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My phone detects going on a run as “someone snatching my phone and running off”

83 points · 155 comments · luu

  1. rsynnott · · focus · HN ↗
    Adding “running” to the list of things that Google engineers apparently don’t do.

    Where it joins “walking”. Google Maps will suggest almost arbitrarily bonkers public transport directions to avoid walking. Personal favourite: the sensible way to get from my house to work, unless the weather is terrible, is six minutes on a train and a 15 min walk. Google Maps would, generally, prefer that I spend 15 mins on the train going mostly the wrong direction and 15 minutes on a tram, then a five minute walk. It will also contemplate a ten minute walk, ten minutes walking being within the threshold Google deems physically possible, plus an arbitrary amount of time on a rather slow bus. Apple Maps and Transit are better at this.

    1. eCa · · focus · HN ↗
      Speaking of trains, that's another thing they don't do. The auto-snapping of current location consistently snaps to whatever road or goat track it can find nearby, while equally consistently refusing to snap to the railroad they have mapped.

      Sure, there's not much need for navigation in that situation, but if you're trying to be smart regarding where I am, maybe take into account if I'm travelling at 200 kph before plonking me on a twisty gravel road.

      1. smelendez · · focus · HN ↗
        Yeah, I frequently wish you could get directions from your current point on a train/bus line.
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