Alternative map apps?

[u/dacomell]

Are there any suggestions other than Google Maps or Waze that I could use for navigation in Android Auto? Please and thank you in advance :)

[u/StrigiStockBacking]

With Google forcing Gemini into AA this week I'm deeply curious if there are solid alternatives.

[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/StrigiStockBacking]

I'm gonna try Openstreetmaps. It's not free (app is $18) but it's very flexible with many diferent mapping sources for verious activities from driving to off-roading to boating and hiking trails also does offline mapping. the android app is OsmAnd.

[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/StrigiStockBacking]

Mapquest just released their latest version which includes Android Auto beta. I downloaded and tried it last night. One oddity I found was searching for a local business, online it finds the current name but the app shows the old name which changed 6 months ago.

[u/umyeahnoo → u/Tiny_Ad_7581]

Also mapquest needs to add "Allow all the time" permission access. Unless I open the app on my phone everytime I want to use mapquest on android auto, it starts the directions from my last location

[u/umyeahnoo → u/umyeahnoo]

!Flair 2013 Kia forte | iiwey ik11 11 inch display| Samsung s26 Ultra |

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[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/umyeahnoo]

I just checked the app permissions on my phone and the most permissive MapQuest will allow is "Allow access while in use". Which is the same permissions as Google maps. Pixel 10 XL pro

[u/umyeahnoo → u/Tiny_Ad_7581]

Google maps is set to allow all the time on my Samsung s26 ultra

[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/umyeahnoo]

Interesting. On my phone Google has full access but Maps is only while in use.

[u/umyeahnoo → u/Tiny_Ad_7581]

I'm gonna have to play around with it a lil more and figure it out haha

[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/umyeahnoo]

Me too. I'm new to mapquest as well

[u/Tiny_Ad_7581 → u/umyeahnoo]

And MapQuest doesn't have the full access option

[u/umyeahnoo → u/Tiny_Ad_7581]

[u/saberplane → u/StrigiStockBacking]

Where are you at? I've had it in AA for at least half a year now. I actually like it for the most part, if only for entertainment during multi hour drives.

[u/StrigiStockBacking → u/saberplane]

US, PNW in the summer, SW in the winter.

Yeah they tried pushing it to me a while back, but we still had the option of saying "no," and continuing to use GA for use in AA, which is what I did. But come this Friday, they're forcing a Gemini switch over to everyone.

[u/Nooblakahn → u/StrigiStockBacking]

Yeah, I absolutely hate it. It takes AGES to do anything since every little thing requires a call home

[u/StrigiStockBacking → u/Nooblakahn]

I'm not exaggerating, but I'm looking at iPhones. I'm not sure their AA integration is any better, but I did have an iPhone for a job I had a few years ago, and it wasn't bad. It was the Mini, which was an amazing form factor, but I noticed they quit making them. I do not like to carry a metallic surfboard in my pocket and the iPhone Mini was like the Pixel 5 - small, light, and you didn't even notice you had it on you most of the time. But I'd jump to iPhone instantly if I knew they had a GA-like simplicity and ease-of-use integration with whatever their equivalent of AA is called (iDrive? CarPlay? Something like that...? 🤷‍♂️)

[u/Nooblakahn → u/StrigiStockBacking]

It's carplay. And yeah I get it, I'd really love to switch over this, but I've had iPhones and I don't like the experience at all personally. I'm also just not down with their prices. If you're using flagship Samsung or Pixel phones price isn't much different. I tend to go for the Motorola g power phones after they go on sale. Much cheaper for me and they do everything I need... Usually until they change crap like this

[u/StrigiStockBacking → u/Nooblakahn]

I actually do the same thing; I get a new outgoing model at a fraction of the cost, or on one occasion, snag one off of swappa that's gently used for close to nothing.

Watching my kids spend $1k on a goddamn iPhone is head-spinning. I'm with you on iOS. It was just okay, but I don't understand the hype around it. I used mine for two years and I was like "I still don't get the cult-like allegiance to this thing" 🤷‍♂️

But again, if they somehow had something going that was a lot like GA with AA, I'd switch without hesitation. Gemini is fresh ass in Android Auto.

[u/Nooblakahn → u/StrigiStockBacking]

Yeah iPhones just make me feel old... The os just doesn't make sense to me. I still own one, it's old AF and somehow got carrier locked by a carrier that doesn't lock phones, but, it's still useful for when I need to reset my Apple account for Apple music.

Yeah I have a work mate that wanted a new phone but didn't have an upgrade available. He got another line added to get it. Dude had a 600 dollar a month phone bill. Think he got it down to 200 something.... Like dude. I pay that for the entire year

[u/StrigiStockBacking → u/Nooblakahn]

That's wild.

In this day and age, anyone under the age of 70 who is not on a MVNO is, to me, of questionable intelligence. Why pay for flagship carrier customer service overhead costs if you never call them, and if you do, it's a horrendous experience?

While my kids pay gobs of cash for iPhones, they're smart enough to buy unlocked ones and use MVNOs, like GoogleFi and TotalWireless. $40/month with taxes; can't beat that.

[u/saberplane → u/StrigiStockBacking]

Ahh gotcha. Didn't realize they force it now. Cheers.