In last 5 years I have noticed a clear decline in the usability of Google Maps as ... a Map.
Increasingly you have to pick a destination and blindly follow directions, your ability to use it as an informational tool, but exercise your own judgement seems to have been intentionally crippled.
I can’t even blindly follow it. The last two or three times I’ve tried to use Google maps for directions, it has redirected me through walking trails and bike paths. Each time I closed it and just used Apple Maps to get where I needed to go.
Increasingly you have to pick a destination and blindly follow directions, your ability to use it as an informational tool, but exercise your own judgement seems to have been intentionally crippled.