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Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#341

Post by tenuousemphasis »

aceazzameen wrote: post #318
philsnow wrote: post #215

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…

Is uninstalling the app and using the website in a browser an option? This is what I prefer to do.

Yes.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#342

Post by vinay427 »

walterbell wrote: post #135
Nextgrid wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watch out, Here Maps has the Facebook SDK malware embedded in it that will call home to Zuck on every app launch (at least) and send a device fingerprint and persistent identifier.

Very unfortunate, since HERE maps allows offline maps. We need a public registry of apps that embed tracking SDKs. And iOS needs an outbound firewall, now that it is shipping an App Privacy Report.

> And iOS needs an outbound firewall

This can already easily be added through third-party apps. Would a system-wide firewall be a worthwhile improvement? I suppose it would help to have it enabled by default for users who wouldn’t install a tracker firewall app afterwards.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#343

Post by zimpenfish »

skykooler wrote: post #124
mcast wrote: post #19

Maybe someone should build a portable (FCC compliant?) device to put in your car that spoofs and rotates a bunch of 2.4/5Ghz SSIDs periodically to "trick" apps that mine wifi data with GPS location. Bonus points for bogus names like "Starbucks Wifi" or "McDonalds Free Wifi" in the middle of the highway. Even easier, just reverse engineer the API and send the SSIDs yourself.

I used to ride a train which had onboard wifi. Whenever I was on the train and underground, Google Maps would decide that I was at the terminal station of the train - which I assume is where it first scanned that SSID - and would try to reroute me.

I had this problem for a few years back in the mid-10s - any time it saw something like "Virgin WIFI", my phone would assume I was in Manchester, even if I was in London / anywhere Virgin trains go, leading to huge jumps in location[1].

[1] which annoys me - a smartphone should be able to figure out that I have not just travelled 200 miles in 2 seconds and filter that out. This is still a (smaller) problem - my current phone often thinks I've jumped 5 miles for a minute and then back.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#344

Post by lozenge »

DocTomoe wrote: post #336
nmstoker wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you suggesting that they have no choice but to completely stop locating the user as there's absolutely no way they could offer non-lane specific navigation? The vast majority of it would be identical and I'm sure they could easily and gracefully degrade to that when strictly necessary.

How much does a company need to degrade a service - at potentially great cost - to be compliant before they can claim it then would be better not to provide the service at all to customers unwilling to share data? I am not claiming that this is where Google needs to draw the line in the sand - but there obviously is such a limit to these considerations.

Google doesn't have lane data for every road in the world, yet clearly navigation is already implemented to work without it?

I don't know why people throw up random excuses for companies instead of accepting the simplest answer - they want as much data as they can.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#345

Post by lmm »

unit_circle wrote: post #320

Try OSMAnd. I started using it because it allows you to download huge areas as vector maps for offline use. But I find myself slowly using it more and more. The only things missing that keep me using gmaps are search, reviews / places, and directions that factor traffic (not a biggie tbh). However, I've been playing with mapbox and, without any prior experience whatsoever got a traffic overlay working within a few ho…

I use it for cycling, but honestly it's pretty frustrating. Searching for Japanese place names is pretty difficult, and since most place names are only listed in the local language but its TTS can only handle one language at a time I have to choose between "turn right onto " and "右に回って、明治通り", whereas Google will give me "turn right onto Meiji-doori".

It doesn't help that I'm stuck on an old version for the "turn on screen when approaching a turn" function, which is actually Google's problem but still frustrating.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#346

Post by andylynch »

asdff wrote: post #103
can16358p wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When that's the case Apple Maps would be a better choice as it doesn't try to suck all your privacy into its ad ecosystem.

My issue is it lacks a lot of local businesses. No point in using it if I have to go to google to find the business address anyhow.

This is the one difference I see too - if it’s a place I know I’ll just go and add them to the map.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#347

Post by hockey »

Google Maps is a pretty big application. Have you considered that this might have been a mistake? Refactoring legacy codebases isn't always without regressions.

If you file a bug report (especially if there are a bunch of others filing them) then the people in charge of this stuff won't be able to claim they didn't know about it.

Open maps > help and feedback > send feedback

And remember, Every good bug report needs exactly three things:

1) Steps to reproduce, 2) What you expected to see, and 3) What you saw instead

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#348

Post by tuyiown »

bowmessage wrote: post #324
KennyBlanken wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Wow, this seems like overly harsh feedback for stopping maintenance work on a project.

It's harsh, but not really about the maintenance being stopped, KennyBlanken paid for a pro version and the author changed commercial strategy and rebooted the project with a different approach, without granting a licence of the replacement to his existing customer. This is not respectful of paying customers.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#349

Post by Xelbair »

dsl wrote: post #184
dessant wrote: post #86

Refusing service when the user does not consent to non-essential data sharing is illegal in the EU, and it also breaches Google Play's developer agreement. WiFi scanning is not essential to navigate with an app, and the least they could do to follow the law is to gracefully degrade the service if the user does not consent to share data about nearby devices, such as disabling traffic predictions. Of course Google's la…

> non-essential data sharing But it is essential. Google (and Apple) maps provide lane specific navigation directions, which are really only possible with assisted GPS. In theory GPS has the accuracy, but remember you are in a big metal box filled with electrical wires. Not to mention other applications like isle specific navigation within stores, which is made possible by bluetooth beacons. Heck, we are on the verge…

>But it is essential. Google (and Apple) maps provide lane specific navigation directions, which are really only possible with assisted GPS. In theory GPS has the accuracy, but remember you are in a big metal box filled with electrical wires. Not to mention other applications like isle specific navigation within stores, which is made possible by bluetooth beacons.

As someone who's degree had a course in sattelite rangefinding(both code and phase), this is bullshit. Code GPS measurement should be enough for that. Especially when you already contain road data to which you can snap, and probably have access to accelerometer too which can easily improve accuracy of 'snapping'.

You don't need to get precision down to a lane on the road for purpose of navigation, you just need to 'snap' to the right road. and warn user beforehand if they need to take a turn. Just like 'dumb' GPS navigation did prior to smartphone era, while having access to less satellite systems.

Re: Google Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation

#350

Post by mackrevinack »

ajyotirmay wrote: post #330

I occasionally use OsmAnd+ by picking up my destination from GMaps. It works nicely (I like the offline option it provides). The one drawback is perhaps the traffic data, but otherwise it's really good with a good choice of different map types.

osmand also lets you start a navigation from a shortcut as well which is pretty neat. i use tasker (on android) and then add the tasker shortcuts to zone launcher so i just need to swipe from the side of the screen to access them.

just set the %lat and %lon variables to whatever and then add this to the send intent in tasker:

action: android.intent.action.VIEW

data: osmand.api://navigate?dest_lat=%lat&dest_lon=%lon&profile=car&force=1

extra: Package.net.osmand

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