesting audio devices too.", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ads are coming to Apple Maps, as Apple expands its business offerings"}]}, {"label": "Search ranking", "summary": "Review-based ranking of places is seen as naive.", "quotes": [{"id": 739618913, "item_id": 46226182, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46226182", "by": "modeless", "date": "2025-12-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google's Maps search ranking doesn't seem sophisticated to me.", "excerpt": "Google's Maps search ranking doesn't seem sophisticated to me. In fact it seems unbelievably naive. Ranking is Google's core business and yet they seem to forget how to do it when a map is involved. When I want to find something that's actually good, I use this site: https://top-rated.online. At first glance it looks like an unremarkable SEO spam site, but it's actually a great way to get properly ranked Google Maps ", "context": "", "use_case": "searching for places", "switched_from": "", "story": "How Google Maps allocates survival across London's restaurants"}]}, {"label": "Offline gaps", "summary": "Offline maps aren't available everywhere and the app still fetches tiles on weak connections.", "quotes": [{"id": 780736688, "item_id": 48796043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48796043", "by": "cmdoptesc", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Personally, I use Google Maps on a daily basis", "excerpt": "> What might make me switch? Google Maps will always have better POI data because they have a larger userbase and they've gamified adding POIs with the \"Local Guides\" badge. The main reason to switch is to have an offline-first experience. Google Maps does not provide offline maps everywhere, e.g. South Korea. And if you've ever tried using the Google Maps app on a weak connection, it's frustrating because it still t", "context": "", "use_case": "daily navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}]}], "who": [{"by": "johnny_lol", "context": "traveler", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50205757", "date": "2026-10-23"}, {"by": "schmookeeg", "context": "EQS owner", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49591043", "date": "2026-09-06"}, {"by": "ortusdux", "context": "Android user in Seattle", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205587", "date": "2026-08-06"}, {"by": "matsemann", "context": "bikepacking", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824639", "date": "2026-07-07"}, {"by": "h4kunamata", "context": "OpenStreetMap contributor", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48813446", "date": "2026-07-06"}, {"by": "Magicrafter13", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810965", "date": "2026-07-06"}, {"by": "ponkipo", "context": "active OSM contributor with 7k+ changesets", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48802468", "date": "2026-07-06"}, {"by": "eblanshey", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48564534", "date": "2026-06-16"}, {"by": "reena_signalhq", "context": "traveler", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46629043", "date": "2026-01-14"}], "tags": ["for finding businesses", "for travelers", "offline maps", "works on GrapheneOS"], "use_cases": ["navigation", "maps", "viewing historical street imagery", "offline maps", "discovering points of interest", "navigation while touring"], "compared": [{"slug": "apple-maps", "name": "Apple Maps", "co": 17, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 5}, {"slug": "comaps", "name": "CoMaps", "co": 11, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "organic-maps", "name": "Organic Maps", "co": 9, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "osmand", "name": "OsmAnd", "co": 5, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 2}, {"slug": "openstreetmap", "name": "OpenStreetMap", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "waze", "name": "Waze", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "grapheneos", "name": "GrapheneOS", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "gmail", "name": "Gmail", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200439", "title": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\"", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48794446", "title": "Organic Maps", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49805344", "title": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477600", "title": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49093845", "title": "Folding Paper Globes", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48881967", "title": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion", "mentions": 2}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 2, "compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "2026-02": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {"warn": 2}, "2026-04": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 2, "recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {"warn": 3, "neutral": 2, "recommend": 2}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 7, "warn": 4}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 5, "compare": 2, "recommend": 3, "warn": 4}, "2026-09": {"neutral": 1, "warn": 2, "recommend": 5}, "2026-10": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 3, "recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 804675489, "item_id": 50292218, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292218", "by": "sebastiansm7", "date": "2026-10-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years.", "excerpt": "Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years. Dont know if are great at revenue, but are great products for me :)", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google Search is now less than half of Alphabet\u2019s revenue"}, {"id": 803292113, "item_id": 50205757, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50205757", "by": "johnny_lol", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I usually spend time poking around Google Maps to discover points of interest nearby", "excerpt": "I used this during my walk around around Tirana, Albania this morning where I'm traveling right now. I learned some interesting history about the neighborhood I'm staying in. Also discovered some museums and buildings nearby that I'd like to check out now. When I visit a new city I usually spend time poking around Google Maps to discover points of interest nearby, but this will be another useful resource. Thanks!", "context": "traveler", "use_case": "discovering points of interest", "switched_from": "", "story": "Local Wikipedia: Wikipedia, but only for things a half hour walk from you"}, {"id": 800852609, "item_id": 50053288, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50053288", "by": "hamsterbase", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used Google Maps", "excerpt": "Does Huawei provide an Android virtual machine with Google frameworks built in? When I was traveling in Japan, I used Google Maps, and for daily use, Chrome and 1Password all worked fine. In my daily use, only three apps run in the virtual machine: 1Password, Steam, and Chrome. They all run normally, but they're a bit laggy.", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Will Linux phones become a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly?"}, {"id": 800725554, "item_id": 50045347, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50045347", "by": "bleonard", "date": "2026-10-11", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "", "excerpt": "When I visit a new city, I love to book a walking tour with a local. Last year, I found myself with a few hours to kill in Vienna and could not book something. So I wandered around with Google Maps (what\u2019s that?) and ChatGPT audio (tell me about it) and it was a good experience. I built an app that automated that and have used it on several trips. Recently, I put it on the app stores and also made this street view dr", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation while touring", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Mira, AI Walking Tours"}, {"id": 799938803, "item_id": 49996175, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49996175", "by": "aleqs", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "a meaningful decline in the quality and reliability of several other major software/apps and services - notably Google maps, Spotify, codex", "excerpt": "GitHub is now one of the least reliable services in my stack, I'm in the process of moving everything off and keeping it for public/open projects for discoverability/discussion purposes only. I've also noticed a meaningful decline in the quality and reliability of several other major software/apps and services - notably Google maps, Spotify, codex. (Is this because of AI?) Codex, especially, is a strange one - initia", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Incident with Git Operations, Pull Requests and Actions \u2013 Resolved"}, {"id": 797584384, "item_id": 49849024, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49849024", "by": "TheOtherHobbes", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly", "excerpt": "For better or worse charging a phone every night wasn't that much of a downside in practice. And most users were happy to trade off tactility for touch screens. My memory of Nokia is that the apps and services just didn't work that well. Just after I got my first iPhone I arranged a meetup with a friend. I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly - almost unthinkable at the time, because ", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Nokia Design Archive (2025)"}, {"id": 797568784, "item_id": 49848049, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49848049", "by": "ljf", "date": "2026-09-25", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past.", "excerpt": "I love wondering around streets I know from my own past. Since my father died I love to 'walk past' his house on Google maps, changing the date to a time when he was still live, and look in to the lights on there and know that at that moment, he's alive and in the house, happy and probably reading a paper or a book. Forever. Somehow it feels even more poignant than my own photos of him.", "context": "", "use_case": "viewing historical street imagery", "switched_from": "", "story": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps"}, {"id": 797372784, "item_id": 49835799, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49835799", "by": "hycaria", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I just love Google Maps.", "excerpt": "I use google maps at least 15 minutes a day. At least. Mostly looking at places I know, drove through and intrigued me, etc. I can tell when the satellite picture changes. I once saw a plane that was captured in the views (it got edited out soon after). I just love Google Maps.", "context": "", "use_case": "exploring places", "switched_from": "", "story": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps"}, {"id": 797356112, "item_id": 49834757, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49834757", "by": "dylanhouli", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps is a cool time capsule", "excerpt": "Sometimes I'll do something similar and go back to old streets I used to live on, or the street I current live on but look at it in the past. Google Maps is a cool time capsule", "context": "", "use_case": "viewing historical street imagery", "switched_from": "", "story": "My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps"}, {"id": 796869585, "item_id": 49804349, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49804349", "by": "al_borland", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google is better at business and POI data", "excerpt": "I find Apple is better at turn-by-turn navigation, while Google is better at business and POI data. I will usually look stuff up on Google Maps, but use Apple Maps in the car for navigation. Google's navigation is (last I used it) bad at telling me what's next. I'll turn, it will say nothing, then wait until I'm right on top of something to tell me to do it... I find it stressful. I've seen several people in this tre", "context": "", "use_case": "looking up places", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy"}, {"id": 795292625, "item_id": 49705789, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49705789", "by": "pdonis", "date": "2026-09-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "as Maps continues to suck more I use it less", "excerpt": "> How does one not engage with the corporate product at all? By not using it. Which is exactly why I don't use X or Facebook, and minimize my use of Google (I use DuckDuckGo for search, and as Maps continues to suck more I use it less).", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "XCancel service is suspended until further notice"}, {"id": 794218736, "item_id": 49638671, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49638671", "by": "snowwrestler", "date": "2026-09-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Then Google switched it back to Mercator. But you can scroll infinitely to the left or right, so its base is actually now \u201cMercator rolled into a tube.\u201d Somehow that\u2019s even worse!", "excerpt": "Yes. Specially, touch enabled screens with dynamically rendered graphics. The Google Maps app on my iPhone at one point years ago switched to having a globe as its base, like Google Earth. It was great. Then Google switched it back to Mercator. But you can scroll infinitely to the left or right, so its base is actually now \u201cMercator rolled into a tube.\u201d Somehow that\u2019s even worse!", "context": "iPhone user", "use_case": "viewing world map", "switched_from": "", "story": "The UN challenges five centuries of cartography"}, {"id": 793456689, "item_id": 49591043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49591043", "by": "schmookeeg", "date": "2026-09-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I am a staunch google maps user.", "excerpt": "My EQS has carplay and android auto, and I am a staunch google maps user. That said, I use the MBUX mapping most of the time. It does a good job -- and not just long drives where I need the EV charger logic -- day to day, it's plenty fine.", "context": "EQS owner", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The car industry A/B tested selling a car with and without CarPlay"}, {"id": 791791152, "item_id": 49486947, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49486947", "by": "ButlerianJihad", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Maps will take me right to the place I want", "excerpt": "What you need to do, in the modern Web, is to flip that around. Anytime I need to search an entity with physical presence, I use Google Maps first. Maps is very good about getting the first result as intended and not showing superfluous non-matches. Maps will not chirp up with AI-generated responses. Maps will take me right to the place I want, and I can see a lot of profile info at-a-glance, and if I wanted their we", "context": "", "use_case": "searching physical places", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 791767425, "item_id": 49485464, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49485464", "by": "gxs", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn?", "excerpt": "Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn? Yeah go ahead and completely change the scale of what I\u2019m looking at a night quite predictable time just as I\u2019m about to need the map the most to make a turn on a street I\u2019m not familiar with Absolutely fucking brilliant idea This is why I use Apple Maps and thankfully in the Bay Area it\u2019s more than at parity, it\u2019s frankly better All that said, this ", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Inception-style curved map for turn-by-turn directions"}, {"id": 791718880, "item_id": 49482430, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482430", "by": "liampulles", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "the most complex thing I do on my phone is Google Maps", "excerpt": "So I love good old fashioned desktop-oriented websites, and the most complex thing I do on my phone is Google Maps... but I also recognize this is not true of the general population. Almost no one else except the PC gamers I know really like using desktop (or laptop) computers. Most people love being able to sit on the couch and use apps on their phone. Its not like massive portions of the population were loving thei", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 789397840, "item_id": 49337365, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49337365", "by": "skydhash", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "get directions from google map (voice via bluetooth)", "excerpt": "My old car was a Toyota Rav4 2001 and my only usage of the infotainment system was to play music and get directions from google map (voice via bluetooth). I think the only controls I used on the head unit was the volume knob and the call button (to receive a call). I've never needed anything else. This is not a counterpoint to your argument. It's more a context about the following question: Is the infotainment on a c", "context": "", "use_case": "car directions", "switched_from": "", "story": "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI"}, {"id": 789342176, "item_id": 49333886, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49333886", "by": "ssl-3", "date": "2026-08-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Almost every part of the US that is East of the Mississippi is stored offline in my phone with Google Maps.", "excerpt": "I still keep a paper map in my car, and I still know how to use it. I even update it from time to time; once every year or two. It covers my usual area in broad strokes. I just haven't used it for a very long time, and I no longer have the constantly-accumulating pile of them that I used to have (for details in Chicago and Detroit and Pittsburgh and anywhere else where I've ever needed a map). Almost every part of th", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps and navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "GPS and the Lost Art of Getting Lost"}, {"id": 787289904, "item_id": 49205619, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205619", "by": "brewdad", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "sometimes that 45 mph option is still coded as a highway in Google\u2019s data, so you get a really obtuse route.", "excerpt": "Yes but then invariably I will forget to turn them back on the next time I use it. Additionally, sometimes that 45 mph option is still coded as a highway in Google\u2019s data, so you get a really obtuse route.", "context": "", "use_case": "route planning", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}, {"id": 787289392, "item_id": 49205587, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205587", "by": "ortusdux", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I don't have this option available on my Android app.", "excerpt": "I don't have this option available on my Android app. I have \"avoid tolls\" which avoids both ferries and bridges. The main alternative to the ferries in Seattle is a toll bridge. Choosing this option sends you down surface streets.", "context": "Android user in Seattle", "use_case": "route planning with ferries", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}, {"id": 787289312, "item_id": 49205582, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205582", "by": "delfinom", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I love when Google maps in the NY metro area makes me want to take a left-turn, at a stop sign at intersection with a 6 lane road", "excerpt": "I love when Google maps in the NY metro area makes me want to take a left-turn, at a stop sign at intersection with a 6 lane road that doesn't get a stop. Yes, these insanities exist and are basically fucking death traps to attempt lefts.", "context": "drives in NY metro area", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}, {"id": 787286432, "item_id": 49205402, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49205402", "by": "mc3301", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever", "excerpt": "Yeah, I used to ride with a little speaker on one side of my helmet on the inside... nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever because it found a route that was 57 minutes instead of 59. I'd love a \"I saw your suggestions, I selected one of them, don't give me any more suggestions\" feature. This was on google maps. As for detecting rain, that'", "context": "motorcycle rider", "use_case": "navigation while riding", "switched_from": "", "story": "My phone detects going on a run as \"someone snatching my phone and running off\""}, {"id": 787215745, "item_id": 49200984, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200984", "by": "berkes", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Users, like me, only accept driving to e.g. a campsite that's been closed for over a year a very few times before grabbing Google Maps again.", "excerpt": "This was international. And it was a long while ago, so I don't have anything online to point to anymore. Sorry. If \"Map Notes clog the map\" then there still is something needed in OSM to allow data that's not directly geographical, to be kept up to date, the POI data. Aside from technicalities: if we want a free, open, etc etc alternative to Google Maps, we need to ensure POI data is of high quality, up to date, and", "context": "OSM contributor", "use_case": "POI lookup", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why Book Corners won't sync contributions back to OpenStreetMap"}, {"id": 787161488, "item_id": 49197593, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49197593", "by": "gus_massa", "date": "2026-08-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Using a plastic rule on the screen on the screen on my computer in whatever resolution I have now in Google Maps (Mercator)", "excerpt": "Have you looked at https://foldingglobes.com/how-it-works It compares a globe and a rotating version of the icosahedrum. Also read the description there, the distortion is small. If you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_Africa considering only the mainland that is easy to see in the map: * from West to East covers 69\u00b0, i.e. 1/5.2 of 360\u00b0. In the maps of foldingglobes the width of Africa is close", "context": "", "use_case": "measuring map distances", "switched_from": "", "story": "Folding Paper Globes"}, {"id": 787052768, "item_id": 49190798, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49190798", "by": "questionableans", "date": "2026-08-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I\u2019m glad to hear it\u2019s gotten better. This was a couple of years ago, when they were pushing the free trials. It\u2019s an earlier Model 3, and I barely drive it. I\u2019m clearly not a typical driver. I love keeping the camera views all on screen for situational awareness. I don\u2019t use cruise control and rarely use GPS navigation, even back when I used to drive cross country in previous cars. I guess I just got used to memorizi", "context": "", "use_case": "route familiarization", "switched_from": "", "story": "Waymo CEO explains why Tesla's camera-only self-driving falls short"}, {"id": 786331232, "item_id": 49145702, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49145702", "by": "jameshart", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Google Maps is also not great as a physical map in that it is bad at labelling and naming geographic features", "excerpt": "I do find it interesting that while modern map apps do a great job of replacing road atlases, and we can get satellite and photogrammetry overlays that give us immense insight into how maps relate to the context on the ground, and we do have pretty good topographic mapping apps (though sadly not built in to the big map apps like Google or Apple), but one kind of map that we used to get in paper atlases but can\u2019t expl", "context": "", "use_case": "physical map viewing", "switched_from": "", "story": "Folding Paper Globes"}, {"id": 786211905, "item_id": 49138244, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49138244", "by": "Quothling", "date": "2026-08-01", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "any of their products other than google pay, maps and youtube music", "excerpt": "I have nothing to contribute to the google discussion, it's been a while since I used any of their products other than google pay, maps and youtube music. The big migrant crisis in Europe was in 2015 though. We get these things in smaller scale like what is happening in Ceuta and with the Spanish supreme court, but the big thing was back in 2015. In 2021 everything was locked down. Unless you're speaking about a spec", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google News is just Forrest Gump's shrimp boat now"}, {"id": 782188848, "item_id": 48886803, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886803", "by": "nostrademons", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer", "excerpt": "I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer when a faster route is clearly available or taking us on nonsensical detours, and I wonder if this experiment is a reason why. There's a hidden cost to this, and that's trust in the mapping app. I've stopped using Google Navigation for routine trips where I know how to get to the destination. It used to", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 782179985, "item_id": 48886249, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48886249", "by": "ericbarrett", "date": "2026-07-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road.", "excerpt": "Same. This is why I switched to Apple Maps. Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road. And it would be to save 2 minutes-ridiculous!", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion"}, {"id": 781194225, "item_id": 48824639, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48824639", "by": "matsemann", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for", "excerpt": "I upload street view pictures to Mapillary, which again can be used to automatically infer info into OSM (like signs etc) But I feel very few OSM mapping apps use street view / have it as a feature. But for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for. Like checking road conditions or finding nice places to camp when bikepacking. Which is why I also upload my stuff to Google (cars can't access most of these areas),", "context": "bikepacking", "use_case": "street view for road conditions", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781126592, "item_id": 48820412, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48820412", "by": "juliangmp", "date": "2026-07-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I put in a few requests from time to time because deliveries were a huge pain, to no avail.", "excerpt": "I had a similar experience with Google Maps, I used to live in a place where the house on Google maps was located on the wrong street, like one parallel street off. I put in a few requests from time to time because deliveries were a huge pain, to no avail. I opened a thread on some Google forum or support place and then it was mentioned that I actually can't change that because only the city is allowed to... why I ge", "context": "", "use_case": "correcting map addresses", "switched_from": "", "story": "StreetComplete: Fixing OpenStreetMap, one tiny quest at a time"}, {"id": 781015138, "item_id": 48813446, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48813446", "by": "h4kunamata", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I do need to  use Google Maps Browser version to find the place", "excerpt": "I use CoMaps, it works like a charm on GrapheneOS + Android Auto. I have also contributed to the OpenStreetMap by adding POI and requesting logic to be changed. The only major issue which I got used to but sucks, is the search when it does not involved famous places or streets or both. Streets will be shown as minor or major and alike, I do need to use Google Maps Browser version to find the place, and the on CoMaps ", "context": "OpenStreetMap contributor", "use_case": "finding places", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780975441, "item_id": 48810965, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48810965", "by": "Magicrafter13", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets", "excerpt": "This is what I use in my main GrapheneOS profile. I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets (i.e. traffic) in all cases. Decent app though. I saw someone here mention proprietary code but I wouldn't worry about it, just install the F-Droid version. That's why I use F-Droid - to guarantee I don't get proprietary blobs.", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "use_case": "traffic data", "switched_from": "", "story": "CoMaps \u2013 FOSS Offline Maps"}, {"id": 780870260, "item_id": 48804391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48804391", "by": "ffaser5gxlsll", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I find gmaps to be garbage for anything except looking up businesses", "excerpt": "I'm also a regular OSM contributor and I cycle between various apps/layers. I'm in the alpine region, regular hiker, and osm is the only map source I use (frankly, I find gmaps to be garbage for anything except looking up businesses). I regularly try comaps, but while it's pretty smooth at rendering, the detail is visibly lacking at anything except maximum zoom level. When enabling contour lines, it's cluttered and h", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 780839491, "item_id": 48802468, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48802468", "by": "ponkipo", "date": "2026-07-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Only use GMaps for finding businesses.", "excerpt": "As a active OSM contibutor with 7k+ changesets, Organic is my favorite map app I use for years traveling around the world, also donated to them. Only use GMaps for finding businesses. Tried CoMaps, saw no reason to migrate to it at all - why migrate to basically no-name app (in terms of popularity) which is developed by who knows who (not even a Maps Me or OM devs) if Organic is totally good, has updates, stable, wor", "context": "active OSM contributor with 7k+ changesets", "use_case": "finding businesses", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 780736688, "item_id": 48796043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48796043", "by": "cmdoptesc", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Personally, I use Google Maps on a daily basis", "excerpt": "> What might make me switch? Google Maps will always have better POI data because they have a larger userbase and they've gamified adding POIs with the \"Local Guides\" badge. The main reason to switch is to have an offline-first experience. Google Maps does not provide offline maps everywhere, e.g. South Korea. And if you've ever tried using the Google Maps app on a weak connection, it's frustrating because it still t", "context": "", "use_case": "daily navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 780728769, "item_id": 48795548, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48795548", "by": "dwa3592", "date": "2026-07-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use offline maps in google maps also.", "excerpt": "This is exciting!! I was not aware of organic maps until today. I use offline maps in google maps also. It's not fully private if it requires GPS connection though!! That's why I have been working on https://github.com/deepanwadhwa/anumaan for a while now. The focus is on navigating without internet and without GPS.", "context": "", "use_case": "offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Organic Maps"}, {"id": 780340369, "item_id": 48771273, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48771273", "by": "IgorPartola", "date": "2026-07-02", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "CarPlay navigation UI via Google Maps or Waze also works fine so it\u2019s not a huge difference", "excerpt": "I am clearly in the minority here but I have driven cars with and without CarPlay and honestly do not care whether a car has it. I use my phone for navigation and mount it such that when I look at it I am not taking my eyes off the road. I find this to be far better than having to look down at the center of my dashboard but CarPlay navigation UI via Google Maps or Waze also works fine so it\u2019s not a huge difference. R", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "CarPlay Is Additive"}, {"id": 780317729, "item_id": 48769858, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769858", "by": "jitl", "date": "2026-07-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).", "excerpt": "I have a boring Mercedes mid-size SUV. Carplay works. I can skip/repeat tracks using the standard control on the steering wheel; the instrument cluster shows the current track the same way it's done with connected phones forever. On the center console screen, we use the Carplay view with 3 splits - one for Spotify, two for navigation (map & next direction). Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "CarPlay Is Additive"}, {"id": 777291104, "item_id": 48580694, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48580694", "by": "com2kid", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I do wish Google maps was aware of them though.", "excerpt": "Good to hear they are adding more green ways! I love the program and I feel they are safer (and a lot more affordable) than \"bike lanes\" on arterial streets that are often just a painted line. I do wish Google maps was aware of them though.", "context": "", "use_case": "navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Magic Roundabout of Seattle Area"}, {"id": 777073873, "item_id": 48567117, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48567117", "by": "XorNot", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns", "excerpt": "Maps straight up can't navigate sanely in Australia I've found. I've switched to OsmAnd for driving because it'll give a sensible main road following route. Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns and then winds up with idiot ideas like \"turn right into this two way 4 lane road we tried to slightly avoid\".", "context": "driving in Australia", "use_case": "driving navigation", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}, {"id": 777069408, "item_id": 48566838, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48566838", "by": "Fordec", "date": "2026-06-17", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "excerpt": "I used to be able to view maps in 3D. Not anything fancy, just a tilt shift. This year I noticed the feature appears to be gone. Also, if I want to see my home city with an up to date overhead view from this side of 2023 to see what has been built lately, I have to go look up Sentinel imagery. I would claim it has indeed become worse.", "context": "", "use_case": "maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization?"}, {"id": 774892210, "item_id": 48430763, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48430763", "by": "aleqs", "date": "2026-06-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "excerpt": "> should expect maybe 5x faster cycle in major software apps To what end and what would that even look like though? Enshittifying everything at maximum speed? The apps/platforms I use regularly - GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Harness engineering: Leveraging Codex in an agent-first world"}, {"id": 746064688, "item_id": 46629043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46629043", "by": "reena_signalhq", "date": "2026-01-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver )", "excerpt": "Great question! Here's my essential travel stack: - Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver ) - Citymapper (best for public transit in major cities) - XE Currency (quick conversions) - TripIt (consolidates all confirmations in one place) One underrated tip: Download the local ride-sharing app for wherever you're going (Grab in SE Asia, Didi in China, etc.) instead of relying on Uber everywhere. What's your current ", "context": "traveler", "use_case": "travel navigation, offline maps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?"}]}