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  • Re: Q: Have you yet tested the privacy-aware FOSS Google Maps replaceme

    From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, September 03, 2026 00:23:50
    Subject: Re: Q: Have you yet tested the privacy-aware FOSS Google Maps replacement, Vela Maps?

    On 2026-08-15, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Q: Has anybody on this Android ng tested the privacy-aware
    FOSS Google Maps replacement, Vela Maps?
    A: ???

    The link which was provided to me is this, but it's for the F-Droid repo. <https://pimpinpumpkin.github.io/Vela/repo?fingerprint=F374920F2F5F38D7508D0B042125B8EAF23CF0F06FA7490280FB77115BB091DE>
    I never use the F-Droid app since I download all my apps on the
    desktop.

    That appears to be a repository for use with F-Droid, but Vela is not in
    the F-Droid official repositories. Anyone knows why?

    The Github link to the Vela repo appears to be
    <https://pimpinpumpkin.github.io/Vela/>
    [...]
    Turn-by-turn with lane guidance, route shields and the speedometer; the keyless OpenFreeMap basemap wearing Google's own sampled colors and Roboto labels, with rated POI icons and the tiered dots; live place data; the directions panel with alternates, traffic in plain words and the avoid toggles; live departure boards with a tap-through stop list for every
    route; and the in-app light/dark themes (decoupled from the OS).

    The screenshots also seemed somewhat focused on driving road vehicles, I
    do hope it's not so limited.

    What you get

    So, wait, are you copying the README in your post?

    [...]

    Why a degoogled app uses Google
    A phone without Google Play Services cannot run Google Maps, and the open
    map datasets fall well short on search, reviews, hours, and live traffic.
    So Vela is a thin client over Google's public web endpoints. It asks them
    the same way a logged-out browser does, once per user, with no account, no shared API key, and no server in the middle. NewPipe does the same for YouTube. There are no ads, and your searches, saved places, and history
    stay on the phone. If you run GrapheneOS or another no-GMS ROM, this gets
    you working maps back.

    What's to prevent Goole from breaking this? Or are these open, stable
    APIs intended for this use?


    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Arno Welzel@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 04, 2026 18:41:05
    Subject: Re: Q: Have you yet tested the privacy-aware FOSS Google Maps replacement, Vela Maps?

    Maria Sophia, 2026-08-15 21:04:

    Q: Has anybody on this Android ng tested the privacy-aware
    FOSS Google Maps replacement, Vela Maps?
    A: ???

    It will only work as long as Google accepts using their API this way.

    SearXNG also does not work any longer because Google blocks it.


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)