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Every time I use Google Maps, I feel so helpless, and frankly, stupid. On Desktop, I simply can't figure it out how to switch to A-B route mode, nor how to trig

Every time I use Google Maps, I feel so helpless, and frankly, stupid. On Desktop, I simply can't figure it out how to switch to A-B route mode, nor how to trigger street view. I literally just click randomly in a more and more frustrated way until suddenly the option appears. And on Android I just avoid the app. I hate that I couldn't turn off the automatic compass. Every time I finally manage to orient myself when in a new place, the map starts spinning like crazy. I truly feel old when using Google Maps.

sonofhans 3y ago
Well, it’s not built for you. Cows may not like milking machines either, but the farmer doesn’t care. Google Maps exists to further Google’s surveillance platform and search monopoly. User preference is incidental. It’s just like Internet Explorer on Windows 20 years ago. Microsoft only needed to make a good product long enough to leverage it into their other monopoly products, then they no longer gave a shit. We can hope Google Maps suffers the same fate.
- kykeonaut 3y ago
  But a milking machine that spills half of the milk doesn't help the farmer nor the cow.
- afavour 3y ago
  > Cows may not like milking machines either, but the farmer doesn’t care. Google Maps exists to further Google’s surveillance platform and search monopoly. User preference is incidental. I can’t help but roll my eyes reading stuff like this. Cows have no choice in their lives, Google Maps users can switch to an (increasingly competitive) alternative with very little switching cost. Of course it’s in Google’s interest to keep their product usable.
- astrange 3y ago
  Google Maps exist(ed) to get the people who wrote Google Maps promoted. The other stuff doesn't really matter. Google is not well run enough to be able to care about those things!
- technothrasher 3y ago
  > Cows may not like milking machines Ok, off topic, but having grown up around cows, they will line up each day waiting for their chance to get on the milking machine. They very much do like them.
  - sonofhans 3y ago
    Oh, you’re totally right, of course :) It’s also not true that farmers don’t care— practically all of them do. I was reaching for a quick metaphor, even though it’s not an exact fit.
streptomycin 3y ago
I'm skeptical that young people fare much better. Google Maps feels like it's in constant tension between all the super powerful features it has, and some PM who wants the UI to be as minimalistic as possible. End result is inscrutable.
- pepa65 3y ago
  I am surprised how much clearer the world is on openstreetmap.org which I just tried.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
cyberax 3y ago
> nor how to trigger street view You need to drag the "man" icon and drop it on the map. I had to google that.
- skinkestek 3y ago
  Win win for Google :-]
- suid 3y ago
  And while you're carefully dragging the "man" over to the street you're interested in (an interesting multi-hand challenge with most trackpads), Maps starts wildly gyrating and sliding the map around in an infinite scroll because you didn't center the "man" within one second or whatever. I hate that UI. Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it?
  - xaphod 3y ago
    >I hate that UI. Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it? You can, actually. When you click it, all of the roads that have street view are highlighted with blue color. In this mode you can just click on the roads to go to street view.
  - gpas 3y ago
    > Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it? That's exactly how it works. Click the man, roads with street view data are highlighted, click a road.
    - pepa65 3y ago
      For years now I have dragged the man to the place, because there was no indication to me that just clicking the man and then the place would work. But it does! Thanks for sharing that.
- not_your_vase 3y ago
  You have just solved one of the biggest struggles and mysteries of my life.
TillE 3y ago
They did a major redesign of the interface maybe ~8 years ago, and ever since I don't know where anything is. Lately I'm particularly baffled by the bar at the top, which is a way to search without typing. I click "Transit" and I'm presented with a list filled mostly with bus stops, with no filters for rail etc. Great. Does it also switch me to the transit overlay, which might be helpful? No, of course not.
- jimmux 3y ago
  That was about the time they removed the scale, right?
bentcorner 3y ago
> Every time I finally manage to orient myself when in a new place, the map starts spinning like crazy. There's a "Keep North up" option while navigating, and I think if you click the "center map on me" button while not navigating one of the states will keep north up. IMO smartphone compasses and gps are still too noisy to use anything other than "keep north up" as the default. Trying to navigate while your pin spins and jumps around on a map is dangerous and difficult, having the entire map spin around at the same time is just madness. I wouldn't be surprised if this decision hasn't killed someone.
- mnw21cam 3y ago
  No, tapping the "centre map on me" button switches between auto-twirly and north-is-up-by-default, but even when in north-is-up-by-default mode, it'll still misinterpret you pinching to zoom as thinking you want the map rotated. I hate it. I'd turn on a setting to have North as up always, completely disabling the rotate-by-two-fingers "feature". I can't imagine anyone actually finding that feature useful for anything. The other setting I'd love to see is to switch off re-framing. Let's say I select a destination, then I'm curious how long it will take to get there, so I select directions. Then I scroll around a bit to see other things nearby and spot something interesting. I tap on it, and try to get directions there too, except directions is already active, so I either have to go through the rigmarole of "add stop, delete the other one", or press the back button a few times to come out of directions. Except when I do, Maps first zooms out to show my entire route, then zooms back in to the original destination, and now I have to scroll around and try and find that second thing again. I'd rather it just left the zoom alone, and let me choose where I want to be looking. Sure, have a button to frame what you're currently looking at if you want, but stop jerking all over the place.
  - nikitoci 3y ago
    If your problem occurs because of accidental zooming with two fingers, then there’s a solution for you. You can zoom map with just one finger (I use thumb) – do almost a double click but instead of releasing the second click, hold it pressed. Now as you hold it, just move thumb up and down to zoom in and out. It’s a feature I discovered accidentally a few years ago, and in my experience pretty much no one knows about it, but once shown, everyone finds it extremely useful.
gniv 3y ago
The other way to get streetview is to turn it on as a layer on top of the map. You do that by hovering over the square on the bottom left. The most used layer is probably satellite imagery, but I occasionally use traffic and altitude lines as well.
ce4 3y ago
You can type a sentence and Maps will start A-B Routing. Its a thidden shortcut that's been working for ages and is still supported gladly: E.g. "from Berlin to Rome"

sonofhans 3y ago

Well, it’s not built for you. Cows may not like milking machines either, but the farmer doesn’t care. Google Maps exists to further Google’s surveillance platform and search monopoly. User preference is incidental. It’s just like Internet Explorer on Windows 20 years ago. Microsoft only needed to make a good product long enough to leverage it into their other monopoly products, then they no longer gave a shit. We can hope Google Maps suffers the same fate.

kykeonaut 3y ago
But a milking machine that spills half of the milk doesn't help the farmer nor the cow.
afavour 3y ago
> Cows may not like milking machines either, but the farmer doesn’t care. Google Maps exists to further Google’s surveillance platform and search monopoly. User preference is incidental. I can’t help but roll my eyes reading stuff like this. Cows have no choice in their lives, Google Maps users can switch to an (increasingly competitive) alternative with very little switching cost. Of course it’s in Google’s interest to keep their product usable.
astrange 3y ago
Google Maps exist(ed) to get the people who wrote Google Maps promoted. The other stuff doesn't really matter. Google is not well run enough to be able to care about those things!
technothrasher 3y ago
> Cows may not like milking machines Ok, off topic, but having grown up around cows, they will line up each day waiting for their chance to get on the milking machine. They very much do like them.
- sonofhans 3y ago
  Oh, you’re totally right, of course :) It’s also not true that farmers don’t care— practically all of them do. I was reaching for a quick metaphor, even though it’s not an exact fit.

streptomycin 3y ago

I'm skeptical that young people fare much better. Google Maps feels like it's in constant tension between all the super powerful features it has, and some PM who wants the UI to be as minimalistic as possible. End result is inscrutable.

pepa65 3y ago
I am surprised how much clearer the world is on openstreetmap.org which I just tried.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

cyberax 3y ago

> nor how to trigger street view You need to drag the "man" icon and drop it on the map. I had to google that.

skinkestek 3y ago
Win win for Google :-]
suid 3y ago
And while you're carefully dragging the "man" over to the street you're interested in (an interesting multi-hand challenge with most trackpads), Maps starts wildly gyrating and sliding the map around in an infinite scroll because you didn't center the "man" within one second or whatever. I hate that UI. Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it?
- xaphod 3y ago
  >I hate that UI. Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it? You can, actually. When you click it, all of the roads that have street view are highlighted with blue color. In this mode you can just click on the roads to go to street view.
- gpas 3y ago
  > Why can't we just click on the "man", and then click on a spot to drop it? That's exactly how it works. Click the man, roads with street view data are highlighted, click a road.
  - pepa65 3y ago
    For years now I have dragged the man to the place, because there was no indication to me that just clicking the man and then the place would work. But it does! Thanks for sharing that.
not_your_vase 3y ago
You have just solved one of the biggest struggles and mysteries of my life.

TillE 3y ago

They did a major redesign of the interface maybe ~8 years ago, and ever since I don't know where anything is. Lately I'm particularly baffled by the bar at the top, which is a way to search without typing. I click "Transit" and I'm presented with a list filled mostly with bus stops, with no filters for rail etc. Great. Does it also switch me to the transit overlay, which might be helpful? No, of course not.

jimmux 3y ago
That was about the time they removed the scale, right?

bentcorner 3y ago

> Every time I finally manage to orient myself when in a new place, the map starts spinning like crazy. There's a "Keep North up" option while navigating, and I think if you click the "center map on me" button while not navigating one of the states will keep north up. IMO smartphone compasses and gps are still too noisy to use anything other than "keep north up" as the default. Trying to navigate while your pin spins and jumps around on a map is dangerous and difficult, having the entire map spin around at the same time is just madness. I wouldn't be surprised if this decision hasn't killed someone.

mnw21cam 3y ago
No, tapping the "centre map on me" button switches between auto-twirly and north-is-up-by-default, but even when in north-is-up-by-default mode, it'll still misinterpret you pinching to zoom as thinking you want the map rotated. I hate it. I'd turn on a setting to have North as up always, completely disabling the rotate-by-two-fingers "feature". I can't imagine anyone actually finding that feature useful for anything. The other setting I'd love to see is to switch off re-framing. Let's say I select a destination, then I'm curious how long it will take to get there, so I select directions. Then I scroll around a bit to see other things nearby and spot something interesting. I tap on it, and try to get directions there too, except directions is already active, so I either have to go through the rigmarole of "add stop, delete the other one", or press the back button a few times to come out of directions. Except when I do, Maps first zooms out to show my entire route, then zooms back in to the original destination, and now I have to scroll around and try and find that second thing again. I'd rather it just left the zoom alone, and let me choose where I want to be looking. Sure, have a button to frame what you're currently looking at if you want, but stop jerking all over the place.
- nikitoci 3y ago
  If your problem occurs because of accidental zooming with two fingers, then there’s a solution for you. You can zoom map with just one finger (I use thumb) – do almost a double click but instead of releasing the second click, hold it pressed. Now as you hold it, just move thumb up and down to zoom in and out. It’s a feature I discovered accidentally a few years ago, and in my experience pretty much no one knows about it, but once shown, everyone finds it extremely useful.

gniv 3y ago

The other way to get streetview is to turn it on as a layer on top of the map. You do that by hovering over the square on the bottom left. The most used layer is probably satellite imagery, but I occasionally use traffic and altitude lines as well.

ce4 3y ago

You can type a sentence and Maps will start A-B Routing. Its a thidden shortcut that's been working for ages and is still supported gladly: E.g. "from Berlin to Rome"