Weird detours, inaccurate time estimates, walking routes that double back on themselves. Is this some new instance of enshittification?
We just returned from a summer vacation to Dublin and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It was a beautiful city full of friendly people, great food and lots to see and do.
The only drawback was experiencing some sort of Google Maps-mediated time warp.
Some background: I have used Google Maps for years to navigate around Berlin. I have found it to be sometimes more accurate for real-time public transit information than BVG’s own proprietary apps. Walking directions are similarly reliable – with time estimates tending to be very generous.
It says the walking time to our nearest train station to be 12 minutes, and it takes me – at most – 10 minutes and I do not walk fast.
In Dublin, Google walking directions were a completely different experience.
Destinations that were 500 to 700 meters away were all listed as being within a “five-minute walk.” (For reference, 500 meters is about a third of a mile, 700 meters is closer to a half mile.) Five hundred meters in five minutes is doable at a brisk pace. But 700 meters is not a five-minute walk for the average person.
The second thing we observed: If we switched to turn-by-turn live walking directions – the app would go haywire, detouring us up and down various side streets, sometimes doubling back on the recommending route or taking us up a street only to recommend a u-turn and returning to our original route.
The result? We would set off for an estimated ‘5-minute walk’ and arrive exhausted at our destination 15 to 20 minutes later!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Lady, maybe look up from your phone every now and again.’ And, you would have a point.
Tourists have navigated foreign cities for hundreds of years without the assistance of GPS or handheld devices.
It is just that it never occurred to us that this could be an issue until now.
I have used Google Maps for directions in multiple different countries, including Austria, Poland, and the Netherlands, without any issues.
Is it a conspiracy, or is it AI?
A quick perusal of some tourist and Google Maps subreddits shows we’re not alone. One user, u/heresaditty, wrote:
Yes, I have observed this issue in 4 different countries on 2 continents the last month. Right now it just told me I needed to walk 10 minutes to a different metro station when I was already standing right at a perfectly good station. I’ve taken this route countless times, I just was checking it for the train schedule (should have given up on it already, force of habit that I checked).
Some are wondering if the recent implementation of the Gemini-powered ‘Ask Maps’ feature is leading to AI-induced directional hallucinations.
In Dublin, specifically, a Tiktok post recently went viral claiming that Google Maps deliberately plotted walking routes to avoid passing the homes of wealthy “tech bros.”
More on Reddit:
My personal pet conspiracy theory is that Google Maps deliberately alters the routes in areas that are popular with tourists to take them past businesses that advertise with them.
I can’t find any evidence – even anecdotal – that this is the case. But it seems suspicious that walking directions would suddenly detour us 200 meters out of our way, along streets packed with businesses, and then 200 meters back as a short cut.
I really wish I had thought to screen shot the directions as we were walking, but I didn’t. When I request the same directions with the same destinations from my computer here at home – I get simple routes and accurate estimated travel times.
The non-tinfoil hat explanation
Other respondents on the Google Maps subreddit suggested issues with calibrating the users’ phones or accessing the GPS via different wireless carriers.
And, it is true that we did not clear our caches or restart our phones prior to trying to navigate Dublin.
It could be that cookies and other leftover data from our respective home bases (we were traveling with family from the States) could have affected the walking route recommendations.
Exploring (with) other options
Whether it is down to user error (entirely possible!) or a more nefarious explanation, this experience reminded me of the dangers of relying on a handheld electronic device connected to a satellite just to navigate a few city blocks.
Next trip, I’m going to invest in a good old-fashioned printed map! And, probably start testing some of these non-tech behemoth, GPS map alternatives.
What do you think? Have you had recent (or not-so recent) bad experiences with Google Maps? Do you have an alternative that you prefer?
Leave a comment and let me know below. I’ll be doing some app test and comparisons in and around Berlin and update with what I find out.
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