Is there a digital compass app (Android) for walking around?
I'm spending time at a new city and Google Maps is shit for walking. It's hard to say exactly what's wrong with it, everything feels wrong. Car centric logic just doesn't work for walking I guess (yes I'm using the walking mode). It feels bad, unreliable, and I'm lost all the time. Yesterday I ended up 2 hours away from my destination and had to call an Uber (big humiliation!). Walking is my preferable way of urban exploration and I hate talking to strangers.
What I want is a simple compass that tells me "go to that general direction and you'll get there". No map, no street names. Just an arrow and a linear distance (like, in a straight line). Like a videogame. Without foreknowledge, street names are just confusing and unnecessary. I can handle the route myself.
Does such an app exists?
FYI, phone compasses (the hardware part) are notoriously bad.
I bet even analog compasses have issues in urban environments.
Some cities have ways of indicating cardinal directions built into street names, monuments, and/or cornerstones.
Absolutely, the badness of the compass is one reason why Google Maps is bad for walking. I'll look into those cardinal directions!
Ultimately I think I'll just buy an actual compass, but I have no idea where I would find such thing here. I'll probably order for the next trip.
I’ve always found it easiest to just walk 50 meters and see which way the dot moves. Assuming the map is locked to face north (anyone who has rotation turned on scares and confuses me) you’ve now got compass direction plus a rough idea of the local street layout, and you’re set for at least the next 15 minutes of undistracted walking.
Back in the day, Google used to actually ship an app explicitly for this purpose. I think it was made by some Googlers on some 20% time, so it was probably discontinued. I can't remember what it was called, though.
What about a paper map—or, similarly, using google maps solely as a map, without directions or location tracking?
Paper maps are good and the next best thing, I can draw them myself and Google is useful like you say. I used to print those, but I don't have a printer at my disposal at the moment. Maybe I can find a print shop nearby (unfortunately no one sells print maps anymore... I used to collect those :( ).
However, it would be advantageous being able to look things on the fly, such as "closest local cuisine restaurant" and such.
I tend to walk a lot, sometimes for hours, so I'll eventually reach the edge of my planning anyway. Some spontaneity is welcomed in those walks.
I could buy an actual compass to pair with hand drawn directions for the full hipster experience lol
Orienteering compasses are cheap, if you can't buy online you should be able to find them in a hunting or sporting goods store.
If you get a good topography map (check your local library maybe?), you can get quite good at figuring out where you are with only the map and compass.
If you have a smartwatch you might try using that, mine shows only the directions (no map) and there’s also a compass app built-in in case you wanted a literal spinning compass.
Oh, and with Google Maps, they have an AR option where you use your camera and see physical floating arrows.