Google Maps is testing a new ad format that gives users the option to add a stop for a sponsored location during navigation.
    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      And unfortunately, for maps, it’s basically just Apple and Google. I’m trying to get used to OSM, but it just isn’t easy to do the things I want to do: find directions to a store.

      • w2tpmf@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        MapQuest is still a thing. Bing maps… exists. Wave, even though owned by Google, hasn’t been fucked yet.

        Magic Earth is another open source alternative besides OSM.

      • Grass@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        osm sucks at addresses. The only way I can use it for navigation is doing google to coordinate conversion and just saving all the places. I haven’t seen this new google change but we’ll see if its enough to make me drop the last google service I use.

  • Blue0x@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    The moment this starts happening to me, I’m going to start giving every single sponsored stop I see a 1 star review.

    • tiredofsametab@kbin.run
      0·
      10 months ago

      I get the feeling, but if the business has no say in getting recommended, aren’t you just punishing businesses that may not even know this program exists? That would suck for very small businesses.

      • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.worldEnglish
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        10 months ago

        Google isn’t going to promote small businesses that have no say. Google isn’t putting these ads up for fun. They do it because businesses pay them to.

      • Skankboot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        It’s an ad, not a recommendation. As far as I know, Google doesn’t just serve ads for businesses that don’t pay for them.

    • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      10 months ago

      Excellent idea. I give gas stations that play lots video ads one star and don’t go back. I give placed that ask for a tip when I do a to go order 1 star as well

  • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    I dont know if i can keep using google stuff if this is the way they are going.

    Why does everything have to be a fucking advert.

    Who even likes adverts?

    Just fuck off.

    • thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Google expected infinite growth in a finite system. Now that the growth is slowing they are trying to increase yield from their current pool of resources instead.

      • Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        Why dont these companies accept theybarent worth as much any more and just provide less services until they balance off.

        The stuff they cant afford to provide could be taken on by someone else. Being a one company does all type master of none sort of thing is clearly bad for society and the economy.

        I dont really know what im talking about but i just dont get why they see losses and an end to growth but take the position of “we need to find a way to keep this going” instead of “we need to sell off things until our company is making money again, even if its less money”

        • thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          10 months ago

          In the US everyone just wants to see the line go up, they don’t care how it happens. They are beholdent to a corrupt and inept class of disconnected aristocrats that don’t know their face from their ass

    • twoface@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      I have been using Kagi as an alternative search engine for over a month now and can’t see me going back to Google anytime soon. Googles results are just full of adverts and garbage.

  • M0oP0o@mander.xyzEnglish
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    10 months ago

    Thanks I hate it. Also not even new, this shit was what killed in dash sat navs…

    • T156@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      10 months ago

      Nitpicking, but I’m not sure that it was ads that killed dash sat navs. At least in my experience, they never really developed to that point where car companies would put ads in.

      It was more that they were expensive options to install, a pain to keep updated, and generally weren’t all that good.

      Even before the live traffic and automatic detour features, phones didn’t cost money to keep the onboard maps up to date, and you already had one, so you didn’t need to either buy an add-on, or get a special unit for it.

      With android CarPlay and Apple Auto, you could just put your phone map on the screen, which was basically the same thing, but a cheaper equivalent, since the hardware was on your phone instead.

      • M0oP0o@mander.xyzEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        So I was around during this time and yes ads did play a part in this, but not like you think. The ads where how these companies planned to pay for the sat nav data (came on a DVD). They had restaurant and gas station suggestion with the same detour “feature”.

        Fun part is that it fell apart quick since almost no one updated there sat nav and you can still get a 2008 acura with recommendations for places long long gone. Its also fun to see people talking about Zagat rated places on forums from the time.

        https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-294/zagat-guide-questions-833757/

      • RunawayFixer@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        I’m absolutely certain that it wasn’t ads that put a firm like TomTom on a downward slope. This was actually the first time that I’ve heard someone proclaim that ads are the reason.

        If your business is to sell maps + navigation devices for money and then the times change and now nearly everyone already owns a smartphone with built in gps + some car manufacturers provide sat nav as a default + another company is giving access to a map away for free, well then your business is in trouble.

        I’ve never even heard of ads in TomTom or Garmin, since I stopped using a dedicated sat nav once I had a smartphone, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was one of the things they tried to stay afloat after smartphones became ubiquitous.

        • madcaesar@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          10 months ago

          They were just way waaay to expensive to update. I remember having to jail brake it and sideload updates.

  • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    Not to defend Google, but it seems unclear right now if this is something that will happen while driving, or similar to something Waze already does.

    • soratoyuki@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      In Virginia, at least, it’s not a meaningful distinction.

      There used to be an exception for GPS, but the state changed the law a few years ago so that any non-hands-free use of a phone in a non-parked is a ticketable offense. Swiping away an ad at a red light would technically be illegal.

        • soratoyuki@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          10 months ago

          Anecdotal, but a friend of mine was ticketed for it within the first week it went into effect. She (understandably) assumed that being stopped at a stop light was acceptable. That said, I’m not aware of any enforcement since then and wouldn’t be surprised if they deliberately only enforced it right after it took effect.

          Still wouldn’t risk it, though.

    • digger@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      I’m honestly surprised it’s taken them this long. They bought Waze in 2013. I feel like Waze has been doing this kind of ad for at least that long.

    • Shdwdrgn@mander.xyzEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Waze has popped up ads on me plenty of times while I’m driving. Yes it knows I’m driving, the map is still scrolling along my route. At one point it was bad enough that the ads were remaining after every stop light, and finally clearing about half way to the next light. I haven’t seen it happen in awhile though, maybe they finally got it fixed.

    • Takios@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Openstreetmap is really good…except for the detailed information about shops which is why I still use Google Maps if I need to know opening hours and other information.
      OSM is just not widespread enough to be on the radar of shop owners to put their information on it themselves so volunteers have to do it. :/

        • deczzz@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          0·
          10 months ago

          Thanks for the reference. Will try it out. Always had issues using openstreetmap for some reason. This seem more integrative rather than have the navigation app and the actual map being two separate entities.

          • llii@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            0·
            10 months ago

            Yeah, it’s worth a try. The usability depends on the trips you take and other factors. You need to download the maps beforehand.

            I like it when I’m on foot or when I ride my bike, but for longer car trips I use other (online) apps for the traffic warnings and because I only have local maps downloaded.

    • Chee_Koala@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      I have been testing OsmAnd for daily use today, and I’m gonna be closing my maps presence in the coming months :-) . I was really happy how it worked and felt, very close to what I want. After some extra tweaking, it’s bound to be fantastic!

    • Bahalex@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      As far I knew it was already a thing, kind of. They know what you search for and route you near those things… and make sure the businesses show up on the map.

  • Jubei Kibagami@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    I had downloaded OsmAnd but forgot about it. After reading this post, I fired it up. It took a minute to download a map for my area. It returned a map of Kansas. I’m in Texas 🤔 I guess I gotta fix that somehow.

    • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Did you allow it to access your location? Is your location already fixed? Are you behind a proxy or VPN server?

    • Jubei Kibagami@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Thanks, guys, I got it to update with the correct map. This thing has a ton of options! Those of you who want granular control over apps, this is right up your alley.

    • Neosnc@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Just downloaded it and got Kansas too. Press the little arrow to allow current location while using and it will update to your correct location.

  • ripcord@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    Well, this might be something that drives me to Waze (also owned by Google and which may also end up with these). But it’s yet another thing that would potentially drive me back to Apple.

    Edit: never mind on Waze, I forgot they already do something like this. Although for whatever reason it doesn’t seem quite as invasive.

  • UncleGrandPa@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    So will we soon have to go places we Don’t want to go… Just so we can get directions to where we want to go?

    If incorrect directions will be the norm…maybe it’s Time to find a new map app

    • Butt Pirate@reddthat.comEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      Openstreetmaps has been treating me pretty well. They don’t have all the business information like gmaps does, but that’s what TripAdvisor and Yelp are for.

  • errer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    I have an iPhone and while I don’t like Apple Maps, I will absolutely switch to it in a heartbeat if this is added.

    • torsday@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      It’s gotten so much better. Once they brought offline maps I made the full switch.

    • cmbabul@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      10 months ago

      I’ve preferred Apple Maps for a few years now, Googles used to be top of the game but it’s fallen off while Apple’s have IME improved

      • howlingecko@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        0·
        10 months ago

        Same here. I have been happy with Apple Maps.

        I was an early adopter for Waze and helped them build and fix their maps. I loved Waze. Several months after Google bought Waze, I repeatedly noticed battery draining faster and location was more frequently being used by Waze. I wrote to them about it. After some time passed and no response or change, I ditched them.