Google maps WTF

[NWkayaker]

I just took a little trip on the more populated part of the Olympic Peninsula. While in Sequim, Washington I asked for directions to Dungeness Spit trail. I am very familiar with the area but wanted to play with Alexa and google maps (I normally use Apple maps). Alexa told me it needed to know the city. I said Sequim, Washington. Alexa then told me distance was 75 miles and proceeded to give me turn by turn directions which, had I followed those maze of directions, would probably have taken me 75 miles to drive the under 10 miles to the desired destination. Coming home similar story: after crossing to the east side of the hood canal bridge, I asked for directions to my home in Port Orchard— about 35 miles from where I was. According to google maps/alexa , the distance was 3.2 miles — off by a factor of 10.
I can’t wait to see how well google maps works in unpopulated (no cell service) portion of the Oly Peninsula— maybe it does better with Forest Service and logging roads. (I’ll take my Garmin car GPS just in case)

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[Mellowyellow]

Is this Alexa or google maps messing this up?

 

[godfodder0901]

Is this Alexa or google maps messing this up?

Same question. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was Alexa...

 

[Time2Roll]

......, I asked for directions to my home in Port Orchard— about 35 miles from where I was. According to google maps/alexa , the distance was 3.2 miles — off by a factor of 10.
I can’t wait to see how well google maps works in unpopulated (no cell service) portion of the Oly Peninsula— maybe it does better with Forest Service and logging roads. (I’ll take my Garmin car GPS just in case)

I would have been curious enough to go the 3.2 and see where the navigation actually dropped me.

 

[Riviot]

I just took a little trip on the more populated part of the Olympic Peninsula. While in Sequim, Washington I asked for directions to Dungeness Spit trail. I am very familiar with the area but wanted to play with Alexa and google maps (I normally use Apple maps). Alexa told me it needed to know the city. I said Sequim, Washington. Alexa then told me distance was 75 miles and proceeded to give me turn by turn directions which, had I followed those maze of directions, would probably have taken me 75 miles to drive the under 10 miles to the desired destination. Coming home similar story: after crossing to the east side of the hood canal bridge, I asked for directions to my home in Port Orchard— about 35 miles from where I was. According to google maps/alexa , the distance was 3.2 miles — off by a factor of 10.
I can’t wait to see how well google maps works in unpopulated (no cell service) portion of the Oly Peninsula— maybe it does better with Forest Service and logging roads. (I’ll take my Garmin car GPS just in case)

Do you have a silver R1T and drive down Mullenix on the regular? Possibly with a bed topper?

 

[Budman]

Google maps has been doing fine on our trip to the remote corners of Nova Scotia.

 

[Osyras]

I have not had that issue, but I have found that it also likes to take you to the back of a building, or if a business is on a highway - to the road behind the building where there is no access.

 

[Osyras]

If you end up in Monction New Brunswick, the only reliable charger I could find was at Taylor Ford...just a heads up!

Google maps has been doing fine on our trip to the remote corners of Nova Scotia.

 

[elatrickWheels]

Alexa‘s map interface is hopeless.
This is how I (and perhaps you) would expect it to work:
You ask for “directions to Dungeness Spit Trail.” It sends that request to the Rivian, just as if you’d typed it in. Nah, that would be too easy.
Instead, Alexa tries to look for that location, presumably using whatever Amazon Web Services uses for mapping. Those maps seem to be particularly feature-poor, and so you’re presented with a bad set of options.
Lesson: Either use your iPhone to find the location and send it to the Rivian, or type it directly into the Rivian’s location finder.

 

[WhidbeyIsland]

I use Google Maps to find what I am looking for, then share the location with the Rivian app. Easy peasy.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Alexa‘s map interface is hopeless.
This is how I (and perhaps you) would expect it to work:
You ask for “directions to Dungeness Spit Trail.” It sends that request to the Rivian, just as if you’d typed it in. Nah, that would be too easy.
Instead, Alexa tries to look for that location, presumably using whatever Amazon Web Services uses for mapping. Those maps seem to be particularly feature-poor, and so you’re presented with a bad set of options.
Lesson: Either use your iPhone to find the location and send it to the Rivian, or type it directly into the Rivian’s location finder.

Second this. Typing the address directly gives much better results. I've got a whole thread somewhere full of videos of Alexa not understanding where I wanted to go, or giving laughably wrong replies.

I'm a bit concerned about the amount of "spying" google does, after integrating it with my home. But compared to Alexa, I'd much rather have it in my car.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Until they replace Alexa with something else, or migrate to Alexa+... I see no reason to use it at all.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

Until they replace Alexa with something else, or migrate to Alexa+... I see no reason to use it at all.

Yup never activated Alexa anywhere. Everyone's worried about Google - but I worry more about what Amazon does with my info than Google.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Yup never activated Alexa anywhere. Everyone's worried about Google - but I worry more about what Amazon does with my info than Google.

I don't worry. Your data is already out there. Makes no difference. I don't use Alexa simply because it's crap. Amazon created it primarily as a shopping assistant, for their site. That's why it sucks at everything else.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

I don't worry. Your data is already out there. Makes no difference. I don't use Alexa simply because it's crap. Amazon created it primarily as a shopping assistant, for their site. That's why it sucks at everything else.

idk - I feel voice assistants collect a whole other level of data. The only thing I use googles for is turn off and on my lights at home and to set my alarm. That’s about it.

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