Google Maps tests new pop-up ads that give you an unnecessary detourlocked

flop_leash_973@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 826 points – Google Maps tests new pop-up ads that give you an unnecessary detour
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Jesus, that is a gross way to inject advertising into turn-by-turn navigation.

Edit/update from 9to5google so this post does not spread what is apparently inaccurate information: https://9to5google.com/2024/07/08/google-maps-pop-up-quick-detour-ad/

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How long before they weight routes based on the billboard ads you’ll see along the way.

Man. I almost downvoted you purely outta anger for that idea lmao. Fucking hell.

Google execs already thinking "shit, buy some electronic billboards and show relevant ads as each phone goes past".

Sad that will be the only part of Blade Runner we get. Where's the flying cars, dammit!

At least we'll get giant nude Ana de Armas holograms, right?

...right?

You've driven on public roads with other people, and you want to add a third dimension to that?

Where’s the flying cars, dammit!

That's what aircraft are! We have personal aircraft already. They're expensive and complicated and impractical.

With gmaps constantly suggesting off-ramp->on-ramp detours at over/underpasses to help you shorten your eta by 1 minute increase merging traffic, I doubt they would have any ethical hesitancy behind it.

Honestly, I imagine they may already have a deal (possibly under the table) with clearchannel and the likes.

I've not seen gmaps taking these kinds of routes. I'm UK based if it makes any difference at all, but I'm always grateful for my route seeming to prefer a smooth choice to the absolute fastest.

This man has manager written all over him! Put him in charge of google maps! - Google probably

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Organic_Maps

Does it have traffic data?

Unfortunately not, and the time estimates are quite inaccurate. Sigh, it's the price for not having to deal with Googles shit

No.

The only OpenStreetMap based navigation app with live traffic data is Magic Earth. It's not foss, but gratis.

They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps. That is the reason live traffic is only available in just some countries: https://www.magicearth.com/feature-availablity/#hd_traffic

They get the traffic data from some third party, not by following their users like gmaps.

https://www.magicearth.com/faq-en/

Do you share data with third parties?

We send position data to our traffic provider to generate real-time traffic information. The data is anonymized on the phone, using a changing key (so it's not linked to you), and it is deleted after 5 minutes.

They have a good privacy policy though. I haven't really had many issues with their app.

Thanks for this, I'm going to try this out on my way home. My main use for Gmaps is to determine the quickest way to and from work during peak hour, so keen to see how Magic Earth's traffic data compares.

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But at that point what are you even gaining? If you're looking for privacy you're just trading Google tracking you for "third party service provider" tracking you

No. It means they get the data from somewhere else, maybe from some carsharing app, or from some government db from car counting thingies mounted on traffic lights, etc. There are other sources to get traffic data ftom, but usually following users is more convenient and reliable

They wont tell us where they get it from, they only say it's not generated via this app. They are followimg someone, but not me.

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Id recommend osmand over organic maps

Personally I been using organic maps because Osmand isn't giving me better directions and it needs more permissions and it doesn't have working voice directions

Osmand would be the best one if it wasn't so slow. Compared to organic maps the rendering lag is not only noticeable but very annoying

I don’t like how OsmAnd limits the number of maps you can download for free, Organic Maps’s donation model is much better in my opinion.

Organic Maps is fine. It's what I use, although I am not located in a great area for OSM. Are there any specific benefits to OSMand?

Did Osmand change that bullshit where if you changed your device you can fuck right off with your previously bought maps and pay for them again because they didn't tie them to store account

Is there any way I can help contribute public transport information to OSM? It's the one thing that Google maps does that I can't replace.

I wish I could get satellite view but I totally get why that's not a thing

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Is it too much to ask for an app that just does one single thing. Everything doesn't need to be an advertising platform.

But line no go up.

Google is definitely turning into IBM where they just exist because of inertia and not because of anything they actually produce.

The only line I care about is the line that takes me from A to B

Is it too much to ask

Are you willing to deliver them consequences if they don't do it the way you want?

I stopped using Google maps so I guess so

What do you use?

Apple Maps. It sucks lol

Looked pretty good the last couple of times I looked at it. What sucks about it?

Interesting to observe how our intuition is failing us while dealing with digital products. When someone gives you something for free on the street, naturally you get suspicious and start asking yourself "where is the catch?" But when there's a free app - no second thought. Everyone is using it so it must be ok. Well, Google and Facebook are nothing but glorified advertising agencies. The whole reason of their existence is to make money on ads. Edited: typos.

Damn Google be speed running how quickly they can make me replace all their services. Google Maps and Youtube are about the only 2 I still use.

They used to have a reputation for employing smart people... Dumbass middle managers took over a while back and started making the stupidest decisions.

That's what happens when MBAs start to weasel their way into any business.

Heard someone assert that MBA's have ruined the world. Seemed a hyperbolic statement at the time. Though casting my eyes around an ever more enpoopified landscape, it's tough to disagree.

Having taken some "Business for IT" courses.... It's buzzwords all the way down. The buzzwords are defined with buzzwords that are defined with buzzwords that...

MBA are stupid people who think they're intelligent. I have my M.S. in CS earned summa cum laude and some of these business idiots think their grad degree was even remotely as difficult as mine.

I've been getting a lot of 'suggested' locations and sponsored pop ups in Google Maps the few weeks. I get that it's a 'free' product, but ugh. My GPS while I'm driving down the highway is one of those things that really, really needs to be clutter-free.

Google doesn't give a shit if you live or die, so long as their corporate partners at Shell Oil and Sheets checks clear

It is by no means free tho. They are making lots of money from selling your location data and furthering their market dominance by forcing it on everyone by default

They get that same location data with or without maps. As long as you are using stock android, Google knows exactly where you've been even if you enable airplane mode. They get your position with WiFi networks and other phones around you and store that data with timestamps. Maps doesn't give them any extra data, it simply binds you into their ecosystem.

I get that it's a 'free' product, but ugh.

Yes, he/everyone understands that for the past decade lol.

It's not a free product, your data is being sold.

I know. I'd assume everyone on Lemmy knows. That's why I said 'free' in scare quotes and not free.

Oh I didn't notice the quotes lol that's what I get for being tired on a Monday ☠️

This ad company is becoming a huge nuisance.

And unfortunately, for maps, it's basically just Apple and Google. I'm trying to get used to OSM, but it just isn't easy to do the things I want to do: find directions to a store.

osm sucks at addresses. The only way I can use it for navigation is doing google to coordinate conversion and just saving all the places. I haven't seen this new google change but we'll see if its enough to make me drop the last google service I use.

MapQuest is still a thing. Bing maps... exists. Wave, even though owned by Google, hasn't been fucked yet.

Magic Earth is another open source alternative besides OSM.

Edit/update from 9to5google so this post does not spread what is apparently inaccurate information:

I know we are desperate for content here on Lemmy, and I can google hate circle jerk with the best of them, but maybe just delete the post if it is a complete clickbait lie… you could also reword the post as a fact check, ‘no, google isn’t injecting adds into maps.’

Wait dude, you interrupted me mid jerk. Shame on you.

Here, something to keep you going.

It's possible former Redditors don't realize you can edit the title of Lemmy posts.

Sure, I could. But I wanted to leave the original post as it was for transparency. I figured that was the most "open" thing to do.

You can edit titles on Lemmy, make say "BS journalists throwing google under the bus to get more ad revenue from google ads."

Fair enough, but reading the comments it appears your edit isn’t explicit enough, or people just read the headlines I guess.

The moment this starts happening to me, I’m going to start giving every single sponsored stop I see a 1 star review.

Tbh that kind of behavior will almost certainly be stopped automatically

i hate the cyberpunk technodystopia we built.

we didnt even get the cool cyborg augmentations or the pew pew lasers. just fucking ads.

Excellent idea. I give gas stations that play loud video ads 1 star and don’t go back. I give places that ask for a tip for a to-go order 1 star as well

I get the feeling, but if the business has no say in getting recommended, aren't you just punishing businesses that may not even know this program exists? That would suck for very small businesses.

Edit: my brain was thinking recommendations not paid ads so please disregard.

Google isn't going to promote small businesses that have no say. Google isn't putting these ads up for fun. They do it because businesses pay them to.

It's an ad, not a recommendation. As far as I know, Google doesn't just serve ads for businesses that don't pay for them.

I dont know if i can keep using google stuff if this is the way they are going.

Why does everything have to be a fucking advert.

Who even likes adverts?

Just fuck off.

I have been using Kagi as an alternative search engine for over a month now and can't see me going back to Google anytime soon. Googles results are just full of adverts and garbage.

Google expected infinite growth in a finite system. Now that the growth is slowing they are trying to increase yield from their current pool of resources instead.

Why dont these companies accept theybarent worth as much any more and just provide less services until they balance off.

The stuff they cant afford to provide could be taken on by someone else. Being a one company does all type master of none sort of thing is clearly bad for society and the economy.

I dont really know what im talking about but i just dont get why they see losses and an end to growth but take the position of "we need to find a way to keep this going" instead of "we need to sell off things until our company is making money again, even if its less money"

In the US everyone just wants to see the line go up, they don't care how it happens. They are beholdent to a corrupt and inept class of disconnected aristocrats that don't know their face from their ass

I dont think it's unique to the US, companies in other countries have to play the same game or be lost to obscurity.

Gmaps has been actual hot trash for way the hell too long now.

GraphHopper, OSRM, and Valhalla all blow Google's shitty routing algorithm out of the water.

OSMAnd really the only mobile app competitor worthy of putting gmaps out of its misery. The only problem is it still uses a renderer from the stone age and has lackluster address data despite the fact that said data is available for free online from several open source mapping projects (there's some nice github scripts that can import ir for you).

Garmin forgot to invest in mobile technology. Sygic went to crap. Waze is just Gmaps+. Maps.me died even harder than Sygic.

It's 2024 and yet some of the best navigation tech I've seen is from 15+ year old devices.

Edit: Also Android Auto can go to hell.

The old maps.me is reborn and active as Organic Maps now.

+1 for Organic Maps though I feel it's lacking in some basic features.

Still renders much better and smoother than OSMAnd.

Yeah. OsmAnd (at least for me) suffers from the rather typical opensource thing that it can do lots of things and can be configured in a myriad of specific ways, and to use it you have to dive into it to configure them; Organic Maps, on the other hand, does less, but much slicker and simpler.

I've been using Gmaps since forever and can say I've never had any problem with it. I mean, it took me to the business office instead of the main entrance to a theme park once, but I can hardly fault it for that. Calling it actual hot trash just seems so out of nowhere to me. It's a fine product that I've had great experience with.

Yeah. It was great for me on vacation. Searching for nearby restaurants or tourist attractions worked well.

It's great on road trips! About a decade ago, my wife and I loaded up the car and just sorta started heading south. We were on the road for about four weeks using nothing but Yelp and Gmaps. It was great!

Is there an alternative to android auto?

Practically speaking, a dedicated head unit that runs its own software or a head unit that simply mirrors the output from a phone.

Both exist but the former has become rare in terms of quality UI and Navigation

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Ok google take me to Liverpool.

I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Today you are going to Vape Palace in Swindon, sponsored by CryptoPonzi++: you put the coins, we loot the coins!

"Google have borrowed this idea form Waze" doesn't Google own Waze ?

Have never seen an ad on waze

Is this a joke?

Half the icons on the screen are Dunkin Donuts or McDonald’s and any time you stop at a light a banner add covers have the screen.

You don't see ads if you use Waze on Android Auto

Haven't used Waze in like 8 years, but it was bloated and then.

If you’re using a device or network-wide ad-blocker like I do, then you won’t see them. When I try to use Waze on somebody else’s phone, the ads are unbearable.

Last I knew, yeah. Google bought them years ago. Moreover, I don't remember that "feature" being in Waze before Google acquired them. Those ads were the biggest reason I dropped Waze a while back.

It would be considered illegal where I live to interact with that popup while driving.

Same, I wonder if there would be any way to report it to the state AG, maybe some pressure to ban it could hit google

They’d rather you be forced to have it on your screen, like old school tv ads.

Ragebait is working: Fuck that evil corporation! OsmAnd all day every day.

Openstreetmap is really good...except for the detailed information about shops which is why I still use Google Maps if I need to know opening hours and other information.
OSM is just not widespread enough to be on the radar of shop owners to put their information on it themselves so volunteers have to do it. :/

I have been testing OsmAnd for daily use today, and I'm gonna be closing my maps presence in the coming months :-) . I was really happy how it worked and felt, very close to what I want. After some extra tweaking, it's bound to be fantastic!

Is there any alternative that works well on android auto?

Maybe organic maps?

https://organicmaps.app/

Thanks for the reference. Will try it out. Always had issues using openstreetmap for some reason. This seem more integrative rather than have the navigation app and the actual map being two separate entities.

Yeah, it's worth a try. The usability depends on the trips you take and other factors. You need to download the maps beforehand.

I like it when I'm on foot or when I ride my bike, but for longer car trips I use other (online) apps for the traffic warnings and because I only have local maps downloaded.

It seems that ir doesnt have android auto version.

Since I updated my lineage version all gps apps that i've tried crash on android auto :(

PSA: Apple Maps used to suck badly but now it's way better than Google Maps.

Bought iPhone last year.

Tried Apple Maps the first week.

Put in address to friend’s new condo building.

Took me to a parking lot behind a grocery store next to the building, and then acted like I could drive through an old wooden fence to get to the condos.

5/10 I only had to drive to the other end of the block to find the only entrance to the property.

At one point Google Maps moved my whole apartment building/address three streets from where it should be. It was wrong for months even though I reported it when I had to keep telling delivery people that got misdirected because they used it to navigate. Anecdotal evidence etc.

I’m sorry but as long as Apple Maps rely on and force you to install the Yelp app for reviews, I’m never using it.

They’re moving away from that, only using Yelp for backfill when they have no data. There is instead a “thumbs up/down” set of buttons (because the 5-star system is uselessly Boolean anyway). Contribute to the ecosystem by rating places using this, and eventually it will reach parity with Google.

The only thing Apple Maps lacks now is a Waze-like ability to report hazards, speed-traps, road closures etc. apparently that’s been a thing for a few years now, thanks!

I’ll have to check it out where I am, but I have a feeling that there might not be a big enough active user base to sufficiently crowd source the datapoints.. I guess, be the change you want to see in the world!

I smell reVanced Gmaps coming soon...

Waze works well also.

Edit: I'm getting a lot of down votes and just wanted to clarify that I have never seen an ad in Waze.

I 100% believe people saying there are a lot of ads. I think the way that I have my phone setup is why I'm not getting ads.

Will definitely have to look into the others mentioned here.

Google appears to have borrowed this ad format from Waze, which has delivered similar ads for quite some time.

OsmAnd is getting there tho.

Waze has plenty of ads in it though

Really? I've never actually noticed one.

Maybe because of the ad blocking stuff I use on my phone.

I will say that I've noticed less ads lately than I have in the past, so it may have been toned down after some backlash. I will start using openstreetmap only in the near future though, I can't stand this type of thing

"Google, tell me how to get to this place"

"Here are your directions, including a McDonalds break! You deserve a break today, with a delicious tiny BIG MAC being sold for 400% of what it was 5 years ago, at 50% the size."

"........when did the movie idiocracy go from being a mockumentary to a documentary?"

I've been wanting to leave the Google ecosystem for years but Maps was always the thing that kept me there. Thanks Google for freeing me at last!

I'm going to paste here the comment I wrote on another post about this same issue:

Organic Maps and OsmAnd are not adding ads during navigation. Nor "promoted pins". Nor ads when browsing the map. Nor tracking your every move.

Seriously, give them a try. And remember that, if the maps are lacking information, you are free (and encouraged) to improve them on OpenStreetMap.

But they aren’t providing live traffic congestion, right? That’s the only reason to use Google Maps. Not because of the maps or navigation.

Well that kind of comes as a result of the whole 'tracking your every move' part

I mean, I feel like that's going to happen regardless if you're using an Android phone. I don't think using a different app for GPS navigation is going to change that. I'm not saying we shouldn't push for more stuff to be opt in and allow people to have their privacy maintained, but in the market right now, the app you use for GPS isn't changing who is tracking you.

Sure but…that’s not the point. It’s easy to find alternative maps or navigation apps.

It's really not. Not usable ones. I've tried so many open map Alternatives and they suck. Wildly outdated, streets that don't exist anymore, streets that do exist not on the map, nonsensical directions, extremely poor voice navigation directions, not knowing about tons of addresses so even if I just give it the raw address it still can't find it and I have to basically go find the address on Google and then manually place a pain in the open map.

I'm not even in a weird place, this is just around Washington State mostly between Everett and Tacoma. The answer I always get is "oh well if you see something wrong submit a correction". Ignoring the fact that that is wildly unhelpful if I'm somewhere new and don't know where I'm going, if I had the time to sit there and build Maps I would just build my own God damn map.

Would desperately love to replace Google Maps for my navigation, especially lately but nothing else even comes close

Have you tried the navigation apps by the old school navigation unit brands ( TomTom, Garmin etc.)

Unless you can’t spend some money on this thing you “desperately” need to replace, those are better for navigation than any map app.

Let me rephrase, I'm desperate for a more open, not garden locked solution. Paying for Garmin and tomtom is just paying for a different corporation locked solution.

It's the same way I'm desperate for a replacement for Plex. But the closest thing, jellyfin, is terrible. It fails to match media, fails to play back certain files, and a bunch of other issues that Plex just does not have. Despite that I have donated to the project, I want to get away from plex and support something open. I want to get away from Google and support something open. But I need to be able to have a minimum amount of functionality.

That's how I know you're really young, you spend brain cycles and time to wish for something that doesn't exist instead of simply accepting there is no better solution right now, and make the best of what you have. I feel silly for trying to engage with you. You say you want better navigation, I tell you how to get it, then suddenly something else is the priority. It's the same idiotic way of thought that the "I won't go vote against fascism, because I wish there was a better democratic candidate" clowns apply to an imperfect situation. Despicably silly. Sorry.

Yo chill dude, I'm 32. I'm allowed to want something that doesn't exist, I'm literally the one that said it doesn't exist. And I do accept there's no better solution, that was the point of my original message. There is no alternative to Google Maps. Sure I could go get TomTom or Garmin but then I'm just paying for an equivalent Google Maps experience. Which would just be me spending money for no reason, I have had a Garmin in the past it's a good GPS but I wouldn't say it's better than Google Maps so I don't feel it's worth the money.

It's also just another closed Garden system that has many of the same problems as Google Maps that I'm trying to get away from. Just because I have a desire for something better does not make me a child.

I'm not even going to bother addressing that insanely leap of logic you made to somehow compare this to voting and fascism

Magic Earth gives you live traffic info, and is based on Openstreetmap. Not open source though (unlike OsmAnd and Organic Maps).

I'm sure congestion info on the maps is valued by some, but not all. Many people just use maps to navigate unfamiliar places.

Then using Google maps is the worst choice. It will algorithmically guide you into the lake

I love organic maps and openstreetmaps. The biggest thing missing is satellite view. I like to wander around and explore an area on maps before visiting. OSM has more interesting/relevant details and better visual color coding than the vector street map on google. Google has a satellite map, which is non-negotiable for me especially if I need to quickly orient myself while driving in a new place. I use three layers loaded into qgis for planning trips: OSM, google maps satellite, and a topographic map from USGS. I sometimes use organic maps on my phone if I don’t have access to a computer with qgis. I rely on Google while on location because organic maps lacks a satellite feed.

This won't always work, but I get it to stop changing the fucking route by putting it in airplane mode while I'm driving. It's locked in to the route I picked, GPS still works, no distractions.

If you have to fight with software that much just to use it for its core function, it’s time to use something else.

Which GPS app do you use?

Apple Maps works great in my area but I hear that’s not true for everywhere. There are many other suggestions in this thread as well.

Apple Maps sure had a rough start back in the day, but I will always use that over Google/Waze. It’s just so much better now and no worries about this type of junk.

Apple Maps fuckin sucked ass at first, now it hasn’t failed me in years.

You’re completely right. I won’t use any other map thing now.

RIP MapQuest

Just a reminder about the open-source OpenStreetMap. You can improve it online by adding features like a Wikipedia for maps. You can even use the gamified app StreetComplete to add stuff and get points for walking around and mapping.

I remember a long time ago when I was considering using Waze, had heard really good things. Then I was driving with a friend who used it and it served an ad saying “click here to take a pit stop at McDonald!”

I never downloaded Waze so… good luck google.

It sucks because Waze is really great, and Googlenshittification had to get in on it and now it’s a shell of its former self. I still use it because many of the core features that made it great are still there, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time at this point.

I have an iPhone and while I don’t like Apple Maps, I will absolutely switch to it in a heartbeat if this is added.

I’ve preferred Apple Maps for a few years now, Googles used to be top of the game but it’s fallen off while Apple’s have IME improved

Same here. I have been happy with Apple Maps.

I was an early adopter for Waze and helped them build and fix their maps. I loved Waze. Several months after Google bought Waze, I repeatedly noticed battery draining faster and location was more frequently being used by Waze. I wrote to them about it. After some time passed and no response or change, I ditched them.

It's gotten so much better. Once they brought offline maps I made the full switch.

It happened to me yesterday in SoCal and I immediately switched to Apple Maps. Will try OSMand Maps & Magic Earth that I just set up

One of their last few products that was actually quite good. I bet gmail is next.

What do you mean? Gmail been injecting ads disguised as email in your mailbox for ages.

I saw these on my wife's browser and was completely appalled. I am not receiving them for some reason, but I'm also running privacy badger and ublockO.

To be fair, it only happens on the Promotions tab for me. They don't inject anything on my normal inbox (at least on PC).

I'm willing to pay for an ad-free version. Google maps are very useful. I don't need it to be free. But ads are poison.

Interesting, you don't think they make enough off your data already? I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I will never pay google a single cent for anything they have to offer, ever.

There is no such thing as making "enough" money under the chicago-school dominated business thought. A business should always make as much money as it can for its investors, always. A friend who read Friedman's works says that the Friedman doctrine makes room to say that a wise business will optimize investor outcomes by investing in its product, workforce, and other smart long-term choices, but in practice, nobody ever reads that deep into the Friedman doctrine. It's just "philosophical" license to make (and demand, on the part of investors) the shallowest slash-and-burn business decisions possible to make line go up NOW. I will accept arguments about how it's capitalism, but I'd like to point out that we experienced a very distinct culture shift in business leadership starting around the time that Chicago school thought became all the rage.

I understand it's business. I'm just not going to participate in them making anymore money off ME.

I'd much rather pay with money than data.

You'll pay with money and they'll still harvest your data.

Exactly. I would be happy to pay for a privacy-focused version of these products, but those doesn’t exist. You can pay facebook to not show you ads, but they never promise to stop harvesting your data, so you would be actually just paying them twice, no thanks, as much as I hate ads.

The EU needs to step up and start regulating data more. Every person should be the legal owner of their data. Meaning not just personal data, but also data synthesized from their behaviour (it is illegal to follow me in a cat during the day and take photos of my activities without my permission, the same should be the case in the digital world). And every person should have a right to sell the rights to collect and use this data, but it shouldn’t be mandatory for the usage of any app. So you could decide to keep your data private, and pay a monthly fee to use apps like navigation, or social media, or you could decide to give access to your data, and use these apps for free.

Me too. Problem is, that's not an option. They're taking your data regardless, so if you pay them, you're paying them to take your data.

I've had something like this happening to me a long time ago. While going from a city in Uruguay to a city in Argentina, Google Maps "suggested" a route that was 2 hours longer but took me through the ferry (a paid business). Even though I chose "keep my route" several times, from time to time, the suggestion popped up with a "time limit" to confirm. If I failed to notice it, the suggested route would be selected.

Not to defend Google, but it seems unclear right now if this is something that will happen while driving, or similar to something Waze already does.

In Virginia, at least, it's not a meaningful distinction.

There used to be an exception for GPS, but the state changed the law a few years ago so that any non-hands-free use of a phone in a non-parked is a ticketable offense. Swiping away an ad at a red light would technically be illegal.

I do not live in Virginia. Is this law actively enforced? Lots of things are "technically illegal".

Anecdotal, but a friend of mine was ticketed for it within the first week it went into effect. She (understandably) assumed that being stopped at a stop light was acceptable. That said, I'm not aware of any enforcement since then and wouldn't be surprised if they deliberately only enforced it right after it took effect.

Still wouldn't risk it, though.

Waze has popped up ads on me plenty of times while I'm driving. Yes it knows I'm driving, the map is still scrolling along my route. At one point it was bad enough that the ads were remaining after every stop light, and finally clearing about half way to the next light. I haven't seen it happen in awhile though, maybe they finally got it fixed.

I'm honestly surprised it's taken them this long. They bought Waze in 2013. I feel like Waze has been doing this kind of ad for at least that long.

Thanks I hate it. Also not even new, this shit was what killed in dash sat navs....

Nitpicking, but I'm not sure that it was ads that killed dash sat navs. At least in my experience, they never really developed to that point where car companies would put ads in.

It was more that they were expensive options to install, a pain to keep updated, and generally weren't all that good.

Even before the live traffic and automatic detour features, phones didn't cost money to keep the onboard maps up to date, and you already had one, so you didn't need to either buy an add-on, or get a special unit for it.

With android CarPlay and Apple Auto, you could just put your phone map on the screen, which was basically the same thing, but a cheaper equivalent, since the hardware was on your phone instead.

I'm absolutely certain that it wasn't ads that put a firm like TomTom on a downward slope. This was actually the first time that I've heard someone proclaim that ads are the reason.

If your business is to sell maps + navigation devices for money and then the times change and now nearly everyone already owns a smartphone with built in gps + some car manufacturers provide sat nav as a default + another company is giving access to a map away for free, well then your business is in trouble.

I've never even heard of ads in TomTom or Garmin, since I stopped using a dedicated sat nav once I had a smartphone, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was one of the things they tried to stay afloat after smartphones became ubiquitous.

They were just way waaay to expensive to update. I remember having to jail brake it and sideload updates.

So I was around during this time and yes ads did play a part in this, but not like you think. The ads where how these companies planned to pay for the sat nav data (came on a DVD). They had restaurant and gas station suggestion with the same detour "feature".

Fun part is that it fell apart quick since almost no one updated there sat nav and you can still get a 2008 acura with recommendations for places long long gone. Its also fun to see people talking about Zagat rated places on forums from the time.

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-294/zagat-guide-questions-833757/

So will we soon have to go places we Don't want to go... Just so we can get directions to where we want to go?

If incorrect directions will be the norm...maybe it's Time to find a new map app

Openstreetmaps has been treating me pretty well. They don't have all the business information like gmaps does, but that's what TripAdvisor and Yelp are for.

Thats a test destined to fail

As far I knew it was already a thing, kind of. They know what you search for and route you near those things… and make sure the businesses show up on the map.

I've been getting little bubbles for store/restaurant logos popping up on the map for about a month as I drive, and I assumed that's what it was. So every time I see one, I make a point to not eat/go there for awhile just out of spite.

Yeah that's just unsafe. You're gonna make me have to reroute my GPS while I'm driving? No thanks.

Crazy watching Google kill themselves in real time.

It’s too bad androidauthority doesn’t think the “reject all” cookies rule applies to them.

Popups while driving? With buttons that have to be pressed for it to go away? What could possible go wrong diverting the attention of a driver this way?!

The article was updated, this was fake news. There are no popups while driving.

It was all based on someones Tweet, which either made it up or was confused.

Ah, the eagerness to publish some “news” based on a Tweet or a Reddit post from a random person with no confirmation at all.

Can my steet gang put in some of these ads? Only to high end luxury automobiles?

Why not? Their global emissions are already skyrocketing due to AI hype. Fuck the planet, let's make more money this quarter!!!

And i thought it was bad when the gps says to make a right at the starbucks instead of using the street name.

Who The Fuck Types In Sentence Case All The Time Like This?

Germans.

But.. why?

It's not true. We write nouns with a capital letter, not every word. It's kind of important because sometimes verbs can be expressed as nouns. It'd be confusing to read. It's generally nicer to read with capitalized (?) nouns.

Google also notices a spike in Google searches for "alternative to Google maps"...ignores it.

This is the last product I still make sacrifice to keep it working on my degoogled devices, because lets be honest, this is the best ("free") GPS there is out there. I've tried so many others but nothing comes close. I dunno what I'll do if (when) they launch this kind of crap here...

I had downloaded OsmAnd but forgot about it. After reading this post, I fired it up. It took a minute to download a map for my area. It returned a map of Kansas. I'm in Texas 🤔 I guess I gotta fix that somehow.

Did you allow it to access your location? Is your location already fixed? Are you behind a proxy or VPN server?

Just downloaded it and got Kansas too. Press the little arrow to allow current location while using and it will update to your correct location.

Thanks, guys, I got it to update with the correct map. This thing has a ton of options! Those of you who want granular control over apps, this is right up your alley.

Siri, why are we back at the adult book store?

Bob, based on you browsing history, this is the place you are most likely to visit on a daily basis at 7 am before work....

I suspect they were already doing this just to populate data. There are times I got sent on god-forsaken routes and persistently had the route I had selected overwritten with new ones. At least this tells you what it is and lets you choose.

When I ask to navigate home, it tries sending me to Home Depot.

Well, this might be something that drives me to Waze (also owned by Google and which may also end up with these). But it's yet another thing that would potentially drive me back to Apple.

Edit: never mind on Waze, I forgot they already do something like this. Although for whatever reason it doesn't seem quite as invasive.

For some reason, this got me imagining an ad causing an unnecessary detour the wrong way on a one way road and cause a head-on collision. which is going to get them hit with a class action lawsuit that could send their line graph all the way down into the ground.

This is possibly the worst thing to add to turn by turn navigation. Especially when I'm in a hurry.

Oh wait, I don't drive. But still, this can affect lots of people who do.