Getting around on the island is generally pretty simple, so I haven’t had much need for navigation apps. I’d been unhappily relying on Google Maps but the experience has gotten progressively worse (enshittification) until one time there were so many ads on the page that I couldn’t get to the controls to request navigation.
I’ve tried CoMaps a few times. It’s a free- and open-source navigation app that’s based on Open Street Maps (a crowd-sourced mapping project to which I am an occasional contributor). Being FOSS, it’s unlikely to enshittify. It has no ads. It works completely offline, if necessary — important with the poor cellular service here on the island. It’s just, the last few times I tried it I was in a hurry, and something didn’t work, and I just gave up and used Evil Empire Maps instead. Today, I was going to a place I didn’t know and I had a little extra time so I thought I’d try CoMaps again.
I honestly don’t remember what had gone wrong in the past, but I just entered my destination and it mapped it without incident. I did remember that there was a problem with spoken directions that I blamed on GrapheneOS but I didn’t care about spoken directions.
Then, as I pulled out of the compound listening to an audiobook, I heard a voice very much like the audiobook narrator’s telling me when to turn. I was momentarily confused. But CoMaps took me to my destination without incident and with pleasant voice directions. There were no glitches and the directions were timely. The reported speed limits weren’t always accurate, but I’ve noticed that with big commercial navigation apps as well.
In all likelihood, I’m now a complete CoMaps convert.
—2p