For years, Google Maps has been a go-to tool for millions worldwide, seamlessly integrated into search results for instant access to directions, locations, and more. But if you’ve noticed something missing recently, you’re not imagining things. Due to European Union regulations, Google has been forced to remove its Maps functionality from its search results, marking a significant shift in how we interact with the tech giant’s ecosystem.

  • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    45
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    3 days ago

    I suppose search engines should ask you which maps provider you want and then show results based on that.

    Why would they ever enable choice. That’s not very capitalism

    • BassTurd@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      3 days ago

      If they allowed users to select a default, almost everyone would select Google maps and get a better experience. By not giving the user a choice everyone loses, because Google maps is still going to be the top option. I’m surprised that this functionality either doesn’t exist already or isn’t allowed, because capitalism.

      • calcopiritus@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Some people would not select google though. And google can’t afford people knowing that there’s competitors to Google! So better fuck everyone over by just disabling the integration.

      • themurphy@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        True. Google is using a monopoly and forcing users to use Google Maps on their platform.

        There’s no competition, and everyone is worse of. It’s a long term good change by the EU.

      • Bob@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 days ago

        almost everyone would select Google maps and get a better experience.

        Spoken like someone who’s never used a different map provider!

        • BassTurd@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          Can you give me an alternative that you truely think is better than google maps, not just alternative, something that is objectively better?

          • Bob@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 day ago

            Objective ways Openstreetmap is better:

            • More regularly updated (one street I used to live on in Amsterdam – a cosmopolis – has only recently been added to Google Maps, whereas I used Openstreetmap to find my way there when I moved in four years ago).
            • People who update it get credited rather than an already disgustingly rich company; you can submit edits to Google Maps but they often don’t get implemented, at least not with any alacrity, and they keep the intellectual property rights to the data you submit.
            • Better for privacy (probably goes without saying).
            • Open-source, for what it’s worth.
            • The map is colour-coded and actually easily legible rather than every way being a white or light grey, sometimes hair-thin line on a white background.
            • Actually useful for people not sitting in cars as it shows pedestrian ways, cycleways, parks in detail, crossings, gates, stiles, etc.
            • Useful for non-navigation purposes, in fact it’s the map of choice for people gathering map data.
            • The directions don’t send you the wrong way up one-way streets or along roads you can’t ride your vehicle on, among other mistakes.
            • Openstreetmap shows public amenities like bins, water fountains, benches, etc. I’ve used it to help my dad who has Parkinson’s get a quick bit of rest while visiting cities, for example.
            • Google Maps is admittedly quicker for looking for branches of big companies, but you can do that without a map, and Google Maps is chock full of random businesses registered at people’s homes and searches can be obfuscated because richer companies pay to come higher in the search results.
            • Google Maps has public transport info, but the info is so often wrong that I would seriously advise against using it.
              • I used to work at a train station and people would come up asking why the train shown on Google Maps wasn’t showing on the departure board;
              • I’ve seen people miss the last train of the night because Google Maps said it was leaving later than it actually was;
              • it often doesn’t show the quickest or easiest route and you can’t refine the search the way you can on public transport apps,
              • etc. etc. I’d say the info on Google Maps is so bad that it makes Openstreetmap better because it doesn’t tempt you with the false promise.
            • The other features Google Maps is garnished with aren’t really needed if you can read a map or if you just need a map, like:
              • street view (nice to have and has made Geoguessr possible (now pay-to-play in part thanks to Google’s closed-source APIs), but itself updated by volunteers who have to resort to things like holding signs with their company names to get credit and only updated every few years or so on average),
              • opening times (whether it’s correct information aside, you can just look that up otherwise and get it from the horse’s mouth), or
              • searching for something like cafés within a given radius (when’s the last time you went to eat out and thought, “any café will do, but I’m slightly pickier than to warrant just walking further up the road to find somewhere, and I can’t be arsed just looking at the local area on the map and picking out cafés”? And are those cafés even open when Google Maps says they’re open? Not necessarily!).
            • I’m sure something else I can’t think of at the moment. You can see I’ve been asked this a fair few times.
            • BassTurd@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              20 hours ago

              I will give this a good look. Thanks for the detailed response. I’m working on degoogling, but some products I’m not willing to move on from because the quality is just better, so I’m happy to have something to look into here.

              • Bob@feddit.nl
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                4 hours ago

                I didn’t expect such a positive reply, haha. Good luck with it, I’ve completely degoogled except for the odd Youtube sesh and I haven’t looked back so far.

      • callouscomic@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Most browsers allow choice of search provider. If you choose Google, you’d get this, if you choose a different search engine, you’d get a different experience. People already had that choice.

        • Petter1@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          The monopoly company try to argue like that, but as seen m365 and teams, windows and edge, safari and iPhone, iCloud and iOS, and many more.

          Where you intend to use just one product of a company but the company bundles stuff so that lazy human beings, like most of us, just use their stuff and never check put the competition.

          If we let it slide like that, in the far future, you decide shamppoo, food, gadgets, clothing etc. all from the same company that rents you your home and have full control over your live.

          Do you want that?