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Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

news.ycombinator.com

291–300 of 447 posts

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone have a favorite that has worked well for them?

Not in the list, Here maps (with ancient roots in Nokia Maps) is excellent.

Does it still crash when going over a bridge? It did this quite often for me.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#292
post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So Amazon gives you 3 options, two of which result in a charity of your choice getting money in exchange for a minor inconvenience to you, and the third of which is to not participate in the charity program. And this makes them the bad guy?

Why not just donate the money directly to charity and not have Amazon notifications?

[deleted]

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#293
post #152
post #125

If you have an iPhone and haven't been using Apple Maps, it's basically on par now with Google Maps for navigation. I hadn't tried Apple Maps for years because of how bad it used to be, and was pleasantly surprised to find the maps are incredibly accurate and turn by turn navigation is rock solid. I haven't touched Google Maps in months, and this post is reminding me that it's time to just uninstall it

Apple maps has still been total crap for me outside the US.

Apple Maps is quite good here in New Zealand. I have an Android device and my husband has an iOS device. I have been impressed several times with Apple being able to route to places Google Maps can't. Apple seems to be better at adding new roads etc compared to Google here in New Zealand.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#294
post #125

If you have an iPhone and haven't been using Apple Maps, it's basically on par now with Google Maps for navigation. I hadn't tried Apple Maps for years because of how bad it used to be, and was pleasantly surprised to find the maps are incredibly accurate and turn by turn navigation is rock solid. I haven't touched Google Maps in months, and this post is reminding me that it's time to just uninstall it

iPhones are strictly worse for what OP is complaining about. You cannot get your location at all in any app without enabling WiFi scanning. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21708157 OP's solution of installing another Android maps app is probably the best available option that fits OP's privacy requirements.

When did this change? Last time I had an iOS device it was definitely possible to use GPS without WiFi. If this is a recent regression that is disappointing.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#295
post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Legally, everything it does must generate shareholder value. What's the basis for this claim?

The Supreme Court has ruled in opposition to this perspective [1]: “Modern corporate law does not require for-profit corporations to pursue profit at the expense of everything else, and many do not.” [1] https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-co...

Typo in the URL, should be: https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/16/what-are-co...

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#296

Here we go again. Users desperately need an abstraction layer in Android that can spoof sensor data on a per-application basis. In this case, the spoofing layer could be set up such that whenever Google Maps uses the Android API to ask "Is wifi location sensing turned on" the spoofing layer would say "Yes." When GM asks "What wifi networks are around?" the spoofing layer would say "None." (Even better would be for it…

big yes to this.

whenever an app asks for a permission i want these options:

    allow
    deny
    pretend allow but send empty responses (like no wifi found)
    pretend allow but send fake responses

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#297
post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And (along with cellular data) with acquiring the almanac data via the Internet instead of waiting for up to 30 minutes for the satellites to broadcast it.

Last time I checked it took 12.5 minutes for full almanac broadcast... Did something change?

Yes, but only under optimal conditions.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#298

Not related to Google maps, but just today I got tired of the Amazon app sending me "you might like this deal" notifications and dug into whether it's possible to disable them. You can , but if you do, Amazon will no longer send Amazon "Smile" micro-donations to whatever charity you've selected: https://i.imgur.com/wNAkUAT.jpeg . I can't say that this is underhanded, but it does cast into sharp relief the fact that A…

That's probably a violation of the App Store Review Guidelines; you're not allowed to withdraw app functionality unrelated to notifications if a user denies notification access; Apple has various language in various places that hints at 'you can't arbitrarily take away features to compel users to opt-in' being a core intent. If you're an Apple developer, and you're willing to stake that claim with Apple, you can repo…

I'm sure Apple will get right on enforcing that with Amazon.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#299
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been giving away "my data" for free stuff since the beginning of the Internet. Still waiting breathlessly for that high impact.

I’m guessing it’s more like being a frog in a stewpot as the temperature slowly rises.

Describe the boiling please.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#300

Here we go again. Users desperately need an abstraction layer in Android that can spoof sensor data on a per-application basis. In this case, the spoofing layer could be set up such that whenever Google Maps uses the Android API to ask "Is wifi location sensing turned on" the spoofing layer would say "Yes." When GM asks "What wifi networks are around?" the spoofing layer would say "None." (Even better would be for it…

Xprivacy basically did this. I supported the developer by buying the "pro" version and he promptly stopped maintaining it...and started a new project that was substantially more complicated/difficult to use, requiring writing blocking rules by hand...or paying him for the "pro" service that included 'recipes' for blocks.

Which users of the old app didn't get.

Fuck you, Marcel Bokhorst.

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