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Can't we do anything as google is killing AOSP and custom ROMS
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this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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There are a million maps apps, even google itself has two (Waze). Banking is easily accessible thru a web browser. Also, rooting your phone gives you ability to fake a lot of the requirements to make stubborn apps run.
Until your bank 2nd factor requires google play services and all the banks in your country have the same requirement.
Looks like you're Brazilian too, friend. Here is almost impossible to use banks through webapps cause all of them require their apps to 2fa so you're obligated to download and use their apps. Luckly I've found bank apps that I can use on my lineage with microg phone.
Yeah, that's my case as well with my main bank. So I have a separate phone that remains off until I need it (and some other crappy apps for electricity, customs and other stuff). Otherwise I'm still rocking my trusty Pixel 8 Pro running on GrapheneOS from day 1. Now, it is highly likely that, from Pixel 10 and in GrapheneOS won't be able to keep developing (I certainly hope I'm wrong), so I'm thinking on switching my 8 Pro for a 9Pro XL and keep it until GrapheneOS lands and agreement with an OEM to launch their own devices.
I guess all we can do is wait and see what happens in a month or so.
Do you have access to credit unions?
I am sorry I tried many many maps apps, but none come close enough to replace google maps completely. No reviews, photos, live traffic, raw data etc. Google maps is truly miles ahead of the alternatives, especially in India.
Idk about India but here in the Netherlands almost all google reviews are fake. They're not a good indicator of quality.
True, but the pictures are useful though. I can tell a decent pizza from a shite one from a picture.
Photos and streetview are the most important features for me, otherwise I would be 10x more anxious going somewhere for the first time.
But why do you need it all in one app? As you've noted, there are alternatives like GMaps WV that deliver all the other stuff. Combine that with any other navigation app and you have everything Google Maps delivers, without relying on its app.
These questions 🤣
Because it's easier and it works better.
It was one question, and it's a relevant one. If you are worried about Google cutting support for Google Maps on AOSP, the solution is not to double down on the Google ecosystem. There's not going to be some magical perfect replacement for Google Maps out of nowhere, the only way its competitors improve is if people use them.
If you don't want to, that's fine, just don't start crying when Google pulls support out from under you.
There's many navigation apps that have traffic, like Magic Earth which 100% runs without GMS.
For review you can use gmaps wv or TripAdvisor.
Here We Go has traffic and TripAdvisor integration, but I'm not sure whether it runs without GMS.
CoMaps has it on the docket to add opt in traffic at some point.
I can't speak to any other countries, but in the states, Magic Earth has been great for me. Been using it for over two years now, several different regions of the USA. It's not as good as Google Maps, but it's plenty good enough for my needs.
Navigation and routing is solid, traffic data is acceptable, and the dashcam feature is awesome.
It's easier and nicer. But it's also shitty because of what you mentioned.
The thing is, that's how it's going to stay unless people stop using it. You can get this info you mentioned somewhere else, or simply don't need it, as I said, yes it's harder and less nice to live without it, but it's not like you can't live without live traffic data or whatever. Start using CoMaps, contribute to open street map, leave reviews on other review aggregators, etc etc
Rooting also completely breaks the ability to run some apps with no recourse for spoofing the fact that it's a rooted device.
Which ones? It's pretty easy to pass Strong Integrity.
Passing strong integrity check isn't always enough. My banking and government 2FA still don't work on rooted devices (or graphene with locked bootloader and play services)
My bank is accessible via web only if I authorize the login with the iOS or Android app - there are no alternatives.
What is a good alternative that actually does navigation and searches on places as well as gmaps? I've been using OsmAnd and it's absolutely dogshit compared to it. Even the navigation, the arguably most important part, is pretty bad.
Edit: actually spent some time looking again, and CoMaps does this quite well. This is replacing OsmAnd+ for me.
And I have the oppositie experience. I find gmaps routing much too agressive. Agree on the search issue.
I'm not sure what you mean by "aggressive routing"?
Gmaps often tries to be clever and recommends you to go off the main road onto some smaller one. This might be ok in USA but where I live its annoying at best. OsmAnd is much better in this regard.
It does it in the US as well, and I find it infuriating. Especially when many of it's "shortcuts" are worse for reasons that its algorithm doesn't detect, like major pot holes, heavy pedestrian traffic, lack of visible street signs, etc.
I'm in Scandinavia and haven't had issues with gmaps routing. The routing of OsmAnd is fine, but the navigation visualization is insanely bad, when you turn your phone horizontal they fill the whole screen with basically useless blank bars both at the top and bottom instead of just showing the map and turn-by-turn instructions in a corner like gmaps. That combined with the less than useless searching (if you don't know the specific address of a place you're pretty much SOoL) makes it really bad IME.
Look the address up and put it into the map app...problem solved.
Yes but that's the nuisance you don't want with an application specifically made to make navigation easier. I want good simple workflows, not shitty clunky workarounds.
Switching to FOSS/private alternatives is full of compromises. Considering this one takes about 10 seconds out of my life and is literally how all navigation worked before smartphones and learned helplessness, I think it's well worth the trade-off.
Yeah i disagree that FOSS should be given extra slack just because...
It's not about giving them extra slack, it's aboit whether you want to live in reality or not. No small FOSS app is going to be a 1:1 match for Google Maps, that's just a complete fantasy. So you, and others complaining in this thread, need to decide whether you are willing to make sacrifices to support big tech alternatives. If not, fine, but I don't see the point in moaning about it online if you are unwilling to be part of the solution. The alternatives won't magically improve if no one uses them, they need people to support the project and offer feedback to help shape future development.
I'm not expecting perfect matches, but what is considered basic proper functionality. Expecting a navigation app that is not just on par with a 25 year old TomTom is really not setting the bar high or expecting too much IMO.
Co maps is mostly garbage for places. Is missing my Wegmans for fucks sake 🤣
Just a heads up for your continued testing.
CoMaps uses OpenStreetMap data, which is populated by the public, so you can fix your problem easily yourself by submitting the data you need that's missing.
You can do this right from inside CoMaps, but also StreetComplete is another great app option for doing so.
I've done this for missing stuff in my area, my edits got verified and accepted very quickly. It's much nicer than waiting for Google to maybe update their shit when it's wrong.
Go ahead and contribute places you are missing to openstreetmaps.
I don't know what Wegmans is, but all the places I've tested so far was found, even small local artisanal shops in the town I live in.