In the growing list of software that’s getting worse it seems like Google Maps and Google Navigation has made the list. Tell me if you noticed it too.

I live in the San Francisco Bay area which is huge and complex. Google navigation is a must even if I know where to go because it routes me around traffic problems that could get me stuck for hours. But in the last few months Google Maps is doing weird stuff. It get’s it wrong on most every highway intersection.

First it correctly tells me to get off at the exit, that’s fine. But when I do that it then thinks I missed the exit – reroutes – and gives me instructions as if I’m still on the highway. After a few more seconds it realizes that I did exit the highway and it reroutes again by the time I get to the end of the exit ramp.

But them I make a let turn and cross over the highway and it then thinks I’m back on the highway – reroutes again – and gives me wrong directions. Then after passing the highway it reroutes again and it’s normal.

Another thing it does it I’m stopped at a red light and not moving and it thinks I turned around and heading in the opposite direction.

This is happening a lot – more often than not – and it didn’t used to be that way. It used to just work, more or less. I keep waiting for them to fix it but they don’t And friends are seeing it too. Some are thinking – Apple! Nooooooo!

These software problem are easily fixed. They could add code so that the phone assumes that you did the right thing until it is sufficiently sure you didn’t. For example. If I was going in the right direction at a stop light and the GPS things I wen’t 1 mph in the opposite direction then it should ignore that unless I’m moved a significant distance in the wrong direction.

If I get off the highway on a ramp and the GPS isn’t sure if I’m on the ramp or highway it’s should assume I took the ramp until it is sure I didn’t. That would eliminate the annoying any confusing and unnecessary rerouting that it’s doing now.