I appreciate there may be licencing reasons behind the choice to move from Google Maps to Here maps instead, but i'd like to start this poll to give a clear indicaion to DJI about the communities feeling about having Here maps in place of the prefered(IMO) Google Maps from older app versions.

Please vote on which map choice you prefer(ed)




DJI - Can you clear up why there was a move?

Cheers,

I know Google maps is popular but I doubt most people noticed a difference.

devGOD Posted at 2016-12-27 16:57
I know Google maps is popular but I doubt most people noticed a difference.

Seriously?

One major difference between the two is  HERE maps do not work for most people. Many are having issues with maps not displaying correctly

Here Maps at my location are at least 4 years old. Numerous houses and buildings missing. Google Maps are up to date.

Here Maps is way out of date in my area.

Google maps are way more useful.   Only reason i can think for DJI to use HERE is to save money on API costs with GOOG

Pretty unanimous at the moment!

Keep voting

Not only are they out of date but the poor resolution makes them absolutely useless for my P3S. I rolled back the Go App to 2.9.1 which still uses Google but my phone keeps updating it to 3.X so it only works for a short while.

Here maps are 5 years old in my area in Czech republic. Terrible.

Thanks for cheapening your product one step further.  Striving to save a buck wherever possible.  

Here maps for me is simply a green/brown coloured mass... It has no definition at all, like the map was just simply a very low resolution jpeg that was enlarged until you can see each pixel...
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S7
OS: Android 6.0.1
App:  DJI Go 4.0.1 updated on 22 Dec 2016

Great topic

Google for sure, I doubt you'll get any votes for here.

In my area it's just colored blobs. Really need google maps back.

Mir Posted at 2016-12-28 11:10
In my area it's just colored blobs. Really need google maps back.

It's been requested, lets see what happens. If it stays this way then I'm sorry.

I'm afraid it comes down to $$$.  Saving a few $$ at the cost of user experience.   I thought DJI was all about user experience.  Ugh.

Thats like a "want free beer" poll ;-)

Definitely need Google maps back!

Bring back google....PLEASE!

X10 Bring back Google maps! Here maps in my region are useless.....

I looked at this after this debacle started and it appears that, from how I read it, google maps are actually "free" if the app developer uses the official Android or iOS APIs - https://developers.google.com/maps/pricing-and-plans/#details - so unless DJI devs are using the *web* interface to delivery maps into the app (they cost, see the link) - then this shouldn't be a cost issue. I assume the latter however.

HERE maps do not display properly or even  cache for me.... this was a poor decision to change...
As Litchi catches up on the features I will be using that app more and more....

Better resolution has returned to Android Here map this morning.
It is still inferior to Google though.

My guess would be that the issue is not about $$$ but rather because Google Maps are blocked in China and I don't think DJI really has much of a choice. If I understand correctly, HERE maps are used only on Android version of the DJI GO App. I'm on iOS so it seems that the app is using Apple Maps which work in China and only keep getting better and better. While on Android I'd see all developers trying to make an app for both international and Chinese markets to be hitting a wall when dealing with maps - Google Maps work everywhere else but in China, and then there are a number of local Chinese maps that work only in China or are localized only for China so unusable to non-chinese speakers. So I'd see DJI sticking with HERE unless there is an alternative other than Google Maps, otherwise they would be locking themselves out of their domestic market. Unless they could make the app to serve Google Maps only outside of China and serve something else while in China. Or maybe Apple releases their API to non-iOS apps one day...

Aqui Posted at 2016-12-29 02:19
My guess would be that the issue is not about $$$ but rather because Google Maps are blocked in China and I don't think DJI really has much of a choice. If I understand correctly, HERE maps are used only on Android version of the DJI GO App. I'm on iOS so it seems that the app is using Apple Maps which work in China and only keep getting better and better. While on Android I'd see all developers trying to make an app for both international and Chinese markets to be hitting a wall when dealing with maps - Google Maps work everywhere else but in China, and then there are a number of local Chinese maps that work only in China or are localized only for China so unusable to non-chinese speakers. So I'd see DJI sticking with HERE unless there is an alternative other than Google Maps, otherwise they would be locking themselves out of their domestic market. Unless they could make the app to serve Google Maps only outside of China and serve something else while in China. Or maybe Apple releases their API to non-iOS apps one day...

If it is not about the money - but because China Mainland availability - maybe they should add a switch to select between GM and Here? 2nd option - they may just "show" correct "map provider" based on your GPS location (same as they are limiting signal strength in Europe)?

Even if it was down to cost then the cost would be negligible. Based on the amount of calls/requests a day it would probably cost DJI ~$50 which is hardly breaking the bank. When did China ban Google Maps, was it recently? As the change to Here only happened in Go 3.1.0 so how were they using the app before then? I think it may be more to do with Here paying (or some sort of agreement) DJI to use their maps.

Aqui Posted at 2016-12-29 02:19
My guess would be that the issue is not about $$$ but rather because Google Maps are blocked in China and I don't think DJI really has much of a choice. If I understand correctly, HERE maps are used only on Android version of the DJI GO App. I'm on iOS so it seems that the app is using Apple Maps which work in China and only keep getting better and better. While on Android I'd see all developers trying to make an app for both international and Chinese markets to be hitting a wall when dealing with maps - Google Maps work everywhere else but in China, and then there are a number of local Chinese maps that work only in China or are localized only for China so unusable to non-chinese speakers. So I'd see DJI sticking with HERE unless there is an alternative other than Google Maps, otherwise they would be locking themselves out of their domestic market. Unless they could make the app to serve Google Maps only outside of China and serve something else while in China. Or maybe Apple releases their API to non-iOS apps one day...

Nice explanation. I wasnt aware that Google maps were banned in China ... bloody censorship !

What they need then is a toggle to switch between google/here maps surely, especially if the API service is free.

There is no question as to which is better, of course it's Google. At my company we also use Google maps in our product. Yes it is expensive but we care about the customer experience so we pay Google. Come on, switch back or at least explain why you can't. Please!

Google maps please

The maps now are ff up,so bring google back or fixs Here maps

nhoover Posted at 2016-12-29 06:25
There is no question as to which is better, of course it's Google. At my company we also use Google maps in our product. Yes it is expensive but we care about the customer experience so we pay Google. Come on, switch back or at least explain why you can't. Please!

You pay? Another poster in this thread has suggested that Google maps are free if the correct methods are used?

gkordowski Posted at 2016-12-29 03:13
If it is not about the money - but because China Mainland availability - maybe they should add a switch to select between GM and Here? 2nd option - they may just "show" correct "map provider" based on your GPS location (same as they are limiting signal strength in Europe)?

I'm not really buying the China argument. I do not believe anything has changed in the last 2 years or so, if this was the reason how were people using the app before HERE appeared in v.3.1.0?

chippie Posted at 2016-12-29 11:35
I'm not really buying the China argument. I do not believe anything has changed in the last 2 years or so, if this was the reason how were people using the app before HERE appeared in v.3.1.0?

I think you're right. For users in China, there was always the option for, "Amap" (and there still is) because Here maps isn't available in China. Here maps blocks China whereas China blocks Google maps...

Just to confirm, I tested (wego.here.com) and got this:

ERROR

The request could not be satisfied.

The Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country.
Generated by cloudfront (CloudFront)
It also doesn't seem to work from the DJI Go 4.0 app, all I get is a greyish background until I switch back to, "Amap" (this is for the Android version, can't comment on the iOS version).

We're doing this again?  It's been established by humankind that HERE maps was made for toddlers.

I don't seem to be able to vote. +1 for google maps.

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2016-12-29 12:01
We're doing this again?  It's been established by humankind that HERE maps was made for toddlers.

I think that comment is offensive to toddlers!

Keep Google maps

Here maps = Crap !!!!!

J3ff Posted at 2016-12-29 12:46
I don't seem to be able to vote. +1 for google maps.

Same, +1 google maps

Same for me: please give us back Google Maps!In France, Here is just impossible to use. On DJIGo, it's just impossible to use the map!