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User reports Google Maps added a sponsored detour to a trip

Original toot in Spanish says: “OK, so I need some alternatives to Google Maps, because I just decided seconds ago to stop using it after I got proposed a trip with a completely unnecessary detour which adds two extra minutes just because it pass by a gas station that sponsors this trip.”

Yamainwitch ,

I thought I was going crazy but the last time I used Google maps right as I was at a fork a Walgreens™️ ad took over the whole screen and I was like wtf, thankfully I wasn’t driving so I was able finagle out of it, but it literally took over and we drove past it. I am also looking for alternatives, I’ve been thinking about getting a Garmin for my car, but I’ll be absolutely damned if they think I’m going to tolerate ads that can get me lost in pensly-tucky 😡

Tosti ,
@Tosti@feddit.nl avatar

This would be an excellent idea for toll highway owners. If the toll is more than what they need to pay google.

Static_Rocket ,
@Static_Rocket@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve been waiting for the “Avoid tolls” option to pop out of existence one day with no public explanation.

Kid_Thunder ,

I've never seen that before but that doesn't mean it isn't real. Perhaps it is a market area test thing but it could also be a custom route on the web version of Google Maps where you drag the line over. Just like that user tried to manufacture hate for G Maps a few days ago complaining about a ridiculous route to Burger King in another country but it was actually the Magic Earth Navigation & Maps application.

I've been looking into something like OsmAnd and OsmAnd+ (uses OpenStreets and Maps) because I want better feature sets, specifically features that are locked behind G Map's having to set a destination. OsmAnd also has some pretty cool plugins like Parking Position, Mapillary (for Google Streets-like views) to bring it to closer parity with G Maps but also Weather to show weather forecasts along your route on-screen and External Sensors so you could put your Bicycle Fitness stuff (Ant+, etc) on-screen and record it on the recorded route.

I previously looked at TomTom AmiGo as a sort of trial for TomTom Go but I didn't like the routing sometimes and with TomTom Go you need to pay a subscription for stuff that shouldn't require one.

For example, features such as showing traffic congestion around you, accidents up ahead and showing the speed limit of the current road you are on only shows up when you put in a destination. This feature has been asked about for years on Google's forums yet it still hasn't happened. I believe Waze does this but I don't like constant ads.

I'm definitely OK with paying for apps that are useful and prefer it.

ad_on_is ,
@ad_on_is@lemmy.world avatar

Even if this isn’t true, as some here suggest, it still points to an idea that might or might not come to Google Maps in the future. What would prevent them from suggesting multiple routes, where the first route is an advertised one, and we’d have to explicitly scroll a few pixels down to get to the non-advertised one. It’s the same with the Google search results.

So, we should really think of an alternative before it’s too late.

elfio OP ,

IMO this is the main take.

CaptainSpaceman ,

What makes you think non-sponsored routes will even be available then?

Buddahriffic ,

I’ve noticed Waze (owned by Google) sometimes suggests a route I don’t feel like (eg I’m on the highway and not in a rush so I don’t feel like taking an exit Waze suggests), but when I ignore it and it recalculates, the estimated time goes down.

On the one hand, I know that it has to explore the alternative routes from time to time to know which ones are fastest and that if it’s directing a sufficient portion of the overall flow, it has to use multiple routes or else any single route it suggests will become bogged down with too much traffic, but I gotta wonder if there’s other motivations, especially when it’s a highway exit.

Sir_Fridge ,

Does waze have a fuel saving mode? It might be sending you down an exit because the route uses less fuel. I doubt waze and google maps has enough users to cause too much traffic. Surely most people drive familiar routes. I could be wrong.

APassenger ,

If they can’t monetize, they drop. In business terms that makes sense. No profit? Stop the bleeding.

In a wider sense though, Google has done a tremendous job at showing me I can’t rely on them for almost anything. I’ve begun moving email, search, browser, cloud storage… Within a few months Android Auto will be the only thing I can’t undo, except to use my car’s nav. Maybe I’ll do that too.

Chip_Rat ,

How has your email transition been? I have been moving away from Google slowly for a few years/intentionally avoiding onboarding with Google services. I don’t use Chrome, no google search, haven’t used messenger ever, that sort of thing.

But moving away from Gmail is hard. Would love your thoughts.

merc ,

The picture suggests that there was an ad that suggested a stop at the sponsored gas station, if the user clicked on the suggestion / ad, then the route would be modified.

IMO that’s massively different than the detour being added by default. If they actually did / were doing that, it would be a huge scandal, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. Instead, it’s just an intrusive, annoying ad.

elfio OP ,

Might be. It’s indeed hard to tell by the picture, but the user seems to knows the place so I don’t know. What seems about right is the title is misleading so I’m going to change it.

merc ,

Thanks for doing that.

criticon ,

The picture shows the “eco” route which is a setting you can turn on/off that selects gas saving routes even if they add some minutes to the trip https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/cb1da8ad-4fce-4fd7-a62b-cbf6582ee4a1.jpeg

wkk ,

Please change “added a sponsored detour” to “proposed a sponsored detour” and it won’t be as misleading anymore

elfio OP ,

Thanks for the proposal!

oxf ,

Your story doesn’t drive clicks though…

merc ,

Damn monetization of checks notes Mastodon and Lemmy! Those communists are ruining everything!

elfio OP ,

Yeah, about 0% richer now compared with yesterday.

wkk ,

You’re right that this is not generating monetary gains

But it’s generating outrage towards Google when what you accuse them of doing isn’t the reality, that’s pretty disingenuous

Not defending Google as a whole, but let’s keep honest about the current developments

The day sponsored trips are the default is the day I’m dropping Maps

elfio OP ,

I see your point. I wanted to rely what someone else thought was interesting to share. I’ve been tuning the title as other people here suggested improvements to it. Apart from that, I didn’t see the advert/proposed alternative route nor put the ad in there, so I never will be able to reflect the absolute truth. However, echoing this other person experience might lead to others being aware of the possibility. I’d be interested to know if someone else sees something similar.

LazaroFilm ,
@LazaroFilm@lemmy.world avatar

Here’s some Lemmy gold 🏆

llamapocalypse ,

I’ve been getting ads in the search results on the iOS version of Google Maps for a while, super irritating.

Rai ,

Apple Maps used to be absolute rubbish but it’s extremely excellent now. It even tells ya when there’s a speed trap up ahead, and it’s been correct 75% of the time for me.

llamapocalypse ,

I’ve been meaning to give it a try, but I only ever think of it when I’m already driving, which is probably among the worst possible times to learn a new interface

Rai ,

Fair! It was a bit of adjusting to me, turns look closer overall. But it do love that it vibrates my watch when I get close to a turn (I never use voice.)

It’s so much better than when I first used it, it looks nice now, it has all of the janky addresses I’ve tried, and the watch thing is nice.

Squizzy ,

This was a joke on here the other day, people were joking about getting 1 or 2 minutes added to their trip to pass a KFC.

People were sharing conspiracies on if they do it or not but the original was a joke. Other commenters said they thought they were kept off main roads for VIPs.

I’m wondering if this was a coincidence or if the two are connected.

I had never heard of this until now.

elfio OP ,

Or maybe a googler leaking the idea disguised as a joke 🤔

lazycouchpotato ,
@lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world avatar

My personal Google Maps conspiracy is that when I need to take a turn, Maps on Android Auto will say “take right at xyz street” (paraphrased) but if there happens to be a Jack In The Box at the intersection, the maps will always call it out – “take a left after the Jack In The Box” (paraphrased).

I’ve never heard it namedrop any other business like that.

Chip_Rat ,

I’ve never heard mine name drop any business and I use it all the time… I’m in Canada so maybe there’s a difference there?

randomaccount43543 ,

Guys, try some OpenStreetMap-based alternatives and get rid of Google Maps:

organicmaps.app

osmand.net

hellequin67 ,

Both great ideas but they’re not available to android auto, I’d need an alternative that can load in android auto

bandwidthcrisis ,

The one big draw of Google maps for me is the real-time traffic info. I don’t think that anything else had the ability to gather the same amount of info (except maybe Apple?)

w2tpmf ,

Waze. Google Maps literally gathers a large part of it’s traffic real time data from Waze (which they also own).

bandwidthcrisis ,

Maybe, but I suspect that Waze has a small fraction of the gmaps user base, so if it has compatible traffic info, it’s because it draws on Google’s data.

w2tpmf ,

Google pulls from Waze, but Waze isn’t allowed to pull data from Google.

ratman150 ,

I like osmand for off-grid motorcycle type stuff but I’ve found it to be somewhat useless for final mile navigation especially ironically in the city. I still use it as it’s awesome and allows pre-planned offline routes but I also still use gmaps as well. When I drove trucks for a living I found that the Garmin (truck specific but buy what you need) GPS to be quite amazing and will probably buy one of those for my car someday.

erwan ,

Do they work with Android Auto?

RootBeerGuy ,
@RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Google surely cannot be that stupid. Early Aprils fools joke I presume.

makingStuffForFun ,
@makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml avatar

I bet they can, and are.

ericisshort ,

The enshitification continues.

dinckelman ,

Given enough money, they’ll do anything

dual_sport_dork ,
@dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world avatar

They already have sponsored location pins for retail stores. Even if I don’t have a route active it shows me icons on the map for Chick-Fil-A and some outfit called “Homesense” I’ve never heard of before even though I never asked it to. Even if I’m zoomed out far enough that it’s not showing me POI pins for any other businesses I still see these. And they’re actual icons of the store’s logo, not just the usual generic fork-and-knife or shopping cart pins like other businesses get. So I guarantee you they’re getting paid to do that.

hellequin67 , (edited )

Interestingly 28th Dec is el Día de los inocentes in Spain, their equivalent of April Fools, so it’s possible it’s that

lemmylommy ,

Have you tried google search lately? It’s become borderline retarded.

bmsok ,

This is literally one of a handful of times in my life where I will begrudgingly accept that word.

It doesn’t make me proud.

ioslife ,

Anyone seen this? One post from one user with no verification behind it seems like nothing to get upset over.

picnicolas ,

Nope, but I did move from Waze to Google Maps and now settled on Apple Maps because of increasing enshittification and ad bloat.

Skates ,

Ah, good choice - instead of waiting for the company to become increasingly enshittified, you went with the already 100% completely shit company.

Monument ,

I have experienced something really similar. Not a detour, but, well…

In early 2019 (or maybe late 2018), whenever I used google maps and the route took me over on a certain stretch road, it would announce the location of an Auto Zone regardless of bearing on the route.
It was just a straight section of road with no confusing areas that needed any clarification. Yet the navigation voice would announce “In a quarter mile, continue past the Auto Zone” followed by “Continue past the Auto Zone on the right.” (Or left.)

It was so jarring and offensive that I also wanted to stop using Google Maps.

webhead ,
@webhead@lemmy.world avatar

It does that because it thinks there’s a bend in the road or some silly shit. Mine tells me to turn after the Taco Bell into a place because the turn in isn’t a named road. I don’t think it’s trying to advertise to me. That’s just where the turn is.

Monument ,

I’m not convinced.

A map depicting an icon for Auto Zone on a straight section of road with no cross streets or curves..

webhead ,
@webhead@lemmy.world avatar

There’s a main road between my parents’ house and the freeway that doesn’t deviate AT ALL and it tells me blah miles to this spot and then just continue straight. It makes no fucking sense. I still don’t think they’re paying for an ad. I have no love for Google but this seems a little much imo. There’s no point to it.

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