[sbkumar]

I have been a long time user of Google maps and as some of the other folks have mentioned here , I have learned over time certain things - for eg, when it asks you to take a narrow/dark/deserted lane instead of the current one you are on, don’t do it and let it re route. It’s algorithm, as someone else pointed out earlier, seems to take the distance as the primary factor whereas in real life experience I have realised that it’s better to be on the wider road sometimes unless you already know the shorter route option it suggests . I had had my fair share of bad experiences mostly due to the sheer number of times I use it . I currently use apple car play with Google maps and recently had to switch over to apple maps once due to Google servers being down. I have to say that the experience was not that great. The interface was difficult to follow during turns. Very recently during my return trip to Bangalore from salem, there was a major traffic jam due to the accident just after krishnagiri. All traffic was stopped for sometime and due to that google maps went crazy. It plotted red all the way to Bangalore and re routed almost everyone to alternate routes . While I stuck to the highway there was hardly any traffic till E city and google kept reducing the ETA throughout. There was another instance where it kept asking me to take a shorter but a two lane road with a lot of twists and turns though I preferred to take the longer but one that connects through a national highway. It was doing this for probably about 30 mins until the time calculated based on my current location became lesser than the other route. This was on the way to Trichy from Swamimalai. It did a very interesting stunt during my trip from Pazhani to Coimbatore where it was not allowing me to take the pollachi route even though that’s shorter by it’s own calculation. Overall Google seems to be the best bet but you can’t blindly follow it.

[saleem_k]

While I'm right now an android user and obviously use gmaps extensively for my travels, when I was an iOS user about 4 years ago, I always had issues with navigation using apple maps, while gmaps worked like a charm. I believe it's all down to the coverage and gmaps was much better back then. Right now I'm not so sure as I don't use iOS. Whatever maps you use, I think the following should be kept in mind.

1. When one is planning routes look carefully at the routes and see if a route that is a few minutes more (30-45 mintes) is probably on broader highways and therefore better roads but takes a slightly longer detour.

2. Please explore the options available when you are searcing routes. There are options like avoiding toll roads, avoiding ferries, etc. Proper selection of these options is essential to ensure that your search results give you the right results.

3. I always find that the satellite view is not as helpful as the default view. Some things are better visible during navigation in the default view especially the arrows with slight diversions. One cannot make out the type of road or the size, just by looking at a satellite view. Satellite view is only useful to view your location when you are in a scenic place and you want to know how the surrounding terrain is.

All said and done, just use the maps to take informed decisions and not trust the maps blindly. Remember an incident from the recent past when a traveller ended up on the river bed when he followed the maps blindly so use maps as additional info to take informed route decisions.

[lionell]

While I have been using google maps regularly for intra city travel. Like most of the folks have mentioned here, it has become a tad unreliable as it always pushes you to take the shortest route which is not optimal in road width or road conditions. Have faced this in Mumbai and especially in Goa where roads are narrow at worst.

I have lately stopped using google maps once I figure out the basic route of how to get there.

Apple Maps while having little or no traffic info does seem to be a better experience with CarPlay.

[Oppanna]

Was a google maps user all these while. Since April 23, moved to Apple maps as i find it more convenient like other users mentioned above.

Also it works flawlessly and syncs with my Apple watch eliminating the need for a mobile holder when i am on my two wheeler.

On a four wheeler i do have a cellphone holder mounted to the windshield which i use ocassionally.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by car_addict

*SNIP*

Lately however, Google Maps seems to have picked up a bad habit of trying to squeeze us car users through narrow side streets. This might be because of the huge amount of 2-wheelers feeding data when compared to cars. Even though Google Maps has a "Car Nav" and "2-wheeler Nav", I have still been directed down narrow streets in cars & ended up stuck several times.

*SNIP*

I have a pet theory on why this happens - bear with me.

1. Bikers are the majority of users
2. GMaps decides routes by crowd-sourcing
3. GMaps by default opens in "Car"mode and not in "Bike" or other modes
4. Bikers just open the app, move, and pick their own shortcuts and narrow road to avoid traffic lights etc.
5. Google learns all these routes in "Car" mode
6. When a Car user uses GMaps, it automatically recommends these routes.

Possible solutions:
1. Google should (at least in India) open by default in "Bike" mode and make car users explicitly pick "Car" - this will not happen any time soon.
2. Car users should dump GMaps and start using other apps.

If anyone here works for any Alphabet group company, please do your best to push option 1 onto the people who decide such things.

Thank you and cheers

[Yesterdaysnews]

Originally Posted by tilt

I have a pet theory on why this happens - bear with me.

Google should know if you are in a car or on a bike. It’s that advanced.

I think with Google photographing every inch of every road in India, we are going to get better navigation - and we soon won’t be pushed down narrow roads.

Most of us are complaining that google maps does so once in a while - but how many times has it given us spot on directions - where you feel you are a local even in a strange city?

The only reason I don’t use Apple Maps is traffic data.

I’ve tried the paid version of Sygic - the UI was decent enough, but again traffic data was not as accurate as Google Maps,

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Yesterdaysnews

Google should know if you are in a car or on a bike. It’s that advanced.*SNIP*

Really? I learnt something new today, thank you

I wonder how it identifies that the user is in a car or two-wheeler. It would be very interesting to know about this.

Cheers

[condor]

I use Google maps because rest of the mobile world and their apps use it. I have faced a bit of an issue when trying to share location etc.

Regarding navigation, never trust g-maps blindly. Use your judgement, ask people, follow traffic. G-maps often takes one thru narrow routes "trying to avoid traffic".

[Yesterdaysnews]

Originally Posted by tilt

Really? I learnt something new today, thank you

I wonder how it identifies that the user is in a car or two-wheeler. It would be very interesting to know about this.

Cheers

It measures how you accelerate, turn, wiggle around in traffic and figures it out! Basically from inputs from your phones accelerometer and compass.

[car_addict]

Some good news about Google using its "AI magic" to help us car folks from scratching our paint in narrow roads:

Google Maps often gets blamed for routing people through roads that are difficult to navigate. There have been times when people have blamed Google Maps for making them take roads that are too narrow for four-wheelers. To address this, Google is now using AI to help users avoid such narrow roads, especially those driving four-wheelers.
Using satellite imagery, Street View, and other data, the system estimates road widths and adjusts routing algorithms to help drivers navigate congested areas more efficiently. This feature will initially be available in eight cities, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, with plans for expansion.

Another common problem that people often face with Google Maps is uncertainty about whether to take a flyover or not. To address this issue, Google Maps will now highlight flyovers along recommended routes in 40 Indian cities. This addition aims to help drivers better prepare for upcoming elevated roadways during their journeys.

Other features

Google introduced six new features for Google Maps in India, focusing on AI-driven enhancements and local partnerships. Updates include narrow road avoidance, flyover navigation, metro ticket booking, EV charging station data, curated recommendations, and improved user-generated content. The features aim to address common commuter issues and promote sustainable travel, rolling out gradually across major cities.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../112010310.cms

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by car_addict

Some good news about Google using its "AI magic" to help us car folks from scratching our paint in narrow roads

Is this already live on iOS? Or specifically on Carplay?

Since last Monday there have been a host of Waze features including the speedometer have been ported into Google Maps.