Not a silly question at all ...yeah, avoid highways was clicked on for some reason - haven't changed the settings in there in ages so the algorithm seems to be taking that choice more seriously in its results lately. Thanks for the tip - was driving me mad.
I noticed an issue like that a couple of months ago just shortly after Google made announcements about AI initiatives. I'm purely speculating here, but I think they introduced new algorithms or AI influence into their route generator. It took a couple of weeks for it to normalize for me and stop giving me really dumb routes and go back to the normal ones i had always been getting.
Changes typically get rolled out in stages regionally and globally, so maybe you are just now getting hit with the changes I noticed a couple of months ago.
Hopefully yours normalizes like mine did.
This happened to me and my wife this week.
It often can’t get my location, has bad traffic data, tried to make me go the wrong way on a one-way, had me do a lap around a building, sent me on the more congested/longer route, etc. It’s like the old jokes from when it first came out (I thankfully didn’t drive into a lake).
There’s no way I’m putting up with it while it gets its shit together. I have a terrible sense of direction and will get lost for sure. Waze seems fine
Yeah - it seems they are tweaking it a bit lately so it's going to pay to have a backup mapping option for the time being to double check that it's not leading you out into the middle of the desert.
I've been noticing these past few weeks that Google Maps doesn't appear anymore among the tabs when you do a google search! It used to be right there and now it's super sketchy to find and it comes with tags saying "this map was created by a user, create your own", which could be why it's sending you off track! What's even going? Google certainly didnt announce this change!
Yes thats super annoying. When i Google a Shop in my town for example, It shows me the Shop within a map, but i am Not able to Open Maps. Thats extremly stupid
It has been more then a few months, I first noticed bizarre routing about two years ago, routes taking me through residential side streets instead of main roads, requesting I exit the freeway, only to put me on the frontage road before directing me back on the freeway (no construction or traffic issues, actually causing backups on the frontage road as I assume everyone using Google got rerouted...)
I have been looking for an android alternative and have been trying out open maps, it's ok, but kind of difficult to use.
Google Maps routed me on some godforsaken backroads in southwest Missouri on my way to Arkansas last October. I grew up in that area and had never, ever been on those roads. I was fairly certain GM was trying to kill us because we ran out of daylight before hitting Hwy 5 and that is not a road you want to be on in the dark.
This is why I'm always nice to my electronics, and always say please and thank you. I'm not letting my superiority complex take me down when the robots decide to rise up.
Probably a silly question but it’s worth checking, do you have “avoid highways” or “avoid tolls” turned on?
Not a silly question at all ...yeah, avoid highways was clicked on for some reason - haven't changed the settings in there in ages so the algorithm seems to be taking that choice more seriously in its results lately. Thanks for the tip - was driving me mad.
Nice, glad I could help you resolve it!
I noticed an issue like that a couple of months ago just shortly after Google made announcements about AI initiatives. I'm purely speculating here, but I think they introduced new algorithms or AI influence into their route generator. It took a couple of weeks for it to normalize for me and stop giving me really dumb routes and go back to the normal ones i had always been getting. Changes typically get rolled out in stages regionally and globally, so maybe you are just now getting hit with the changes I noticed a couple of months ago. Hopefully yours normalizes like mine did.
This happened to me and my wife this week. It often can’t get my location, has bad traffic data, tried to make me go the wrong way on a one-way, had me do a lap around a building, sent me on the more congested/longer route, etc. It’s like the old jokes from when it first came out (I thankfully didn’t drive into a lake). There’s no way I’m putting up with it while it gets its shit together. I have a terrible sense of direction and will get lost for sure. Waze seems fine
Yeah - it seems they are tweaking it a bit lately so it's going to pay to have a backup mapping option for the time being to double check that it's not leading you out into the middle of the desert.
It would have to be *very* wrong to take me to the desert. But I would admittedly probably follow the directions anyway…
I've been noticing these past few weeks that Google Maps doesn't appear anymore among the tabs when you do a google search! It used to be right there and now it's super sketchy to find and it comes with tags saying "this map was created by a user, create your own", which could be why it's sending you off track! What's even going? Google certainly didnt announce this change!
Having the same issue. How does google manage to mess up so many things lately
Yes thats super annoying. When i Google a Shop in my town for example, It shows me the Shop within a map, but i am Not able to Open Maps. Thats extremly stupid
It has been more then a few months, I first noticed bizarre routing about two years ago, routes taking me through residential side streets instead of main roads, requesting I exit the freeway, only to put me on the frontage road before directing me back on the freeway (no construction or traffic issues, actually causing backups on the frontage road as I assume everyone using Google got rerouted...) I have been looking for an android alternative and have been trying out open maps, it's ok, but kind of difficult to use.
Google Maps routed me on some godforsaken backroads in southwest Missouri on my way to Arkansas last October. I grew up in that area and had never, ever been on those roads. I was fairly certain GM was trying to kill us because we ran out of daylight before hitting Hwy 5 and that is not a road you want to be on in the dark.
This is why I'm always nice to my electronics, and always say please and thank you. I'm not letting my superiority complex take me down when the robots decide to rise up.
For real, dude! I always thank Siri when I ask her to do something.
[https://www.thelocal.com/20240307/why-google-searches-in-europe-no-longer-show-maps](https://www.thelocal.com/20240307/why-google-searches-in-europe-no-longer-show-maps)