Apk Link: https://cdn.organicmaps.app/apk/OrganicMaps-24081605-GooglePlay.apk
Note: If you don't want to deal with stuff like this, I recommend you download and use it from F-Droid client or Accrescent AppStore.
Update: The app returned to the App Store.
It's Google.
I'm certain that "Common violations" = "competes with our own products".
It's highly unlikely that this app even comes up on the radar insofar as competing with Google Maps.
The answer is probably more mundane - an automated system made an incorrect call. It keeps happening when it comes to these Play Store app reviews.
Or some troll decided it would be funny to report it.
Most likely scenario in my opinion too.
Indeed. "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"—or, in this case, an unaudited automated process. Now, I'm sure the fact that it competes with one of their products meant that they were in no particular hurry to address the issue, but I'm sure the original failure was process related, not anti-competitive practices.
Hmm.
Never really looked into it before.
Now I downloaded it.
Google's strategy seems to have backfired, in my case.
Streisand effect
technically true but the original Streisand effect was about an image that had been downloaded six times before the lawsuit; Organic Maps is definitely a lot less obscure than that
The amount of corporate control that has slowly and insidiously crept into our lives will never cease to amaze me.
Capitalism baby. Gotta cannibalize, monopolize, and enshittifize for maximum profits.
giggles in F-Droid
If this story blows up, organic maps is going to get so many more downloads and hopefully contributions.
I have been eyeing this crowd sourced map thing for a week or two. When I read this headline today I learned there was a centralized app for it. I immediately downloaded it.
It's called OpenStreetMap and there are many apps for it! Organic Maps is a good one and I like it for when I go abroad and want to preload an entire country instead of downloading maps on my paltry 33 or whatever gigs of roaming allowance (that also only works in the EU - if I want to visit the US, I get to pay out the ass for 250 MB or 1 GB at a time)
Yet another reminder that Google is an unreliable company. Install Fdroid tonavoid Google's mistakes.
Hopium question: Can Google be sued for this as anti-competitive behavior and fined for "lost revenue"?
In theory yes. In practice or will require enormous resources to build a case against the army of layers that Google and the other giants can afford. I believe only the government now is big enough to do it, with the antitrust law.
Which I'm pretty sure they're already gunning for Google, so this might be more evidence for their case.
When listing an app on the app store, there is a footgun to watch out for. One of the questions it asks is "Is this app made for children" or "is this app intended for children" or something like that. If you say "yes" to this then that triggers extra stringent evaluation criteria. Many people will accidentally choose yes for their app because it's a general purpose app which anyone can use (no porn, violence, etc) but that is a mistake. The intent of that question is to find apps that are ONLY for children to use and to evaluate them differently in order to keep children safe.
Yeah, I was looking into this recently, and even games like Roblox are labelled Teen (even though I think it's obvious they target younger children).
Roblox would never pass a child review. There's literal gambling on that shit.
Thank you, Google. Now I'm using it and contributing to OpenStreetMap :D
Thanks again google. I had never heard of this app until you banned it. Now I'm running it on my phone. Top notch advertising for your competition.
Same, downloaded it and gee it's so much better
This is insane. What on earth could possibly constitute adult content on a navigation app? Are they going to start age-gating points of interest, like, if the destination address is a strip club in Virginia you have verify?
Edit: looks like it was added back. maybe just a mistake? https://fosstodon.org/@organicmaps/112982935184446753
This app is great. If it offered some sort of traffic aware navigation routing I would use it as my daily driver. I live in the city and traffic conditions can make a huge difference. Unfortunately, I don't think it has this capability. Hopefully someday.
The problem with live traffic awareness is, that it needs a lot of data to be collected all the time, something only Google or Apple with their monopolistic and privacy invasive ppwer can do. How it works (simplified) is that Google can detect if a lot of phones are on the same street and therefore assumes traffic. This data is, however, proprietary to Google. A FOSS App has the following problems:
Solutions would be:
So sadly similar dunctionality will not come in the near future in any FOSS app.
Well glad this article brought my attention to this app. Now I can download it and remove google maps from my devices
It is also a direct replacement for MAPS.ME.
MAPS.ME got progressively crappified, and Organic Maps is from the original creators of MAPS.ME
Thx for.the post. Just installed via fdroid. Awesome app.
Haven't heard of Organic Maps before but I just installed from the apple app store for solidarity 🫡
I keep forgetting to update OM. Thanks for the reminder lol
Google can suck a tailpipe. Fdroid ftw
So, what about OSMand. Or Magic Earth. Or any other map app?
They're not "good enough" - they dont provide the same comfy UI/UX that google maps and organic maps does. And organic maps is offline, so literally no data harvesting.
STOP THE WAR ON COMFY SOFTWARE!!!!!
I don't think this was malicious, these app reviews are being done by an overworked and underpaid employee in some third world country. Mistakes are made all the time.
TIL, I never knew this existed. Currently downloading it. Any other suggestions for someone in iOS (openmaps related)?
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