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One of the first screens you get to after installing the Google Maps app on iOS is the login for your Google account. Gruber's description doesn't seem that fa

by cube13 14y ago

One of the first screens you get to after installing the Google Maps app on iOS is the login for your Google account. Gruber's description doesn't seem that far off, considering that.

jws 14y ago
Let's see… • App Store, top charts, google maps, install… • Give apple password with sufficient privileges attach to destroy my business in order to download free app. (Yes, off topic, but there it is.) • Open app. • Screen 1, accept TOS without reading. Ignore privacy policy. Agree to send anonymous location data to make their traffic stuff work. Tell phone I want them to share that data openly in exchange for me providing it freely, but the phone is not listening. • Screen 2, GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. Tiny, faint skip button hidden in upper right corner. I'll wager $20 to people with eye trackers that the upper right corner is the last corner to be processed on that screen, since you finger just acted on the bottom center. No word on what they will do with my info if I sign in, but it will share my searches and bookmarks between my computer and phone. (I'll skip and see what I have to do to provoke it again.) • Screen 3, Popup to allow Google Apps access to location data in the phone. Of course, that would be silly otherwise. (Apple requires this.) • Screen 4, I'm in! It found me. The map is dancing a little as the location refines. • Screen 5, There is a little outline of a person. Street view? I like street view. Touch. Nope, profile. GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. (I'll back out.) • Screen 6, Try a search. It is google after all and POI is bad where I am in apple maps. See if google knows that hospital is gone. Before I can even type… map replaced with GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. Also note: Google shows a hospital where there is none and hasn't been for a long time. I've been grousing about Apple doing this, but Google is apparently no better. • Screen 7, There is a little forked road icon I don't understand, touch… it is routing… GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. • Screen 8, Try the paper airplane icon in the lower left. Oblique 3d view. Turn that back off. Something must be broken, no sign in button. • Screen 9-12, try the slide out element in the bottom right. Traffic, satellite work, don't require sign in. No Public Transit information in my region? WTF? There is. It will even give me routes. I have no idea what's going on with that layer. Final score: Before finding anything, you will be asked to log in twice. Before minimally exploring the UI you will be asked four times. Several of these appear that your only choice is to sign in, or cancel the task. (You can plow on through, but that isn't unambiguously obvious by the page design.) But I'm glad I have it. It means I can go back to Manhattan sometime and confidently use the subways. (as long as I route plan before going down the hole).
- cube13 14y ago
  Thanks for that. I couldn't remember if it was the first, or second screen, and I did sign in with my Google account, since I do use all the destination features.

by cube13 14y ago

One of the first screens you get to after installing the Google Maps app on iOS is the login for your Google account. Gruber's description doesn't seem that far off, considering that.

jws 14y ago

Let's see… • App Store, top charts, google maps, install… • Give apple password with sufficient privileges attach to destroy my business in order to download free app. (Yes, off topic, but there it is.) • Open app. • Screen 1, accept TOS without reading. Ignore privacy policy. Agree to send anonymous location data to make their traffic stuff work. Tell phone I want them to share that data openly in exchange for me providing it freely, but the phone is not listening. • Screen 2, GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. Tiny, faint skip button hidden in upper right corner. I'll wager $20 to people with eye trackers that the upper right corner is the last corner to be processed on that screen, since you finger just acted on the bottom center. No word on what they will do with my info if I sign in, but it will share my searches and bookmarks between my computer and phone. (I'll skip and see what I have to do to provoke it again.) • Screen 3, Popup to allow Google Apps access to location data in the phone. Of course, that would be silly otherwise. (Apple requires this.) • Screen 4, I'm in! It found me. The map is dancing a little as the location refines. • Screen 5, There is a little outline of a person. Street view? I like street view. Touch. Nope, profile. GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. (I'll back out.) • Screen 6, Try a search. It is google after all and POI is bad where I am in apple maps. See if google knows that hospital is gone. Before I can even type… map replaced with GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. Also note: Google shows a hospital where there is none and hasn't been for a long time. I've been grousing about Apple doing this, but Google is apparently no better. • Screen 7, There is a little forked road icon I don't understand, touch… it is routing… GIANT BLUE SIGN IN BUTTON. • Screen 8, Try the paper airplane icon in the lower left. Oblique 3d view. Turn that back off. Something must be broken, no sign in button. • Screen 9-12, try the slide out element in the bottom right. Traffic, satellite work, don't require sign in. No Public Transit information in my region? WTF? There is. It will even give me routes. I have no idea what's going on with that layer. Final score: Before finding anything, you will be asked to log in twice. Before minimally exploring the UI you will be asked four times. Several of these appear that your only choice is to sign in, or cancel the task. (You can plow on through, but that isn't unambiguously obvious by the page design.) But I'm glad I have it. It means I can go back to Manhattan sometime and confidently use the subways. (as long as I route plan before going down the hole).

cube13 14y ago
Thanks for that. I couldn't remember if it was the first, or second screen, and I did sign in with my Google account, since I do use all the destination features.