Organic Maps got removed from Google Play Store.
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/23834340
Apk Link: https://cdn.organicmaps.app/apk/OrganicMaps-24081605-GooglePlay.apk
Note: If you don't want to deal with stuff like this, I recommend you download and use it from F-Droid client or Accrescent AppStore.
Update: The app returned to the App Store.
This is so weird because I installed OrganicMaps literally 2 days ago as part of a house-wide "fuck Google". I've purged all machines of chrome, switched to duckduckgo, and changed my maps app. The "do no evil" has been cordycepys'd into a money fuelled corpo shitstain and deserves to collapse.
Fuck google.
Finish it off with DNS-based blocking. Tons of websites and apps stalk you via their shady tracking APIs you might never see.
Organic Maps is fantastic. I particularly use it for hiking, and it's fantastic. It finds some amazing trails that I would otherwise never have gone to. Sometimes they can be challenging or overgrown, so you have to know what you're doing and be prepared to turn back if necessary, but I owe a lot of truly incredible experiences to this app.
It originates as a fork of Maps.me, from when Maps.me changed to closed source. Since then Organic Maps has grown to become a lot better than the project it originates from, at least according to my preferences.
Sometimes they can be challenging or overgrown, so you have to know what you're doing and be prepared to turn back if necessary, but I owe a lot of truly incredible experiences to this app.
Since it uses OpenStreetMap you should consider updating it for others later. Don't think you can do it in Organic, but it can be as simple as in a browser adding a note to a trail about what state it is in.
Sometimes it seems to know that the paths are not the best, and I really force it to take the path I choose instead of more convenient ones. So it only suggests the rugged paths when I insist it goes "there, but via there there and there". Generally I can make it through, and how overgrown a path is can change by the season, so it's a bit tricky. At one point in Italy though I ended up at a Via Ferrata, at which point I obviously had to turn back.
I have Street Complete installed, so I've started leaving notes using that whenever I notice any issues. And to make contributions now and then, of course. :)
Organic doesn't let you add stuff like streets and buildings, but you can still add businesses, shops etc
It's the best. I started using it because it let me pre download as many regions as I wanted unlike OSMand. Having android auto integration is nice even if it's very rough around the edges. Unfortunately google blocks android auto on non-play store versions because google.
Interesting detail: note how it does not mention or even try to explain what would be allegedly violating the families program eligibility. This is likely part of Google's procedures to tire the devs down.
If the dev is smart they should be capitalising on that nice, nice Streisand effect. "Google uses its monopoly over app store to remove competitor Organic Maps". Remember - against Google you don't need to pull your punches, you can go all out.
I also hope that the dev uses the opportunity to advertise F-Droid. BTW I'm installing this right now.
Honestly, this whole thing is probably because some underpaid and under-trained reviewer just made a bad call, because this doesn't really make sense. I'm sure it'll be restored in a day or two.
Bingo
When incompetence is systematic, it stops being just incompetence to become a policy.
As in: Google could be paying and training reviewers better. For what? For the sake of a bunch of developers that it doesn't care about, including competitors?
They do the same thing with tasker every year
It's back up in the play store
Organic maps is better than Google maps for about everything besides finding businesses. If you're traveling long distances for landmark tourism especially, it's just objectively better IMO.
It's the best map for finding businesses in my town, well OSM which it uses is because I updated them all using street complete and the web interface. You can be part of the effort to make free solutions the best solutions by upgrading your own areas info.
Been doing that, unfortunately I live in a big city so it's a bit of an infinite treadmill. I like to just mark parking lots since no one seems to do those ever and they're changing pretty frequently.
I wish there was better public transport on the level of Oeffi. Google Maps is still way ahead in this regard unfortunately.
New map program acquired!
I have had an app on the play store, it's a bitch for indie devs. Just today I had to update my account info after there was a notification that google would delete my account for not being active. If I hadn't logged in over a 2 month period I would've lost a developer account I paid for just so I can publish free apps. I assume the App store is even worse.
One thing that courts and antitrust lawyers won't understand is that these "stores" have annihilated the free market for phone apps. Market entry for phones is just too hard because you need to be an actual for profit business for any of the hassle to be worth it.
I just started my foray into Kotlin development. I was very pleased at the language and ease of getting a simple, yet great looking app up and running. I was ready to publish. Verified my ID, paid the fee, and... good fucking lord the rest of the shit I had to account for after that made me want to delete the whole thing and never come back.
I know I can host the apk myself, go to other app stores, etc... but Jesus Christ. I'm sure it kills off a lot of spam bots and bad actors. But, i'd rather just get interviewed by somebody at Google to tell them how undeniably dumb and simple my joke app is then go through this process.
What the hell are those requirements?, if they want to protect children they should check those brain rot "Love Stories" apps and some other more insidious apps flying around.
They don’t want to protect children. They want only one thing ever: money. Therefore you can be sure that whatever is going on, it could be some kind of technical requirement but if it’s not, it’s about money.
Organic Maps :
No Ads ✅
No Telemetry ✅
Google :
Does it make us money? ❌
I hadn't heard about Organic Maps, but now I just installed it through F-droid.
Oh noo, right in the monopoly!!
Unless Organic Maps has a sexy dating game going on I don't know about.
So can't wait to finish moving away from Play apps and having Play on my phone at all.
It sounds neat. Offline maps. If Google hadn't banned it I would have never heard of it. It's on F-droid too for those who don't want to download and install an apk.
Get StreetComplete while you're at it and help improve the maps in a Pokemon-Go style mobile game.
https://f-droid.org/packages/app.organicmaps/
Offline maps are the way to go. I made a habit of having all of the US always stored in my phone just in case something bad happened. Only takes 12GB or so. Cell service can be spotty in large parts of the country so you can't depend on Internet maps.
Then it paid off. Plane lost an engine mid-flight, had to emergency land 850 miles from where I needed to be, and off I went by rental car with map in hand...er...cupholder.
Yeah I was about to suggest F-Droid as a FOSS alternative to Google Play.
Just looked it up though and Organic Maps is not coming upEdit: Just kidding, guess it's coming up now. Make sure to select the right anti-feature settings!