I’ve used google navigation for years and it’s the kind of tool that one takes for granted because it just works.
However, my last 7-8 journeys have all featured some errors e.g. telling me to get into the wrong lane, or turn down a road that has been closed for months. Sometimes it might say “slide right” when actually the road itself bends slightly right, and there’s actually a fork to the right that I shouldn’t take (that’s a fun one!)
Anyone else found similar recently?
NB: I’m in the UK; our road layouts are “special” compared to simpler grid layouts, so in a way it’s a wonder than google maps has worked as well as it has.
I have felt it was doing odd things lately but yesterday it actually told me to turn the wrong way down a one way street. That was the first blatant error I have noticed but I will be keeping an eye on it from now on.
I don’t use Google Maps for navigation but I often get links or use it to look up a location using it through other apps, and have found it to be increasingly prone to acute errors or having difficulty getting it to find an obvious location on search. Apple Maps used to be a grossly inferior by comparison but I’ve come to find it more reliable in highly trafficked areas (although still error-prone in less popular routes).
Google Maps saved my bacon two weeks ago. I was almost at work when my transmission control module died and my truck went into “limp home” mode–first gear all the way.
Google Maps was able to find a 54 mile “avoid highways” path through all of the hills and hollows of eastern Pennsylvania that got me safely back to Jersey at 25mph..two hours later.
I was just thinking yesterday that other than adding more ads (turn right at the xyz store) Google maps still works well, unlike Google search, which has gotten so bad i stopped using it on my phone
The street in front of my kids’ local school is one lane, one way. Google maps had it as two-way. I’d occasionally get stuck facing someone coming up the wrong way, despite clear signage.
It took multiple reports from three of my google accounts to get them to fix it. By the end I was copying in street view pointer links showing the actual signs on the actual street.
Finally they updated it. Then, a month later, they un-updated it. It’s now back to two-way on the map.
No explanation.
Also, two weeks ago, it tried to get me to take a hairpin turn onto a bike path.
I haven’t noticed it getting worse. In my experience it has always been prone to errors at junctions, wherein it gets the road layout wrong and tells you to turn when the road actually bends round that way, or worse, doesn’t tell you to turn when the road turns and it wants you to continue straight. I do a lot of driving on country roads, so this comes up quite often.
My biggest beef with Google maps is how it will direct you on some horrible convoluted route involving single track roads and multiple turnings, rather than sticking to the main roads, and all to save 5 minutes. I’d rather have an easier drive on a simpler route, even if it takes slightly longer.
I don’t use it for navigation, but I do occasionally use it to map routes before driving. A couple of months ago I noted it no longer autosaves my previous searches - such as my home address, which is needed to get directions from my home to somewhere.
Working fine for me, but I just started using it. I’ve got a 2019 Toyota that has without a doubt the worst GPS system every designed (I’m a GIS application Engineer). When and IF it recognizes an address, the screen ends up being reduced in size. And then it takes you the wrong way…
I’ve got a tablet that I dropped and cracked the screen. I mounted it in my car. Works like a charm. Well, at least it works.
I’ve noticed this recently. In particular, multiple times in the last few weeks Google Maps has told me to get on the middle express lanes of the interstate at a time when they’re blocked off (in the morning they go one way, in the afternoon they go the other way). How can Google not know when the express lanes change direction?
I don’t use it much, but earlier this year it told me to “merge onto Interstate Such-and-Such” after an entrance ramp, when the next move, a couple hundred feet later, was to exit on the right. I should have just stayed in the entrance lane.
Well I listened hard for “slide left” or “slight left” and honestly couldn’t tell the difference. So I’m going to put it down to my (lack of) listening skill sorry @DemonTree@susan
In terms of the accuracy of my last journey, it was pretty good. There still was a minor error – saying “turn right” at a moment where the road just bent right.
I don’t know if it’s Maps or the interface with my car (Android Auto), but lately it hasn’t been offering me alternative routes, even in cases where it used to. There are sometimes routes that I just prefer to drive even if it’s a couple of minutes longer, but won’t if the delay is too much. Those options have just stopped.
There is one particular route on my way home from work that it just refuses to indicate. I’ll take it anyway and find that it saves me five minutes or more. Unchecking “prefer fuel-efficient routes” has made no difference.
This. We recently were directed to drive on unlit side roads through an industrial park (in the rain, of course), across bumpy railroad tracks, then to turn onto the freeway at an ancient service road. At least it was a right turn. All the way there, the main road to the freeway was less than a mile away. Normally I would ignore stupid directions, but I was really curious where were going.
No need to apologise. It’s easy to mishear things. At least you got there okay.
Mine usually offers me alternative routes, but not always. My main wish is that it would offer more control to users.
Weird. When I used it to navigate to work it would mostly take the obvious, sensible route, but for some reason once it was near the office it would tell me to take the long way around. It was like it didn’t know the more direct road existed, even though I always went that way. Very strange.
And on the other hand, the thing I like best about Google maps is the real-time traffic updates, so you can modify your route to avoid jams. For that reason it’s sometimes useful to turn on even for routes where you know where you’re going. I remember the old days where a jam or closed road could mean an ‘exciting’ adventure of getting lost on country roads.
