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That's because Google Maps got massively worse over the years. I'll add to your list of issues: * distracting me while I'm driving with a banner that blocks

That's because Google Maps got massively worse over the years. I'll add to your list of issues: * distracting me while I'm driving with a banner that blocks the bottom half of the screen, with a message written in small font, asking if a speed trap is still on the freeway. This is distracting and unexpected, leading me to take my eyes off the road to get a basic understanding of what the app needs, which starts with reading the text. Ironically, the font is small due to the inclusion of a "reminder" to only interact when it is safe. * screen space co-opted by ads, promotions and reviews for local businesses. Google Maps and Gmail are products that rose to the top by being best in class. I can only assume that the smart people who built the original product, made many wise choices, and said "no" when it mattered are long gone. The new blood is not of the same caliber, and can only get promoted if they make changes. Unfortunately for them, the user experience was already excellent when they joined, and thus was difficult to improve upon. Seems like they resort to adding details that aren't relevant to the user, and trying to monetize things that are not core to the product. Every instance of feature creep and every dark pattern pulls the experience away from optimality, regressing on goals that were achieved 10 years ago.

caycep 4y ago
I feel like that's one big hurdle in tech in general. the best and brightest want to work on development of the best new shiny thing. but maintaining quality and "maintenance engineering" is the boring but important part in terms of reliability...but that's when the geniuses bolt and leave the company to do something else.
acka 4y ago
Ads in an app which is being used for navigation while driving, are you serious? if so, then Google should be taken to court for reckless endangerment. In-app ads (tailored for attention grabbing and engagement) and safe driving are simply incompatible. No sane pilot would ever accept ads popping up on the controls in an airplane cockpit, so let's keep them away from a car's dashboard, too. The fewer distractions the better.
- illiac786 4y ago
  Waze used to show *full screen* ads when it detected that the car was standing still. Maybe they still do in some regions, they don't do it anymore where I live...
- majormajor 4y ago
  I haven't seen ads popping up while navigating, but I have been getting what appear to be ads in the direction read-outs, e.g. "In 500 feet, turn right at the Wendy's." Which is, honestly, one of the least-annoying types of ads I get on a regular basis. Sometimes it's much easier to follow than a street name anyway!
  - miriam_catira 4y ago
    ... at what point I end up saying sh*t, I didn't see a Wendy's there, was this the right road? and having to interact with the app _again_ to determine if what I just did was correct. :/
    - darkwizard42 4y ago
      It does still show you the name of the street at the top directions card. This is part of the audio directions
  - brassattax 4y ago
    Where I live this is the way we give directions (e.g. 2 blocks past McDonald's take a right), so to me it feels more natural than looking for a street name.
    - bch 4y ago
      Next level will be detecting if you’re local to the area and using descriptions of landmarks that used to be there but aren’t present anymore. Turn left where the Tastee-Freeze used to be.
      - 4y ago
conductr 4y ago
My biggest gripe is how I know when I need to stay on a road for say 20 miles. It used to say, “continue straight for 20 miles” but almost always now it “Continue straight for 2 miles” “Continue straight for 3 miles” “Continue straight for 5 miles” …… Then at some point I have to wonder ok when exactly is my exit coming up. And I have to zoom out on the navigation to see oh I still have a few miles to go. The progress it shows is always based on whatever fractional random segment length they’ve got me on at the moment. So I can’t quickly tell that I’m halfway into that 20 mile section
- jhugo 4y ago
  This often happens when differently-named or -numbered roads join end-on (i.e. one road becomes the other as you drive along it), and Apple Maps does it too sometimes.
  - conductr 4y ago
    Yeah I do get that. However, it used to not behave this way. So I can't help but think they broke something in recent years. I think they just wanted to increase the frequency of updates probably for "engagement" since tech companies generally go with quantity over quality on notifications. But this just breaks the functionality for me. I forgot to mention sometimes "Continue straight for 1 mile" causes me to begin my migration from left lane to right lane in anticipation of the exit, then she just says, "Continue straight for 3 miles" and I'm livid. (Not sure if this is widely understandable but I tend to speed and usually am in the left lane passing/speeding, while exits are generally on the right so I interpret "Continue straight for 1 mile" as I have an exit coming up).
- macintux 4y ago
  That impacts me with Apple Maps on occasion: if there’s some road name/id change that is effectively invisible as a driver because I’m still going straight, or more annoyingly when there are roundabouts in my path.
- mc32 4y ago
  I often choose to use apple maps for nav. One annoyance is I will chose a preferred route out of the options it provides --that's good. Then, for no reason, Apple Maps decide mid-course somewhere that I must have actually wanted the other option I did not choose and it tries to re-route me. This happens from time to time, not too frequently, but enough to be annoying.

caycep 4y ago

I feel like that's one big hurdle in tech in general. the best and brightest want to work on development of the best new shiny thing. but maintaining quality and "maintenance engineering" is the boring but important part in terms of reliability...but that's when the geniuses bolt and leave the company to do something else.

acka 4y ago

Ads in an app which is being used for navigation while driving, are you serious? if so, then Google should be taken to court for reckless endangerment. In-app ads (tailored for attention grabbing and engagement) and safe driving are simply incompatible. No sane pilot would ever accept ads popping up on the controls in an airplane cockpit, so let's keep them away from a car's dashboard, too. The fewer distractions the better.

illiac786 4y ago
Waze used to show *full screen* ads when it detected that the car was standing still. Maybe they still do in some regions, they don't do it anymore where I live...
majormajor 4y ago
I haven't seen ads popping up while navigating, but I have been getting what appear to be ads in the direction read-outs, e.g. "In 500 feet, turn right at the Wendy's." Which is, honestly, one of the least-annoying types of ads I get on a regular basis. Sometimes it's much easier to follow than a street name anyway!
- miriam_catira 4y ago
  ... at what point I end up saying sh*t, I didn't see a Wendy's there, was this the right road? and having to interact with the app _again_ to determine if what I just did was correct. :/
  - darkwizard42 4y ago
    It does still show you the name of the street at the top directions card. This is part of the audio directions
- brassattax 4y ago
  Where I live this is the way we give directions (e.g. 2 blocks past McDonald's take a right), so to me it feels more natural than looking for a street name.
  - bch 4y ago
    Next level will be detecting if you’re local to the area and using descriptions of landmarks that used to be there but aren’t present anymore. Turn left where the Tastee-Freeze used to be.
    - 4y ago

conductr 4y ago

My biggest gripe is how I know when I need to stay on a road for say 20 miles. It used to say, “continue straight for 20 miles” but almost always now it “Continue straight for 2 miles” “Continue straight for 3 miles” “Continue straight for 5 miles” …… Then at some point I have to wonder ok when exactly is my exit coming up. And I have to zoom out on the navigation to see oh I still have a few miles to go. The progress it shows is always based on whatever fractional random segment length they’ve got me on at the moment. So I can’t quickly tell that I’m halfway into that 20 mile section

jhugo 4y ago
This often happens when differently-named or -numbered roads join end-on (i.e. one road becomes the other as you drive along it), and Apple Maps does it too sometimes.
- conductr 4y ago
  Yeah I do get that. However, it used to not behave this way. So I can't help but think they broke something in recent years. I think they just wanted to increase the frequency of updates probably for "engagement" since tech companies generally go with quantity over quality on notifications. But this just breaks the functionality for me. I forgot to mention sometimes "Continue straight for 1 mile" causes me to begin my migration from left lane to right lane in anticipation of the exit, then she just says, "Continue straight for 3 miles" and I'm livid. (Not sure if this is widely understandable but I tend to speed and usually am in the left lane passing/speeding, while exits are generally on the right so I interpret "Continue straight for 1 mile" as I have an exit coming up).
macintux 4y ago
That impacts me with Apple Maps on occasion: if there’s some road name/id change that is effectively invisible as a driver because I’m still going straight, or more annoyingly when there are roundabouts in my path.
mc32 4y ago
I often choose to use apple maps for nav. One annoyance is I will chose a preferred route out of the options it provides --that's good. Then, for no reason, Apple Maps decide mid-course somewhere that I must have actually wanted the other option I did not choose and it tries to re-route me. This happens from time to time, not too frequently, but enough to be annoying.