You may have heard of the term shit, which can also be described as platform degradation. In other words, what is happening on platforms like Twitter (thanks to Elon Musk’s measures) or Google Maps (which already offer less optimal routes in order to sponsor a few stops).
The latter case leads many users to be interested in alternative cartographic applications, which are completely open and which prioritize user experience over profit. This is the case of Organic Maps, to which I gave a chance. There are even advantages over Apple Maps.
When we respect the user, we also respect the battery
Organic Maps advocates a user experience entirely based on community collaboration. It uses OpenStreetMap maps as a base, which open source and guarantees absolute confidentiality. The app itself, which you can get for free from the App Store, ensures that no data regarding our use is recorded. Not even anonymous, something even Apple Maps can’t offer.
This philosophy even affects the autonomy of the iPhone: if nothing needs to be recorded, you can do without all the background processes that do so. And here’s another very favorable point of Organic Maps: the maps are downloaded to the device locally as we view the areas. It means that we will not have to consume internet data when we repeatedly consult maps of the same area. Which even allows us to save more battery and allows us to stop depending on the coverage when we travel.
Organic Maps navigation pre-downloads maps of the regions you explore. In USA it seems that downloads are divided by provinces.
This is visible when using Organic Maps in multiple queries over a period of time. Yes, the first time you will have to wait a few seconds for the download of the maps to be completed (it’s a few tens of MB, nothing exaggerated), but from there Map loading is virtually instantaneous even with airplane mode enabled.
Paradise for hikers and cyclists
Besides the loading speed, there are some things that pleasantly surprised me when trying Organic Maps. Your interface shows that I had never seen the side roads and trails. Even in towns with fewer than 400 residents where I usually spend my days off, I see these marked hiking trails that I’ve ventured onto.
Mountain roads, reliefs and cycle paths. Finally a mapping app that doesn’t always prioritize routes and data for those who own a car.
The icing on the cake is an option that overlaps relief lines from the map to these trails, so you have a high quality map in case you want to get lost in the mountains and there is no cover. No other mapping option on iPhone has shown me so much specific data, at least with this ease and without relying on specific apps.
Another thing I liked is that Organic Maps is able to show you urban cycle routes, for those of us who don’t use the car. Streets with cycle paths have priority and on the map you can see points where you can drink drinking water (like urban fountains). Data generally much more difficult to visualize in other mapping applications.
Organic Maps pending tasks: more information
For the reasons discussed above, Organic Maps has earned its place on my iPhone. This does not mean that from now on you will use this application exclusively. For this I would need to see several improvements, which I assume will develop over time:
- Public transport information is too basic, offering only routes on urban railways. There are no timetables or bus stop information in cities like Barcelona.
- Building silhouettes aren’t something I consider basic on a map, but they help a lot. And in Organic Maps/OpenStreetMaps it still doesn’t seem to be everywhere.
- The interface for establishing a route between two points is somewhat confusing, with no buttons to confirm it.
Even like this, I will consider Organic Maps to do common map queries, because its speed and independence from data coverage can help reduce battery consumption. And let’s just say: the less big data technology knows about you, the better.
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