PieFedGoogle removed Organic Maps from the Play Store
fosstodon.org/@organicmaps/112976308191001762
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Lucy :3That just convinced me to download and try it lol
Same, but lack of public transit support in my city is a dealbreaker. And although it's better for servers and privacy, needing to download the map for any city you would otherwise quickly browse the map of is annoying.
I tried it and am very happy with it. Reminds me of map.me before it went to shit.
Serious question: in what way did maps.me get shitty? I've been using it for years as a gps replacement and other than being closed source and having a paid tier found no issue with it ( or at least no extra issues compared to other OSM apps )
limerodIt was shared on the fediverse 2 days ago. Now, we get this. I don't want to assume malice, but something seems fishy.
Fortunately, it's still available on fdroid. This is one of the reasons you should get your apps from fdroid instead of play store.
BarbarianAbsolutely. Fdroid is awesome.
I hate the fact that there's no simple, free, ad-free note-taking app either inbuilt or on the app store. Just something simple and local to take a quick shopping list or a name or something like that. Fdroid has me covered for that.
TwitchesI use obsidian works very well very simple and can be very complicated depending on what you want to do
dittyI just set up Obsidian with Syncthing like so many Lemmy users recommend and it is totally awesome! I also love that I can theme it differently on my phone, tablet, laptop, and computer.
Google Keep?
I'd prefer local storage over cloud storage for quick silly things like that.
? Google has Keep. It's whacky but it definitely has one and I think it comes pre-installed with base Android.
Haven't looked into good FOSS alternatives on F-Droid yet.
last I checked the aosp doesn't include gapps
No one was talking about AOSP though?
i consider the aosp to be base android, sorry if i misinterpreted your comment
That's like saying ungoogled Chromium is base Chrome. "Base Android" is what ships with Google's Pixel phones, which comes with Google apps.
HarriPoteroI haven't heard of it before, but if Google bans it they must be doing something right.
I'll check it out.
ToriborAm I crazy? I'm not seeing "Organic Maps" on Fdroid at all. Do I need to add a specific repo?
Edit: Okay yes. I had to include 'other antifeatures' which it did warn me about. I hadn't adjusted that setting beyond the default and assumed I didn't need to go enable those things.
cardboardchrisI noticed the same thing. It might be hidden due to anti-features. I found it on NeoStore.
It's there for me. I'm using Droid-ify but it's the official repo.
I didn't know about Organic Maps so I installed it for the first time. I registered to openstreetmaps and added 5 places. This is great 😸
Also check out StreetComplete! It's an app that gamifies adding information to OSM
Yeah, it's great to help contribute like that, I live in a really small town so the map was quite out of date, so I patched it up. OSM is slowly becoming a legitimate competitor with Google Maps and Apple Maps in terms of data quality and Google is cowering in fear that a libre, ad-free app will be far better than their closed-source, ad-infested, data-selling app.
I'm fed up with Google (& other huge companies) so I'm totally with openstreetmaps! I'll add more info a little by little. Thanks for your contributions!
Sunshine (she/her)Welcome aboard! What’s nice is that your changes are implemented quickly.
Dang I really called it
linearchaosI recently started a trek to de-googleify it's going to be a long road.
I pulled down all the big free map contenders.
They'll all, without a doubt, will get me to the grocery store down the road.
They're all pretty decent at obeying one-way streets and u-turn limits.
More mixed results on business hours.
Most of them start having trouble on really long distance trips.
Many are missing creature comforts like multi-stop planning, I'm not sure which if any support dynamic remapping due to traffic.
The ones I were playing with did not provide me lane guidance on which lanes go left and right.
If Google maps and Waze stopped working tomorrow I could still use most of the free-ish street map variants, but I would miss a lot of features.
So, why is organic maps hidden with the default anti features of f-droid? Which of these that have allowed my other installs does organic maps not comply with?
None of these look like something I'd want to turn off!
Non free network service. Organic maps uses the organic maps CDN to download maps. Which is not a free (free as in freedom) service.
You can read more here: https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata/-/blob/master/metadata/app.organicmaps.yml
For more information on anti features read here: https://f-droid.org/en/docs/Anti-Features/
Yerbouti
𝚝𝚛𝚔Wow, I must have just snuck my install in...
Presumably this removal was accidental right?
On the bright side I had never heard of this app. So thanks I'm checking it out now
It's probably the best of the free and open source maps. I use it almost every day.
It is also apparently a threat to Google. If Google fears it then it must be solid. (Spoiler: it is as I use it)
Basically Osmand mini. Simple and not much settings but good enough defaults.
This means I want to install organic maps now.
Update: I like it, it got us home quicker than google yesterday. And the route was less boring
https://f-droid.org/packages/app.organicmaps/
Got it installed! Thank you!
That's one of the reasons why we need to breaking up google. They use gapps and play store to control the android ecosystem.
Does Google not currently have an anti trust lawsuit going on? Fine addition of them abusing their quasi monopoly position. But maybe they want to use this as argument "look people could just get it from fdroid" or something like that. IANAL
BTW does removal mean phones with enabled google protect will ask users to uninstall the app? I have this "feature" disabled.
play protect sucks, ye. I think I might just go for f-droid only for my next phone.
I'll lose tiktok, but whatever
Fuck tiktok
There's the Aurora Store on F-Droid that lets you install apps from Google's store without giving any data/account info to Google. Works pretty well!
Oh ye! I used to use that! I don't remember why I stopped tho
Organic Maps is also available via https://accrescent.app/ which is developed by a GrapheneOS community member and even hosted in the GrapheneOS App Store.
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/112821386750410102
A grapheneos community member is just a random person
A random person that is mentioned specifically by the official GrapheneOS account, not to mention that GrapheneOS has said Accrescent is their recommended app store above F-Droid. Maybe Accrescent dev is not a GrapheneOS core dev, but still a step up, with more credibility, than just "a random person."
True. I pushed them when they published the first build. I like it yet it's not as open as an app store should be like fdroid or flatpak
The main thing they have going against them is the currently small list of apps, and it won't grow unless people become aware of it and ask devs to put their apps there.
As for "not as open," can you clarify what you mean? Yes, Accrescent does have "certain minimum requirements for all apps submitted to it to ensure the privacy and security of its users." Is that what you mean,to loosen that? https://accrescent.app/docs/guide/appendix/requirements.html
There's no other repos. It's not federated, it's not decentral. It's like google's store but from someone who's endorsed by grapheneos. Maybe it'll become the official grapheneos app store. (Its just a random thought) in that case it'll get graoheneos' reputation but still, there's a reason why many people love fdroid and with the rise of reproducible builds it'll become difficult to conquer their castle
@GravitySpoiled @FutileRecipe The one thing I prefer in F-Droid over Accrescent is that the former ensures open source and does their own builds while the latter allows closed source submissions.
Just get it from F-droid and be done with it.
Or "just get it from Accrescent and be done with it?" Are you implying if you get it from Accrescent, you're somehow not done with it? Sorry, I don't follow your logic.
Also, no thanks on F-Droid as GrapheneOS recommends against and there are multiple security issues:
https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1803185925112934533
https://privsec.dev/posts/android/f-droid-security-issues/
That's old info. Apps are now signed by the developers on F-Droid since about a year ago:
Source: https://f-droid.org/2023/09/03/reproducible-builds-signing-keys-and-binary-repos.html
EDIT: I should note this doesn't address the other issues in your second link (I have twitter blocked, can't see that link) but it does fix the primary issue of the apps originally not being signed by the developer.
Graphene OS is not a good source of information. I call BS on anyone calling F-droid insecure. If you have a better option that is fine but Graphene does not have a better offering. F-droid is the best we have.
I would trust GrapheneOS, but understand that everyone has their own tolerances for security and the Graphene project is probably at the highest levels.
The GrapheneOS devs *were* right about F-Droid being less secure when they would sign *other* dev's apps. This meant that if anyone were to hack F-Droid, they would get full access to every device using an app installed by them. This issue was fixed just last September.
Now that F-Droid fixed this issue, the responsibility falls on each individual developer to secure their signing keys. Should an app's signing key be compromised, it would now only impact users with that app installed. Security is about layers, not 100% foolproof solutions.
They're not a good source of information on Android security? Granted, they're not perfect, but they are one of the leading teams in terms of Android security. I call BS on anyone calling GrapheneOS a bad source of information for Android security lol.
News regarding vulnerabilities reported to Google and physical attack roadmap
Improvements to factory resets by Google due to reports by GrapheneOS
Any info what the exact problem they had was? Can you search for brothels in that app or what? (I remember you can in OsmAnd)
There's nothing you can find in open street maps that is not also going to have an equivalent in Google maps. There's no messaging capability in the app. There aren't even photos, except if you link it with Wikipedia. I can't think of a single reason why this would get flagged, even accidentally.
Well some Wikipedia articles could be construed as not appropriate for kids if you’re dead set on removing the app.
I’m thinking of things like Auschwitz or Hiroshima or the Twin Towers where content could be objectionable for children, but also that’s a terrible argument because it’s Wikipedia and it’s a fantastic educational resource.
Wikipedia has images of nude humans in articles about sexuality and genitals, so that would be a possible reason there; not applicable to OSM.
Good point, that too, though that would presumably be harder to find exclusively through the app since I assume the linked articles are primarily about locations / landmarks
There definitely is data in OSM that isn't in Google Maps, that is what makes OSM so great! :D
Absolutely true. I just updated a neighborhood area yesterday that is completely wrong in Google. I didn't mean to imply that it's identical, just comparable in terms of content.
But Wikipedia app is on the Google store... I won't pretend to understand the logic of the indefensible.
I literally downloaded this two days ago. Wtf
Get Organic Maps from F-Droid. Start taking power away from Google. It's in your own hands.
Next up: StreetComplete.
Fuck pokemon go all my homies play streetcomplete
I recently started using it and screw you all for recommending it. My walks take like twice as long now.
Ok. Downloaded. Let's see how it goes.
Have fun!
Likewise, new android user and it's far easier than OSM in my Vivaldi browser.
Well, at least now Google won't try to update the app I installed through F-Droid.
On Aurora store I block the apps I have installed via F-Droid so it doesn't try to update them. Maybe you can do the same with the Play store
This 😂
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Google just made it more popular
You can get it off of F-droid
I just installed it and I'll test it tomorrow morning! Thanks google
Also download street complete. Your area may be incomplete in open street map so it is good to learn how to complete it.
Damn, that means Google sees Organic maps as a threat. It is crazy how good it is.
It's getting good. I keep it as an alternative to OSMAnd, but find that Organic maps are harder to read and missing a lot of detail compared to OSMAnd.
evil
As much as I love fdroid and I love to be in a community where this recommendation is made repeatedly, the announcement suggests to download from https://cdn.organicmaps.app/apk/OrganicMaps-24081605-GooglePlay.apk while they appeal. From the way they wrote the announcement, I understand Android Auto won't work with the fdroid version.
I'm angry that Google prevents sideloaded apps from running on Android Auto. I think this is against the recent EU laws about gatekeepers.
Solution: don't install it from the Google Play Store. F-Droid and Obtainium exist.
This is a workaround for tech savvy people, but pretty far from the point here. This move is bad for the community and bad for the app. Play Store brings orders of magnitude more exposure and users
Most non-tech savy people aren't even looking for an alternative map app. They are just going to use the one that comes pre packaged on their phone.
I don't know how many people found it through the Play Store, but for a point of comparison, OSMand has over 10 million downloads. That's 10 million people who are interested enough to seek out and install it, despite not being tech savvy enough to get it from F-Droid, etc.
Yeah let’s just hand wave away significant friction to a reputable FLOSS project lol
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Your mirror might have problems. In the F-Droid settings → Repositories → F-Droid, you could try deactivating mirrors to see, if it works then.
I just reinstalled it without any problems.
Works for me too, no problems.
Same
You might have to uninstall first
Android Auto won't work that way.
true. adding https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps to Obtainium installs latest version of 27th July without issues.
Go though F-droid if you can. It adds another layer of verification
It's back up now. It seems to have been a mistake to block it.
This is not the first time the play store removes an app for absolutely no reason and then refuses to explain why it did so, and it won't be the last. Usually they don't just reinstate the app for no reason.
I don't think it was a mistake, but even if it was, they do not have proper communications to resolve such mistakes.
They are testing out how the community would respond :]
It's back! https://fosstodon.org/@organicmaps/112982935184446753
I see it too! play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.organic…
Google's anticompetitive practices are at it again.
That's funny I just installed it yesterday but decided to use f-droid instead. Going to be my default going forward.
So, if they make it 18+, they would be fine? (not that this is a solution)
I'm getting "download failed" on f-droid.
Someone still uses Google software? Poor souls...