Magic Earth introduces annual subscription

Using /e/OS Applications
1

Apparently Magic Earth is introducing an annual subscription with payment:

Does anybody know, how this affects /e/ or how this payment will be done from the AppLounge?

5 Likes
2

In my opinion, /e/OS should now use an open source solution, for example CoMaps.

2 Likes
3

I looked at that Magic Earth web site and it looks to me a subscription is required through Google Play. That won’t work for me. For other options there’s OsmAnd~ and Organic Maps.

4

Is being discussed often … up until now always ends with crickets chirping at the (for /e/OS) decisive question “Does it have live traffic data in some form?”
Magic Earth does.

Does CoMaps have live traffic data in some form?

3 Likes
5

AFAIK not yet, but there might be something worked on.

2 Likes
6

I think I heard @GaelDuval saying they are working on an alternative navigation app during the V3.0 peertube release party. Not sure which direction (with or without live traffic) it will go…

7

Thanks for your replies.

I did contact the Magic Earth customer support and they let me know, that they are currently working on introducing alternative payment methods, that do not depend on the Android Play Store.

6 Likes
8

Is the annual subscription the reason why the application is no longer updated automatically?
I had to consult it in Applounge for the update to be suggested to me and then the maps were updated.

9

For anyone who dindt, I just looked it up and saw that the annual fee would be 0,99€!
I’d be happy to pay that, for me Magic Earth works very well for navigation. The search function should be improved though…

Edit: Maybe there will be even an “one-time” payment option, that would be even better:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MagicEarth/comments/1lw93wf/099year_price_vs_one_time_purchase/

4 Likes
10

True, but I have recently been struggling with the combination of OSM data and their third party data on Magic Earth’s maps. In my hometown there are lots of double entries, including old restaurants that are closed since many years, or points of interests with the wrong location. OSM data do not contain enough businesses so they complement it with a mysterious third party company, which doesn’t seem to have up-to-date info, at least in small towns…

I would also be ready to pay if the accuracy were better.

11

I would love to see CoMaps become the default. I don’t find Magic Earth to be any better, and it’s not open source. Therefor I never use it. iodeOS is moving away from Magic Earth.

Also yes live traffic is in active development for CoMaps right now: #84 - feat: Traffic and road closures data - comaps/comaps - Codeberg.org

TLDR: yes, they’re working on it. An offline statistically based traffic estimate will probably be a feature as well, for those who don’t want any online features.

1 Like
12

Anyone with infos upon this subject?
Think this was an app developed by some European Open Source actors collaboration

13

It rather looks like someone is trying to contribute the feature, but they still need to discuss in general whether the App, which seems to make a point of being an offline App, wants to even go online to have the feature.

It will be interesting what becomes of it, I’m all for options, especially Open Source.

14

The work continues despite this disagreement over online or offline. I’m confident both options will be available in time. There are too many people asking for this feature, and being a truly comunity run project, those people aren’t being ignored.

I’m very impressed with the way this project is being run.

15

CoMaps is the clone of Organic Maps

16

This topic was automatically closed after 90 days. New replies are no longer allowed.