Here’s Google’s blog post on how they’re fecklessly obeying
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/
Remember, if they do this, what else are they surrendering to the US administration?
this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2026
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Boycott US
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While I haven't looked into it, OSM might also have a discussion up about adding the "lake america" label as a regional alternative name. They did that for a previous trump tantrum too.
However, I find that my feelings towards each organization depend on the intent behind the action. When OSM adds that label, it's being done for cartographic reasons and I don't mind that. When Google does it, especially this quickly, it feels like it's being done for appeasement reasons.
Also with Google, everyone in the US sees that name. Whereas with OSM, you would be choosing to use the trump tantrum labels.
if you want people to quit something, you better offer alternatives.
- OSM (OpenStreetMap https://openstreetmap.org/ ) is a good candidate but it lacks some essential features, including satellite view and public transport routing.
OsmAnd which is OSM-based has both satellite view (which you can also save for offline viewing if needed) and primitive public transport (good enough for dense cities with rapid transit). It's not easy to set up and get used to but if you're ok with computers, give it a spin.
Otherwise there's mapy, which also has those features but is much easier to use and more polished. Not FOSS though.
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Live traffic updates is a big one that all the foss alternatives are missing.
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I tried OsmAnd in the past, I paid for it and it's still installed in my phone, but I keep going back to Google Maps for "default" maps. OsmAnd is missing the Cycle Map layer of openstreetmaps.org and is not super useful in my case. And we all know Google Maps is very bad for cycling too, but it's good at finding places, so I just make my own route instead of using the four lane artery it suggested me to cycle on.
The exception is when I'm hiking or walking long distances and need to find/record my position on a map, relative to a pedestrian path or hiking trail. For this I've always used AlpineQuest. I don't know if it's made by Americans though. AlpineQuest also has the Cycle Map layer, so it's my second favourite map app, but I mainly use it when I'm in a big park, or not in a city.
Still, openstreetmaps.org with the Cycle Map layer is wonderful for planning cycling and hiking routes by yourself. Unfortunately it's just absolutely bad at making any kind of route by itself.
I've just heard about CoMaps recently. I also don't know if it's mainly American, but it's open source, community driven, and based on OSM data, which is important. It has adresses and seems like a promising alternative to Google Maps for my "default" searches, so I'm going to give it a try. However it's just an app and there doesn't seem to be a simple website matching the mobile experience, so I'm kind of guessing that I won't try it for long.
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My first impression with CoMaps: Wow!
Same, it’s nice, I like that the maps are offline… Google and Apple both have had me driving through stretches of white background because they don’t even bother to download your route.
Same here too. First time learning about it and going to more heavily test this week, but so far it looks pretty good :). Great tips in this thread.
OsmAnd~ is also good like that, you can download the various map styles for overlay
Maybe I did something wrong but I used Comaps to go to a very big, very clearly marked government building and it directed me like, two blocks over even though the address was right. Any thoughts on that? Should I just use it more? This specific example was downtown in a very big US city, so maybe that's part of it?
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Use HERE We Go as an alternative.
It's based in Germany.
loads very slowly for me. lots of people checking it out rn?
otherwise seems to work fine for me.
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People didn't bother when The Gulf Of Mexico was changed, and that ones displayed globaly.
Lake Ontario is only displayed as Lake America in America. Canadian's still see Lake Ontario, and the rest of the world sees both (though I've not seen a screenshot of both displayed yet, besides in this article)
I doubt very many people will care enough to change habbits.
That said, I've been slowly transitioning to Organic Maps, which uses OpenStreetMap data. Just as part of a general 'fuck America and it's products'
This is one of those “the second best time to plant a tree is today” situations for me.
People didn’t bother when The Gulf Of Mexico was changed, and that ones displayed globaly.
Really? https://lemmy.ca/post/39089906
I doubt very many people will care enough to change habbits.
Many might but likely not the majority of people, its still good to encourage so why downplay on a post trying to achieve that?
I share the sentiment about people reacting differently, but I'm up for anything to reduce google's popularity. Time to advertise comaps and other foss ones!
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As a side note, the funniest possible reaction that Canada could have here would be to rename Lake Michigan to Lake Inferior
Rename the other 4 lakes some variation of "Lake Legal Adult Citizen," so that the pedofile won't touch them.
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why doesn't china just make an official proclamation declaring taiwan and hong kong are chinese territories? by this logic, google would have to rename it.
Google is already kinda not available in china
In what way is Hong Kong not a Chinese territory? Did someone sleep through the 1997 handover?
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PSA: one way to boycott #GoogleMaps is to append your SSID with _nomap. This opts out of Google using your access point for navigation.
TIL, thank you!
What a shitty solution though… I hate this “opt out of invisible thing nobody notified you of” bullshit.
I should also mention if you boycott Apple (thus Apple’s maps), the SSID must end with _optout. If you want to boycott both Apple and Google, Google’s optout tag must be at the end of the SSID and Apple’s optout tag can only be followed by Google’s optout tag. So something like foo_optout_nomap. At least that’s my understanding.
(edit) FWiW, I’ll cite the source for Google if anyone is interested. AFAIK, Apple’s opt-out flag is just a rumor.
Pure insanity.
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What service would you recommend I use instead? I use it a lot for restaurants and pathfinding on bicycle in Copenhagen
Comaps seems pretty good and is widely suggested, it has an outdoor mode which might go well with your cycling (including height contour lines)
I’ve used Apple Maps for a long time
I also came here to recommend CoMaps. It's an offline map service (you download the regional maps you need) and they're privacy-focused. I installed it through F-Droid, just to further avoid Google and their Play Store.
CoMaps uses data from OpenStreetMap, so it's community-driven content. Missing information on the map? Go add it on OpenStreetMap and it'll eventually populate on CoMaps. As well as other public maps.
I noticed my quiet countryside neighborhood didn't exist on any maps, which made receiving mail/deliveries tricky (my neighbors regularly received my packages, and vice versa). So I added the streets and houses in my neighborhood to OpenStreetMap and now my neighborhood pops up on Google and Bing maps. Haven't had a delivery issue since!
Thanks, will check them out! For a long time Apple didn't have bicycle routes in Copenhagen but I see they have it now as well.
Just degoogle entirely. There were plenty of reason to do so already.
I already changed from Google Maps. I think if you are using google fiber now would be the time to find a new provider. There are probably local isp alternatives in your area.
I've been using OSMAnd for a while now. Having locally download maps is pretty nice imo. It also has better directions imo, showing the lane to use, the street name or exit, and even shoes the bext upcoming direction. I've had google just say "take the next exit."
It doesn't have traffic data, but that makes sense, so no updated detours if there's roadwork or rush hour, etc. Unless I'm just new and don't know how to add that yet haha. But I believe this is a big one for most foss alternatives.
~~Another one is that I can't set it as a default response when in browser so clicking "directions" from a search won't prompt OSM. Just have to manually add the address.~~
Small update: I just learned about GeoShare. It can redirect google map link coordinates from a browser directly to your map of choice (OSMAnd, CoMaps, etc)
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But what map would my car use for Android Auto?
https://www.comaps.app/support/how-to-use-android-auto/
Comaps has Android Auto support
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The irony is Lake America is the smallest of the Great Lakes.
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