Apple Maps vs. Google Maps • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#181

Post by a254613e » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 7:32 PM UTC

dreamcompiler wrote: post #50

mr-ron wrote: post #29

I opened up my settings to allow Google maps to have access to my location all the time, even when not using the app. I have found the Timeline feature in Google maps to be a huge game changer in terms of 'where ive been' and 'what Ive done'. I can look back months, see exactly what routes I went down, where I was at a given time. It will even match pictures with the locations. Especially for journaling vacations (so…

> I can look back months, see exactly what routes I went down, where I was at a given time. So can Google. I'd love to have these features but the price is just too high. The price would be too high even if I trusted Google (which I don't), because every company that collects personal information will be hacked because no company is properly incentivised to protect users' data.

>I'd love to have these features but the price is just too high.

I know you're speaking in broader terms, but for anyone interested you can have this specific feature (location history) using owntracks and owntracks recorder completely privately.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#182

Post by Spooky23 » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 7:41 PM UTC

Imo Apple does easier directions.

Sometimes, going on some weird detour with Waze is appealing. Apples routes are usually a few minutes longer.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#183

Post by aeharding » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 7:42 PM UTC

Apple Maps needs to provide bicycle directions in my city (Madison, Wisconsin). Until then, it's literally nonfunctional for the vast majority of my trips.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#184

Post by kaba0 » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 7:43 PM UTC

hk__2 wrote: post #92

FlyingSnake wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OpenStreetMap >>>>>>>>> Google maps pretty much everywhere in EU (and RoW). I had better data in Harz, Bohemian Switzerland, Girona, Laos, Indian jungles etc which was way better than what Google provides. I would rather give my data to the qualitatively better option OSM than a controversial foreign firm that has questionable stance on user privacy.

Really? In my experience (Europe, mostly France/Italy), OpenStreetMap has a lot more details than Google on “long-term features”: roads, (hiking) paths, public toilets and fountains, etc; while Google is a lot better for POIs and restaurants/bars/museums/etc. On a given street, OSM will have the exact position of every tree but not so much about restaurants, while with GM you get their opening hours, ratings, menus,…

But google maps will get the opening hours bad more often than not due to COVID changes. And frankly, I am fed up with google - I used to help correcting said hours in the earlier contributor model, but will no longer do so since there is no reason to feed data into that monstrosity that doesn’t give back anything in return to society.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#185

Post by exegete » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 7:54 PM UTC

nvr219 wrote: post #117

I use Waze because I want to know where the cops are.

With CarPlay Apple Maps now has an option to report radar and hazards. Google also now owns Waze and uses info from it to show hazards.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#186

Post by TheTrotters » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 8:00 PM UTC

FlyingSnake wrote: post #79

komuher wrote: post #18

Google maps >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> apple maps here in Europe especially for medium sized cities (in big cities apple works fine but still a lot worse then google). For me it seems like fair exchange to give some data, for free and very good service that have no real competition :)

OpenStreetMap >>>>>>>>> Google maps pretty much everywhere in EU (and RoW). I had better data in Harz, Bohemian Switzerland, Girona, Laos, Indian jungles etc which was way better than what Google provides. I would rather give my data to the qualitatively better option OSM than a controversial foreign firm that has questionable stance on user privacy.

OSM doesn't seem to have public transportation data which makes it useless unless you exclusively use a car.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#187

Post by _delirium » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 8:07 PM UTC

Aachen wrote: post #179

nextos wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In brand new neighbourhoods, I've also found OSM much better than Google Maps. E.g., lots of new developments in Cambridge were extremely well annotated whereas Google Maps didn't even have streetnames. This is super helpful when you are shopping for a new property.

It's a rare opportunity when I get to map actual new roads. Usually it's filling in details like a trash bin here, a hedge there... roads are a much more important core feature. If you ever spot an unmapped neighborhood, just let me know! ;)

I spot them pretty often in the suburbs and exurbs of American cities. Those areas tend not to have as many active mappers as urban areas, so new subdivisions sometimes go a while before anyone maps them. Even then the first-cut mapping is usually someone not actually there just tracing from the Bing imagery.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#188

Post by cromwellian » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 8:23 PM UTC

seriousquestion wrote: post #121

nvr219 wrote: post #117

I use Waze because I want to know where the cops are.

How reliable is that?

Super reliable. I used to get at least 1 speeding ticket per year, I haven’t had a ticket in 8 years thanks to Waze.

Also Waze time estimates are stupidly accurately. You think you can beat their estimate by driving faster but it somehow accounts for that, eg if average speed on 101 is currently 80 mph the estimates will reflect that. Waze puts Apple Maps to shame for navigation.

The way it reports adding a stop (say for gas station) as how many minutes off route is extremely useful.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#189

Post by brewdad » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 8:34 PM UTC

r0m4n0 wrote: post #135

Apple Maps has a long way to go on biking directions. Today on the Chicago waterfront I selected biking directions and it just said “unavailable” I do like the contextual directions on Apple Maps they say “at the next signal turn left” but I refuse to use two map apps

Do you have "avoid busy roads" enabled for biking directions? I think it may be the default and would explain why it had trouble near DT Chicago.

Re: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

#190

Post by cromwellian » Sat, Jul 10, 2021, 8:36 PM UTC

Personally I have a decade of travel in Google Maps timeline, hundreds of cities, dozens of countries. I use that and exif data in photos as a way to self document my life and look back on what I did.

Apple offers nothing like this. I can even download a Takeout dump from Google import it other apps for processing.

Apple Maps POI database still seems pretty bad IMHO, but worse is that it’s search function is broken. If I am searching for something, return results sorted by distance. Sometimes Apple Maps returns businesses with the same name in other states or countries before one right next to me. Maybe their POI database isn’t the problem, and it’s search. Given the years they’ve had to improve their broken App Store search, it doesn’t raise my confidence that it’ll improve soon.