I want to interject, because I read such nonsense a lot. You’re a tool. No I’m not trying to insult you. You’re a flesh-bag tool who’s job is to carry around a mobile-computer and surveil everything for your corporate overlords, of which–like a dog–you enthusiastically do. You salivate at the new mobile-computers that are designed for surveilling in ever increasing resolutions and sophistication. You buy them. You buy the electricity that powers them. You buy the data-connections that facilitates the extraction of this data and the inflow of advertisements and general garbage. You do all this gleefully with such enthusiasm it’s disturbing. You empty your meager reserves of capital on command and begin to salivate at the slightest hint of a boot. The smell of boot-polish triggers a Pavlovian response to prostrate yourself, mouth open and tongue loose.
As things have increasingly become obvious to even the dullest in the class a bit of friction has been created. You’re being exploited by software. You know it’s impoverishing you. You tools flood into sanctuaries–that is places of libre-software, but you no longer want to work. They don’t want to contribute anything. They want an intifada, but one that asks nothing of them obtusely. If they’re exploited acutely as they were previously they’re happy, but when things are asked of them voluntarily they go stiff and mute.
Google maps has everything already, when will free-software release something as good as Google maps?
You mean: when will there be a volunteer army that secretly enrolls everyone who uses a Google Android phone to create the largest, most sophisticated surveillance-network this planet has ever seen? You and all you people who expect a like-for-like alternative are morons. Worse: you’re lazy gits. You’re tools that will gladly toil if the exploitative relationship between the tool and master is hazed over and you get a treat or two, but who throws juvenile tantrums the moment anything is asked of you.
You’re a burden. You’re a tool. Continue using Google spyware and toil for a corporation or contribute to voluntary associations. If you’re a meat-popsicle with a mobile-computer you’re a tool. You can choose who you serve, or serve none: throw it away. Go on. Stop being a tool. Leave the tool at home and talk to people. Use your brain to get you to where you want to go.
This was fun to read, thanks! I hope you’ve already thrown away the device you’ve written this from.
I love Organic Maps. Works on Android and IOS. Fully offline (maps predownload at first run) and all route calculation is locally computed so it’s especially good for hiking or where signal is poor.
Only thing I miss is live traffic updates but for me that’s an acceptable tradeoff for the ultimate offline privacy as far as a digital map can do it.
The voice it uses is whatever’s built into the phone’s accessibility features so on some devices it sounds a bit janky, but on Android at least you can install different ones if that bothers you.
https://www.comaps.app/news/2025-04-16/1/?ref=itsfoss.com
Check out CoMaps! Essentially the same.
If it meets your requirements, try Vela Maps which is a degoogled Google Maps.
" A degoogled maps & navigation client for Android - what NewPipe is to YouTube, for Google Maps. Open vector tiles for the basemap, the device itself scraping Google’s public web endpoints (per-user, no backend) for the things only Google does well: POI quality, routing, and traffic-aware ETAs. Built to run on GrapheneOS and other no-GMS ROMs. "
I think it’s a fairly new product and seems to be rapidly improving performance with quite a few updates lately. (I have discovered some glitches but they seem to be addressed as soon as the app updates the next time.)
It might meet your requirements because it’s not Google Maps.
It might not meet your requirements if you want a truly no-Google product, because it uses a few Google things anonymously in the back end…
This needs to be made a library so that someone can write an OsmAnd plugin for the POI search.
Super cool. had no idea that existed
No but I use comaps anyways
I was using organic until CoMaps forked it, now CoMaps is the way. It’s open street map so you can sign up and fix whatever you want, pull down the next version and it’s there.
I do miss street view, voiced street names, and really miss cowdsourced hazards from waze but it’s worth it if you’re not on a long high speed trip.
I’m using OSMAnd+ myself. CoMaps is another one that uses OSM as the backend but is much more minimal in design.
For both, I use GeoShare which can interpet a google directions link when searching an address on my phone and pass it to OSMAnd+ or CoMaps (or, like, any other map app)
I use both, but I use OSMAnd~ for mobile mapping, and CoMaps for navigation.
I’ve just started using MapQuest like many others since the lake ontario thing. It’s been pretty good and I find it a lot more functional and accurate than the Foss options at the moment. It’s not perfect but it’s also not Google or apple.
More accurate how? It’s still OSM underneath isn’t it?
I found when I typed in locations by name or even lots of street addresses to OSM it would often give wrong results or just say cannot be found. Haven’t run into that at all with MapQuest, every address I type in has come up on the map. Type in company/business names and they pop up. Had trouble with that when I tried osm
I have a standalone GPS like it’s 2008, in addition to excellent offline navigation it also probably doesn’t spy on me
I use HERE WeGo. I switched over a month ago and haven’t had a problem yet.
I use that too! Kinda clunky but does the job. I prefer CoMaps - it seems smoother - but it doesn’t have all the actual addresses for the little towns I pass through.
I use CoMaps when navigating: https://www.comaps.app/
I also recommend Obtainium for installing it: https://obtainium.imranr.dev/
If OSM isn’t good enough, make it better.
I spent an hour improving my hometown but that’s not where I need a map. I need it in places where I don’t know if it’s right or wrong.
truth is OSM has proven to be more accurate in areas I frequent vs Gmaps. We’ve got into multiple “situations” because of Gmaps
Like what?
Sure, let me just fly my drone over everywhere in the world…
I actually think Apple Maps has gotten pretty good. I think they are better than Google at directions, Google is better at discovery.
I know that’s probably not the alternative you’re looking for, but it’s something.
Comaps works well for me. If it’s not comprehensive enough, contribute! OSM is crowd-sourced.
for basic things openstreetmaps based ones (comaps organic maps), for anything else no.
The foldable paper ones that you picked up at the gas station or tourist kiosk were the best and they were immune to name change updates.
They get outdated when names change, detours are required, anywhere they don’t exist, lack public transit, don’t have live traffic info, and don’t even show you where you are.
Who cares? Most of that list is negligible and the rest is a specific real-time occurrence that may not even be updated in a timely manner on the tech side. The underlying geography and major routes don’t change. Grab an old map and hit the road, you’ll find it’s mostly correct but you do need illumination if operating it in the dark.
I’m sure this is safe to do while driving
About as safe as staring at a fake road on your phone screen ? You’re not supposed to look at the directions for too long on your phone just cuz you can put it at eye level now, that’s still distracted driving. You remember what turns you take and if you can’t do that you either pull over and look or you have someone that can navigate
The map app reads the directions to you.
Yeah and for me it’s always too late, and most of them don’t have a solid plan, like you’ll need to be in this lane etc. That’s one of the biggest parts of navigation. If you pre plan your route you will know where to go and so on
