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Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

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Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#111

Post by jlawson »

lvs wrote: post #34
digitaLandscape wrote: post #26

There was a lot of uproar about this internally but nothing changed. They told us that this was the only "practical" option. The company has rotted.

From the outside, it seems to have reached a tipping point in the past year that is now getting quite dramatic. A whole string of heavy-handed, anti-user, and privacy-hostile decisions. What just happened to the culture that would allow all this evil behavior? Or did we misunderstand it all along?

Maybe it's human nature to only be able to focus on one moral conflict at a time.

Now that Google's culture is focused on collective racial/gender justice, there's no oxygen left to put towards individual rights like privacy.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#112

Post by WalterSear »

hamandcheese wrote: post #105
WalterSear wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a recent interaction with the Pixel support personel via the built-in chat, I was unabashedly lied to three times in a row, including direct contradictions of the previous support persons instructions. When the support person didn't have a handy solution, they just started making up reasons why my issue wasn't supported, going so far as to tell me I was required to purchase non-existent, google-branded hardware in…

This would be much more compelling if you went into the actual details of what they said to you vs what the truth actually was.

Unlock and commnd the google assistant via a bluetooth device. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't, sometimes it would unlock but then be unable to respond to subsequent commands. Then every few days, the feature would disable itself and stop working entirely (via voice or bluetooth) and have to be set up again.

The first support person showed me how to clear the application cache, and then walked me through the process off testing the bluetooth. I was very impressed. I hadn't actually intended to request support - I was just using the device's help system.

Except - it happens again, two days later, and clearing the cache and setting up the voice assistant every couple of days isn't much of a solution. I didn't expect a fix - mainly wanted them to let them know the solution wasn't working.

The second support person had me walk through the basic diagnostics and then tried to give me reasons why what I was trying to do wasn't possible. First, it wasn't possible at all, then it became impossible to do with all my specific bluetooth devices and finally, it became impossible without using google bluetooth gear. (I misspoke previously - these actually do exist).

Pushy, inexperienced, untrained and unsupported. And very clearly miserable and under the gun.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#114

Post by zavi »

maxxxxx wrote: post #18

In a way stuff like this and the recent news that they don't delete their own cookies from Chrome when deleting all cookies could be good news. It seems to become clearer and clearer that Google is getting desperate to squeeze more and more data out of people in order to sell that data. Hope they will lose their good guy image because now they are just another big greedy company like all others. Nothing wrong with th…

I'm not sure I'd call them desperate looking at the valuation, 20+% revenue growth, and the fact that EU keeps pushing legislation that increasingly cements their dominance against any potential competition in the region.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#115

Post by code_duck »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #110
steve19 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know I am flogging a dead horse here, but the constant retiring of Google apps makes me reluctant to adopt anything beyond Gmail and Youtube. I am a heavy Google Keep user, but I worry I am going to be kicked off that eventually. > And stop changing your UI. It The Youtube UI just gets worse and worse. I can only imagine what it must be like for non-Youtube Red subscribers. The add playlist button now defaults to y…

Youtube is even more fun if you don't want to make a channel. They've made the website "add to playlist" button redirect to the channel creation page. I can't even put things on "watch later", the one playlist youtube has deigned to allow me to have.

My ‘watch later’ seems to have a problem catching videos. I add videos and they are gone from there. I created my own ‘Watch Now’ playlist, which consistently works.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#116

Post by zavi »

kerng wrote: post #108

The big question for Google: What revenue stream lies beyond ads? What else could you make money off to inspire again? Rather then just selling out your users on a daily basis.

Their cloud business doubles every year. Play & hardware are also considerable now: https://qz.com/1334369/alphabet-q2-2018-earnings-google-is-m...

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#117

Post by makecheck »

I set up a Shortcuts (formerly Workflow) to auto-map to my home address in Directions view, which is far more convenient anyway.

There isn’t much point in creating lists of important places within the app because Google can’t seem to figure out how to show these to you in fewer than 5 taps/screens. It’s crazy when the 3rd party solution can provide more direct access in an app than the app itself.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#118

Post by samstave »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #110
steve19 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know I am flogging a dead horse here, but the constant retiring of Google apps makes me reluctant to adopt anything beyond Gmail and Youtube. I am a heavy Google Keep user, but I worry I am going to be kicked off that eventually. > And stop changing your UI. It The Youtube UI just gets worse and worse. I can only imagine what it must be like for non-Youtube Red subscribers. The add playlist button now defaults to y…

Youtube is even more fun if you don't want to make a channel. They've made the website "add to playlist" button redirect to the channel creation page. I can't even put things on "watch later", the one playlist youtube has deigned to allow me to have.

I freaking HATE youtube so much.

Its such a vile POS of a service.

Its hardly even worth my packets to type out all the ways its so bad. I feel like nobody in charge of YouTube actually even uses it for anything.

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#119

Post by [deleted] »

woranl wrote: post #35
lvs wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the outside, it seems to have reached a tipping point in the past year that is now getting quite dramatic. A whole string of heavy-handed, anti-user, and privacy-hostile decisions. What just happened to the culture that would allow all this evil behavior? Or did we misunderstand it all along?

Sundar Pichai is now CEO. What else do you expect?

[deleted]

Re: Google Maps won't let you save home address without allowing all Google tracking

#120

Post by inapis »

Analemma_ wrote: post #33
ENGNR wrote: post #4

I can’t even ask my phone to set an alarm anymore without giving it my entire web and app history. Google is vulnerable here as they’re creating a very real need for basic alternatives

They’re creating a need, but that doesn’t mean they’re creating a market opportunity. Google has taught everyone that all this stuff should be free, and that’s no accident: it’s a deliberate strategy to suck up all available oxygen away from potential competitors. Someone (Ben Thompson maybe?) described Google’s strategy as not just building a moat, but scorching the earth for hundreds of miles in every direction fro…

This is so fucking true. If anything you can see this in the real marketplace. Consumers have become so averse to paying for software because they see gmail, google maps, google keep, docs and photos as available for “free” - meaning they have to part with something from their life but not the cash, so why the hell pay for anything else?
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