• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help Decreased User Friendliness of Navigation in New Maps

flyerhell

Lurker
Dec 9, 2012
9
2
Hi everyone,

I got the Maps update a few weeks ago and I'm EXTREMELY unhappy with it. Has anyone else found that putting in the destination address from your contacts became MUCH more difficult since the update? I used to be able to go to my contacts, select the one I want to navigate to, touch the address and then select "navigation." Now, Maps isn't even an option.

Also, within the old Navigation app, I was able to browse through my lists of contacts with addresses. Now, in the new Maps, I can't seem to be able to do that and instead have a list of "recently used addresses" (which are almost always unhelpful random places that I've searched on my desktop in Google Maps).

I've resorted to going to the contact that I want directions to, memorizing the address and then manually entering it into the Maps app.

I feel like Google couldn't have messed up this badly (since Maps doesn't even appear anymore when I touch the contact's address, it's almost like they are forcing me to use another app for navigation) so I MUST be missing something, right?

Thanks in advance for any feedback! :)
 
Didn't realise I could no longer search my contacts' addresses from within Maps .. not sure I ever did that in the past, but it does seem like an obvious oversight.

Not being able to search the other way around - from Contacts to Maps - must be an issue with the HTC contact app because I just tried on my Nexus 4 and touching the address in a contact gave me the option of using Maps, just like before.

As a work around, you could highlight and copy the address from the contact and paste it into the Maps search bar.

EDIT: just saw this post that says you need to tap the contact image to get the maps option.
 
Upvote 0
I'm not liking it at all. The other day I was on the expressway, and there were 2 forks coming up. It said about 500 feet (while going 70mph) to stay left at the fork. I did that. Then there was another fork coming up and it completely ignored it.

I just stayed in the left lane and then it said to stay on this for 21 miles...I was heading into Chicago at this point, and I wanted to go 40 miles outside of Chicago into Schaumburg. My trip took an extra 45 minutes because of it.
 
Upvote 0
When you first type in the to and from address, and it has the time for the route and preview at the bottom, press the car in the upper left, that takes you to the alternate route screen.

Or you can hit the back button too I think.

If you are using the contact search method, the car is at the bottom right of the screen. (has the time underneath) The back button doesn't work for contact search.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NightAngel79
Upvote 0
I used to like to look at alternate routes even halfway through the trip -- I might decide I want to skip the Beltway, even though it says traffic is light, e.g.

And what's the deal with every time I ask for navigation it asks if I want VZ navigator or Google Nav -- "always or just this time" -- I always say ALWAYS and it ALWAYS asks again the next time! But that's from before this update, and this update didn't fix it.
 
Upvote 0
I used to like to look at alternate routes even halfway through the trip -- I might decide I want to skip the Beltway, even though it says traffic is light, e.g.

And what's the deal with every time I ask for navigation it asks if I want VZ navigator or Google Nav -- "always or just this time" -- I always say ALWAYS and it ALWAYS asks again the next time! But that's from before this update, and this update didn't fix it.

Cause Verizon has made it so you can't choose google maps nav as default. Mine is the same way.
 
Upvote 0
And what's the deal with every time I ask for navigation it asks if I want VZ navigator or Google Nav -- "always or just this time" -- I always say ALWAYS and it ALWAYS asks again the next time! But that's from before this update, and this update didn't fix it.

Cause Verizon has made it so you can't choose google maps nav as default. Mine is the same way.

You could just disable VZ Navigator if you don't use it.
 
Upvote 0
Cause Verizon has made it so you can't choose google maps nav as default. Mine is the same way.

You could just disable VZ Navigator if you don't use it.

^This. Once I disabled it everything has been gravy (for most part)

Hell, I forgot about how it kept asking till I read this
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones