Google maps frustration - silent auto update? please help!

[gabriolinari]

hello,

This has been driving me crazy recently.

I do not want to install google maps new updates from play store.

I have all apps set to "do not auto update apps", currently i can see that there is a new google maps update pending but something odd is happening.

I am happy with version 10.60.1, which normally looks like this:

But recently for some reason maps layout changed to this:

and drives me mad, i have not updated of course and this seems to happen automatically even after a few hours now or immediately after. So i usually roll back to factory version and then force an installation with APK mirror, which woks well for a while but not anymore. The first time i had the installation from google play original version etc and this happened all of a sudden.

Which is the "new" layout and is driving me mad, as i really don't like it and you cannot go fullscreen in walk mode if you don't do navigation which is awful, plain crap. Would it be possible to know:

1. Why is this happening? are they force feeding us updates even though you have updates blocked?
2. When it does this sneaky update, why when you go to about > google maps > it still shows 10.60.1

3. CAN I BLOCK THIS FOR GOOD?

Many thanks to anybody for some feedback/help.

Best,
Gabrio

 

[mikedt]

1. Why is this happening? are they force feeding us updates even though you have updates blocked?
2. When it does this sneaky update, why when you go to about > google maps > it still shows 10.60.1

Very probably it was a change that was made server side, which is running on Google's computers in the cloud, rather than on the client, the app that's running on your phone. And I don't think there's a lot you can do about, that except maybe complain to Google about it.

 

[gabriolinari]

argh, thanks

 

[puppykickr]

I feel your frustration.
Google maps seemed great- awesome, really- when I first began working with Android.

Then Google did what Google does.

The satellite images became less and less clear.
The worthless notations, and stupid pictures of 'things I might be interested in', 'things to do', and advertisements became more and more annoying- eventually taking up ⅔ of the screen.

Then, I made the miserable choice to attempt navigation via Google Maps.

I tried over and over, following the directions to the hilt.
Only to be stranded in a parkinglot behind some unknown business while Screwgle is repeating over and over for me to drive through the yard and turn left.

Infuriated, I turn around and exit the lot.

recalibrating route
recalibrating route
recalibrating route

"Shut the hell up, you worthless crap!", I scream at the repeating digital dumb@$$ as people look at me strangely.

Never once has Google Maps been of any assistance at all for me.
They might as well hand a drowning person a rock, and say, "I helped!".

Not in gest at all, I will stop, purchase a paper map, unfold it, find my direction, refold it, and get on my way.

Still more efficient than Google is.

How you delt with it this long is a mystery to me.

But what happened to you is what happens with every app that emains current- eventually it will be updated to the point that it is no longer useful to you, or won't work on your device.

Although I now refuse to use any type of digital direction, try Waze.
It is nice, has many neat features, and can even display maps while offline.

The draw back for me is that these maps are large for my devices.
I use bottom rung devices, so this is to be expected.

https://waze.en.uptodown.com/android

 

[puppykickr]

I just thought of something.

If you are dead set and want to use Screwgle Craps, (sorry, couldn't resist that one), then use a browser that has a global dark theme (or whatever theme you like- just be sure that it is global).
Go to Google.com and then open Maps through the homepage icons.

I just tried it, and here is what it looked like:

If you want, there are browsers that allow you to change the homepage to whatever you like (Google Maps, for instance), and have global theme control as well.

Midori is what was used above.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.midorinext.android/

After you set it up and get used to it, you can then ditch the Google Maps app altogether, and save the space on your device.

 

[ocnbrze]

screwgle.....i love it.....LMAO!!!!!

 

[gabriolinari]

thanks guys, what i did like someone suggested me on XDA, is to install the Karma firewall and then block Google Play - it took 3 tentatives of uninstalling and then re-installing and finally on 3rd attempt it's blocked gmaps successfully.

It's interesting to see how many times google play wants to connect and do "silent operations", since now in the Karma log you can see that.

 

[puppykickr]

thanks guys, what i did like someone suggested me on XDA, is to install the Karma firewall and then block Google Play - it took 3 tentatives of uninstalling and then re-installing and finally on 3rd attempt it's blocked gmaps successfully.

It's interesting to see how many times google play wants to connect and do "silent operations", since now in the Karma log you can see that.

Yeah..
interesting may not be the best word to describe this.

Anyway, there are two other firewalls that you can check out, one is simple and one is advanced.

https://noroot-firewall.en.uptodown.com/android

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/eu.faircode.netguard/

 

[puppykickr]

When using any of the online mapping services, MapQuest, Google, etc I create a map going exactly where
I want to go, using the roads I want to use, all looks good.
Download to the unit and it apparently thinks it knows where I want to go better than I do.
All of my work creating my map goes wonky, seemingly random changes here and there.
I've tried changing preferences avoidances etc, with little to no help.

This is extremely frustrating. After reading iexit review, wanna give it a try

And this is why I still prefer paper maps- because even folding one back up properly is less frustrating than any online map debacle that I have ever tried.