Google Maps
Google's web and mobile mapping service with navigation, place search, and Street View.
Loved for looking up businesses and places1234, with Street View imagery and offline maps as standout features.56789 The most common complaint is routing that picks odd, slower, or dangerous detours10111213, alongside a sense that the app has gotten worse lately.14151617
Why people recommend it
Business & POI search · 3
Commenters turn to it first for finding businesses and points of interest.
“Maps will take me right to the place I want”
“Google is better at business and POI data”
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“Only use GMaps for finding businesses.”
Street View · 3
Street View and historical imagery are used to preview routes and revisit familiar places.
“I love wondering around streets I know from my own past.”
I’m glad to hear it’s gotten better. This was a couple of years ago, when they were pushing the free trials. It’s an earlier Model 3, and I barely drive it. I’m clearly not a typical driver. I love keeping the camera views all on screen for situational awareness. I don’t 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
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“for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for”
Reliable daily use · 3
Many use it daily and report that it works reliably.
“Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years.”
“I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly”
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“Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).”
Offline maps · 3
Downloaded offline maps let users navigate without cell service.
“Almost every part of the US that is East of the Mississippi is stored offline in my phone with Google Maps.”
“Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver )”
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“I still have Google Maps and Here Maps installed, both with offline maps”
Traffic data · 2
Its traffic data is a reason some users keep it alongside alternatives.
“I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets”
“I still use Google Maps as well”
Caveats and dissent
Poor routing · 3
Routes can add needless detours, unprotected left turns, or residential roads.
“I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer”
“Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road.”
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“Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns”
Declining quality · 3
Several commenters feel the app has noticeably worsened recently.
“GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.”
“as Maps continues to suck more I use it less”
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“I would claim it has indeed become worse.”
Navigation prompts · 3
Some find late, unclear, or constant rerouting prompts and the pre-turn zoom stressful.
“Google is better at business and POI data”
“Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn?”
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“nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever”
Ads and clutter · 1
Ads and clutter drove at least one user away.
“The primary reason I moved away from Google Maps was because of all their ads and clutter”
Search ranking · 1
Review-based ranking of places is seen as naive.
“Google's Maps search ranking doesn't seem sophisticated to me.”
Offline gaps · 1
Offline maps aren't available everywhere and the app still fetches tiles on weak connections.
Often compared with
5 moved from Google Maps to Apple Maps
2 moved from Google Maps to OsmAndOpenStreetMap7 comments mention bothWaze3 comments mention both
1 moved from Google Maps to Waze
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- My phone detects going on a run as "someone snatching my phone and running off" 4 mentions
- Organic Maps 4 mentions
- My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps 3 mentions
- “It works better in the app” 2 mentions
- Folding Paper Globes 2 mentions
- The power of collaboration: How we can reduce traffic congestion 2 mentions
Data: google-maps.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 44
“Android, Maps and Chrome I use it almost daily for years.”
“I usually spend time poking around Google Maps to discover points of interest nearby”
“I used Google Maps”
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’s 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
“a meaningful decline in the quality and reliability of several other major software/apps and services - notably Google maps, Spotify, codex”
“I used Google Maps on the phone to find my way, and it worked perfectly”
“I love wondering around streets I know from my own past.”
“I just love Google Maps.”
“Google Maps is a cool time capsule”
“Google is better at business and POI data”
“as Maps continues to suck more I use it less”
“Then Google switched it back to Mercator. But you can scroll infinitely to the left or right, so its base is actually now “Mercator rolled into a tube.” Somehow that’s even worse!”
“I am a staunch google maps user.”
“Maps will take me right to the place I want”
“Does anyone else hate how Google Maps zooms in right before a turn?”
“the most complex thing I do on my phone is Google Maps”
“get directions from google map (voice via bluetooth)”
“Almost every part of the US that is East of the Mississippi is stored offline in my phone with Google Maps.”
“sometimes that 45 mph option is still coded as a highway in Google’s data, so you get a really obtuse route.”
“I don't have this option available on my Android app.”
“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”
“nothing infuriated quite like a leisurely fun ride with the audio constantly telling me to make a u-turn or whatever”
“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.”
“Using a plastic rule on the screen on the screen on my computer in whatever resolution I have now in Google Maps (Mercator)”
I’m glad to hear it’s gotten better. This was a couple of years ago, when they were pushing the free trials. It’s an earlier Model 3, and I barely drive it. I’m clearly not a typical driver. I love keeping the camera views all on screen for situational awareness. I don’t 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
“Google Maps is also not great as a physical map in that it is bad at labelling and naming geographic features”
“any of their products other than google pay, maps and youtube music”
“I've noticed that Google Maps has started sucking a lot lately, routing us onto routes that take 2-4 minutes longer”
“Sometimes the Google detours would end in dangerous situations, like a left turn with no light across a major road.”
“for me it's the main feature I use Google Maps for”
“I put in a few requests from time to time because deliveries were a huge pain, to no avail.”
“I do need to use Google Maps Browser version to find the place”
“I still have a dedicated profile for Google Maps though as I still have not been able to give up their greater datasets”
“I find gmaps to be garbage for anything except looking up businesses”
“Only use GMaps for finding businesses.”
“Personally, I use Google Maps on a daily basis”
“I use offline maps in google maps also.”
“CarPlay navigation UI via Google Maps or Waze also works fine so it’s not a huge difference”
“Google Maps and Apple Maps are both reliable where I drive (Miami).”
“I do wish Google maps was aware of them though.”
“Google Maps reliably sends me down residential roads and adds a whole bunch of turns”
“I would claim it has indeed become worse.”
“GitHub, Spotify, Google maps (just to name a few), have gotten noticeably shittier in recent times.”
“Google Maps (offline maps are a lifesaver )”