I imagine certain features like Google Maps’ different busyness indicators might be missing because otherwise that would require telemetry?
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I use Open Street Maps. There are multiple clients available, but the one I use is called OSMAnd+. It pretty much works just as well as Google Maps in my experience.
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I’m curious, what are some steps I can take to degoogle my phone? Obviously using non Google apps when possible (browser, email client, etc…)
What worked for you?
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You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
Solid! Thank you
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
Even lineage OS isn’t available for my motorola g73, so I just removed all google apps, including google play services, via adb
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
there is grapheneos for pixel and some other devices
You will basically need to start fresh with a custom rom as google services are deeply ingrained into the standard operating system. Its almost impossible/not worth it even to to to get rid of those once they are installed. You could check first, which custom roms are available for your phone. Graphene, divestos and calyxos are probably the most private roms, but only available on a few models. Lineageos is widely available but will need extra steps to degoogle.
If a custom rom seems like too much hasle your can improve your privacy most easily by choosing a tracker and dns blocking doh/dns sever on android. It only takes minutes.
Android settings -> search for private dns -> chose private dns provider hostname -> doh.mullvad.net
More examples for providers here: https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/#dns
openstreetmaps.org ecosystem
for navigation I use Organic Maps: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/app.organicmaps/
I like OsmAnd too, but it’s too much for most of my use cases. I still use it for recording trips.
I like OsmAnd as a client for using open street maps. I hadn’t heard of organic maps though which someone else mentioned- I’ll have to give it a try!
I use OsmAnd~ it’s very nice ,and open source . Oh and if you use the F-droid version you got the pro feature .
OsmAnd is awesome, I use it especially for cycling. It has an awesome cycling/hiking route planner, and even the smallest forest paths are on the map!
Oh yes for bike it’s amazing . I even find 1 accesses to a highway store wich normaly are not alowed .
For walking nothing beats OpenStreetMap. Absolutely destroys Google maps as it knows all the footpaths and what is and isn’t walkable.
For driving I’m stuck with Google due to Android Auto.
For finding businesses etc Here is the best alternative but frankly Google is in a different league in this regard, nothing beats it.
If you want a good alternative for driving try out Magic Earth! Also uses openstreetmaps and has some Waze like features to report stuff
Thanks, I tried it a while ago (two years or more) and didn’t like it then, but it looks a lot better now. Will give it a go on some routes I know and see how it does!
I am waiting for an android auto update where it has a mute button for navigation, if it had that I could live with all the inconveniences.
I am not using Android Auto, but cant you just change the voice volume to 0 in the app? Wont it carry over the settings to the car?
Sure but that is a lot more difficult to do when you forget and your a mile down the road and it’s illegal to use your phone while driving. I might use it for my normal drives that I just leave on for reporting and use gmaps for navigation until it’s added though.
Similar question, but what’s the best app for following a gpx track? Like just plot it on a map with my current location centered
I use OSMAnd+ for this. I can plot out a route to take on the motorcycle using Basecamp and then send the .gpx to my phone and OSMAnd will load it up and let you follow it.
OpenStreetMap. Google Maps is probably the best product in the field tho, even among paid solutions.
I have tried other open source apps but always end up back on google maps because I live in a city and need detailed directions all the time…
That’s the best part about OSM, if it’s lacking in your area, it’s super easy to fix yourself! iD, the editor built into openstreetmap.org, is super easy to use, or an app I started using a lot more recently is StreetComplete, which lets you answer simple questions as you walk around
I appreciate that and think its really cool. If I lived in a more rural area I could see using it, but it doesn’t help me when I get lost in the city with complex traffic patterns. I wish I could quit google maps but it will be a while before it works well enough as a replacement for me.
For traveling I often use Here We Go maps, because have more information than Magic Earth (buses, trains, more info about restaurant / eating / sleeping accomodations - links, prices etc). In my country I use just Magic Earth.
The FOSS ones suck in comparison honestly. There’s really just osmAnd that has a really ancient UI. As for other OSM(OpenStreetMaps), I find MAPS.ME to be the best, but it’s closed source with some crypto scam crap built in that you can’t disable.
I don’t really like OSM based maps because they miss tons of places where I’m at, when I specifically need building numbers and locations. Also the search on both apps is god awful and straight broken.
Google Maps is definitely miles ahead of the competition here. The other features like seeing how busy businesses are, reviews/images, menu and phone number/website. These are also icing on top of the cake that make it essential to have which none of the competition have, let alone any FOSS ones.
Honestly, OsmAnd doesn’t have that bad of an ui these days. I’m perfectly happy with it, most of the time. Definitely prefer it to Google Maps while cycling.
Address based search works, but the data is largely lacking.
You can help by adding building numbers from within Organ Maps (tap a building and, then “edit place”).
The underlying OSM dataset supports building number interpolation, so even a few accurate entries could be very helpful.
It really depends on where in the world. I’m in the Caribbean and Google maps is terrible here.
Even on the main road network there is places where a bridge is seen as an intersection on Google maps.
Open street maps is much better here.
The app I’m using for open street map is called Organic Maps.
Yeah when traveling I’m always supplementing my Google maps with OsmAnd just because gmaps is missing so much data.
Organic Maps is a great open source replacement for MAPS.ME and osmAND, but also with the same disadvantage of not having good public transport options and needing to download offline maps beforehand. Magic Earth, while not FOSS, at least does show public transport times (in my country at least).
If you need Google Maps from time to time use GMaps WV it is a a webview shell for google maps.
magic earth for regular use and herewego if openstreetmap doesn’t have data and I’m in a hurry
both are proprietary but way better than google
I also input data in openstreetmap if it doesn’t have it from gmaps webview(by divestos) so I can use it in future without relying on proprietary services
OrganicMaps, love it
Currently on vacation and switched to organic maps for the trip. Some stuff is awesome and some is kinda counter intuitive. Try to stick with it for now and see if I get used to it.
I live in south korea, and unfortunately, openstreetmap isn’t enough for daily usage on here. So I am using both. Google Maps(using GMaps WV) and organic maps
maps.me has been pretty good - they occasionally try various ways of monetizing it (the most recent one seems to be some kind of limit on map downloads) but it was a pretty straightforward OSM viewer with basic routing and searching.
Give Organic Maps a try; it’s from some of the original creators of MapsWithMe/Maps.me: https://organicmaps.app/
+1 for organic maps. Been using that for the past year and it’s awesome!
Thanks - just replaced maps.me (no, Lemmy, that’s not a URL!) with organic maps.
It sounds like maps.me might have gone through a few changes of ownership? The latest “update” comes a lot closer to breaking its core functionality than previous attempts.