What is the Best offline Navigation most similar to Google maps, and why?

Graphite

I find that Magic Earth search is pretty bad. If you search before GPS lock, it'll return results from thousands of miles away. Doesn't seem to remember anything about previous position. Also, if your search isn't exact, it doesn't prioritize closer fuzzy matches, and again your results list will be filled with better matches from thousands of miles away.
Organic Maps seems to find POI much easier. Also easy to search by street name alone.

For navigation, Magic Earth was superior to Organic Maps though.
I keep both up to date with maps. And also keep Google Maps on my Google user profile just in case OSM isn't doing what I need.

dlb

ve3jlg Do you want "Best" or do you want "similar to Google maps"?

Realistically there is no better navigation on mobile device than Google maps. So I am searching a similar one. I care about privacy, that's why I'm here.
What is best in your opinion and what is similar to gmaps.

dirksche

dlb I use Magic Earth for car routing and Organic Maps for hiking, cycling and exploring a city.

ve3jlg

dlb Realistically there is no better navigation on mobile device than Google maps. So I am searching a similar one. I care about privacy, that's why I'm here.
What is best in your opinion and what is similar to gmaps.

I care about privacy so am not using Google software at all now, so I cannot answer your question. Sorry.

pdagenius

Sygic

dlb

pdagenius how is sygic privacy wise? Is it open source?

pdagenius

dlb Actually, I have no idea. I use it as you can buy a subscription outside Playstore direct from Sygic, the maps are offline and are way better than Magic Earth. Additionally, there is something going on with Magic Earth that makes my phone overheat. This does not happen with Sygic.

Kottonballs

pdagenius How were you able to buy the subscription? I have Sygic on my GrapheneOS P7, nothing Google installed, and when I click to buy the subscription, I get an error message. I tried uninstalling Sygic, installing Google stuff from Apps and reinstalling Sygic, still no luck.

I've e-mailed the company for help on other ways to license it but haven't heard back yet.

MarSOnEarth

pdagenius Sygic... hmm. The very first two IPs connected after installing were: edge...facebook.com and graph.facebook.com, and when those were blocked, next was 2a03:2880:f001:6:face:b00c:0:2.

Kottonballs

Another alternative is to install Google Maps, download a map, and then revoke network access.

User2288

Google maps only allows an offline map for 1 or 2 weeks. After that you have to connect again. And when you do connect it uploads all the data it has gathered from you since it was last connected. It gathers your location and records wifi data as long as its running and uploads all of it when it reconnects to the internet. Just FYI.

This may still not be a problem for the user depending on their scenario.

Also google maps is still superior for other things like business info and other location information such as bus stops. Has more detail.

I personally have separate profile just for Gmaps in case I ever need to look up this kind of information. I don't use it for navigation though because I don't wanna give it my location.

ve3jlg

User2288 Also google maps is still superior for other things like business info and other location information such as bus stops.

Hmm.

I used the excellent and default public transit layer on OsmAnd to look up bus stop locations AND the routes they serve, and the bus stop numbers just a few hours ago. Then I entered a bus stop number into the front page of my city's public transit website and got realtime arrival information for the routes arriving at that stop.

I did this while significantly protecting my privacy and not having to look at ads that are always major clutter to me (Google maps). I did not even have to install a public transit app which is piled with a horrific number of trackers and ads, or being tracked by Google because I had to enable Play Store (GMS) to use the app.

My personal location and movements are private information I always want to protect. I am glad to be able to easily do so.

The pedestrian and cycling layers on OpenStreetMap in my city are top notch too.

Matth

User2288 You say it gathers locations and wifi data.
Is this connected to your profile, or just uploaded as part of their map/location database?
And what if you use Google Maps without a profile? I do delete my Google account, so I'm not logged in Google Maps. Is this mitigating some of the data tracking this way?
I also tried Organic Maps and OsmAnd, but neither of it comes even close when searching for places. It is actually so bad as to be not usable. If you search for a building name, it doesn't suggest as a search result, but when you zoom in on the address, it is showing that exact building name?!

roamer4223

User2288

I guess if somebody really wanted to use offline maps in Google Maps and stop Google Maps from tracking, and uploading, where you have been, you could...

create a new user/profile, let call it 'GMaps', then install Google Maps (without giving network access) into this profile.
If you use Google Play Store/Services, or Aurora Store to install Google Maps directly into this profile, remove them completely afterwards). In fact, best to have no apps at all but Google Maps (and the default apps) in this 'GMaps' profile to be sure, since we are being extra careful in this scenario. Though, of course if you want, you could have a VPN app that you trust running in this profile too, to hide your IP address in the next step.
Then go into Google Maps app permissions, enable network and then download the offline maps you want and once that's done, go back and remove internet permission from the app.
Then only use this 'GMaps' profile when you need it, probably best to disable running in the background for this profile as well, in the user management settings.
Also to be sure your efforts aren't pointless, never use any other profiles that are running any google services, or apps with google analytics, etc. etc. that also have access to your location. Or best not to have any apps at all with location access running whilst that profile is open (except system apps of course, don't mess with them.)
Then when your Google Maps app tells you that your downloaded maps won't work and you need to connect to the internet, go into the Google Map app settings and completely reset the app by clearing cache and data. Then I am pretty sure it would be fine to give it internet access and download the offline maps again, without it uploading more than the immediate info it collected since it was reset.
after downloading the offline maps, remove internet access for the app, and the process starts again.
One more thing to also bear in mind is keeping the Google Maps app updated (as in the app itself, not the offline maps) without letting any of your 'travel data' leak. I guess you could do this in a few ways but one is installing Google Maps, and keeping it updated, in another profile/user (let's call this profile 'G-Updates') with the Play Store, or Aurora store, if you want. You can leave your 'GMaps' profile off while doing this, as it will update the app in all profiles Google Maps is installed in, when updated in the 'G-Updates' profile, but it will be unable to access user data from your 'GMaps' profile. You can even keep the Google Maps app disabled in this 'G-Updates' profile and the Play Store still updates it, no problem. I think in aurora store there is a toggle for updating disabled apps, haven't used it in a long time.
there may well be far easier / less complicated ways to do that and I might have some things wrong, I am kind of tired and not sure why I started writing this long message as it's a fairly convoluted way to do things, but I suppose some people might want to do it...

alex_herrero

Nobody said anything about Waze. Yes, it's Google, but I'll happily learn something today from your thoughts about it.

NewUser

alex_herrero ils waze open source?

User2288

ve3jlg You may be right. In truth I really haven't used OsmAnd much at all. I generally don't need and don't use navigation and maps at all. My extent of using OsmAnd was probably half an hour. When I first installed it I fiddled around with it for half an hour to figure things out. I'm a technical person and not easily put off by complicated things, but rather quickly I felt overwhelmed with all the settings and not knowing what the hell is going on. Couldn't "get into it" easily.

Just playing around, the map layer also felt rather heavy and sluggish. The color scheme of the map also put me off as things didn't "look" as clear to me. This may be a "google" syndrome that we have all developed, if it looks different you are thrown off by "feel".

Anyway I left it to explore later and haven't opened the app since. I'm saying this to say that I may not be a good judge of OsmAnd at all because I really haven't used it enough. I also wanted to point out how easily "feel" and what we are used to can throws us off and have us not use something.

In my area (CAN) the transit system itself relies on google maps (which is sad). But its possible that OsmAnd may be on par.

The slow and sluggish feel I felt might be because of the amount of things the app is doing and how it renderes things. It would also explain the battery drain that @zehyani mentioned.

roddyd

I didn't like OsmAnd when I first started using it, but now that I'm used to it I prefer it over everything else.

spiral

roddyd
In OSMAnd, I was never able to successfully enter an address and navigate to it. The app would never be able to find any address I entered. Was I doing something wrong?

billinmtl

spiral With OSMAnd I downloaded my local map but since I do not use google services I could not get anything to work until I changed location source to android api. My default setting was for google play services

roddyd

spiral It's not just you. OsmAnd is bad at searching for addresses. When I need to go somewhere I usually just find the location outside the app.

spiral

billinmtl
I use Google play services.

I meant, I type an address into OSMAnd "123 Apple Street, new York, NY 10001" and OSMAnd was unable to show that address on a map.

spiral

roddyd
Ok, glad to know that it's not just me.

zehyani

I thought OSMAND uses a lot of battery. My phone gets hot and the battery runs down fast. This is with offline maps downloaded.
Organic maps seems to work, but i have to manually find where I am going to, then press on it, make a placemark then say navigate to it.

ve3jlg

zehyani I thought OSMAND uses a lot of battery. My phone gets hot and the battery runs down fast. This is with offline maps downloaded.

Interesting. I often use OsmAnd with route tracking ("recording") , so I can review my trip after for fun and interest. I have found little battery use in doing that. However that is almost totally with the map (screen) off and just the location data with time being recorded, and only occasional looks at my position on the map. My P7 does not get hot at all. I have been surprised, after the many reports otherwise.

I suspect another operating setting difference between my phone and others.

ve3jlg

User2288 My extent of using OsmAnd was probably half an hour. When I first installed it I fiddled around with it for half an hour to figure things out. I'm a technical person and not easily put off by complicated things, but rather quickly I felt overwhelmed with all the settings

I agree that OsmAnd has a lot of configurability. It can be challenging to learn it all.

Just playing around, the map layer also felt rather heavy and sluggish. The color scheme of the map also put me off as things didn't "look" as clear to me.

I have not encountered "sluggish" personally . The map appearance is very configurable - there are "themes" you can select. I have, like you, not always liked their default choices for readability, or even their map "themes" without tweaking.

I think OSmAnd would do better to next hire and listen to a good UI/UX person rather than a coder.

This may be a "google" syndrome that we have all developed, if it looks different you are thrown off by "feel".

Anyway I left it to explore later and haven't opened the app since. I'm saying this to say that I may not be a good judge of OsmAnd at all because I really haven't used it enough. I also wanted to point out how easily "feel" and what we are used to can throws us off and have us not use something.

Google reportedly does a lot of usability A/B testing. OsmAnd, Im certain hasn't even come close to that, and as installed is challenging. If one spends the time it can be customized quite nicely IMO.

lcalamar

I've been 'playing' with magic earth, osmand and Organic maps... I also have tried out Gmaps WV.

Of these - Gmaps WV works well for browsing - but no nav. OSMAND just doesn't work well at all for nav/address search. Organic maps and/or Magic Earth seem to be a wash regarding nav...

Navigation on my GOS device just isn't great... like many others - I want gmaps functionality with out its spying... seems there isn't a 100% solution here

lcalamar

lcalamar Spent the day trying out:

Magic Earth
Organic Maps
OSMAND+

They are listed in order of usability (for me).
Of these I find OSMand+ to be pretty useless. Organic maps is ok but Magic Earth is by far the best of these.

I do have GMaps in a separate profile - and disabled but it is there if I want to use it.