For those unaware, Organic Maps (uses OSM) is really good! It's good for 90% of all ur navigation needs. For the rest 10%, there's no good alternative to google maps unfortunately.

also a lot of open maps alternatives rely on YOUR contribution to be good instead of a hired team at some corpo.

use it and help out with it and you will have your open mapping app!

Well change can only be done through voicing disapproval first, although Google will most definitely won't stop the data gathering in Maps.

Well It's understandable if a lot of people wouldn't switch over to OSM-based apps. I've tried OSMAnd, and I observe 3 drawbacks. Lengthy public transport calculation (fair since it's computing on the phone), no reviews in POI areas (really hard to catch up on), weird results in transportations

I always try to keep in mind there are a lot of people that are simply unable to transition to alternative apps because they lack knowledge and time to do research on such things. What we see through videos isn't the majority of the people, it is people that make content for the majority.

People have hard times getting into more technical stuff already. Expecting people that are struggling to survive in capitalism to spend their free time learning about underground alternatives or to turn into sys admins and host their own stuff is out of touch if reality in my opinion.

Edit: just wanted to add, I wouldn't say the problem is on the people, but on big tech that predates on them

Me: can't install Google Maps because my phone doesn't have gapps. Awesome.

Osmand is really cool and it's really capable but I understand that it isn't for people who don't want to tinker a bit to make things work just right for them.

For that Organic Maps is what I recommend.

You: thinking they weren't already tracking you by a zillion other means including wifi/bt and cellular triangulation

Me: google-free wifi-only phone with all radios/mic/camera physically disconnected unless I need something specific

Or have your phone location turned on and be super boring back and forth. When you deviate use a burner.

Google saw neat idea, built cool software, users happy. Replace cars to generate map data with phones for utmost accuracy. Trends of maximizing profit from cool technology makes users sad and services suck like other popular sites. Host begs Google not to make maps suck next.

Every free tech service can be (notionally) graded on how much value it offers for how much of your data it sucks up and monetizes. Most of the time we see an initial high value that gradually decreases as the developer gets greedy.

Google maps has managed to become Google "best" service, but it's important to be aware of the scale of problem we'll see if they start squeezing it for increasing profits, since it sucks up so much of our data and manages to be so useful.

That's the bulk of it, but there were other points being made about solving for edge cases that seem less central to the point.

It's fine to use it for 80% of tasks too and try to contribute to it becoming available for 100% of tasks.

Anti Commercial-AI license

Organic maps is what I use. Keep in mind OSM is built by the community so in places with lower tech literacy it will incomplete

Used to know someone who looked for cars around a restaurant, or long lines waiting to get into a tiny cafe, asked wait staff for interesting places they liked to go; went into non-chain stores where locals shopped (off the main streets); asked walkers and service station workers for directions. Always had wild stories about what happened, if you could get past their private nature. Weird fucker, unpredictable, never could get used to'm. Likeable enough, though.