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Android 5.1.1 - leaving maps feature behind


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(sorry for my English)

 

With big regret, last version of Evernote for Android hasn't the "Maps" button and feature anymore.

 

Big regret because:

- I used this feature for work (I'm a travel agent and it was very important for me)

- There wasn't any mention in the changelog

- On Android I cannot downgrade to a previous version

 

(I've written about this in another post, started by somebody else with "web" tag, but please, let me start a new standalone topic)

 

I use EN for remember and locate construction sites:

  • where it is (with map)
  • what it is and what to propose (snapping a picture of the site)
  • who is the builder (writing the note or with OCR recognition of the advertisement panel)
  • when to visit (not too early, not too late - by changing the creation date and searching notes after a certain date)

So when I'm planning a visit in an area, I know what to do, where to go, when and in which order. A single visual glimpse on an Evernote map.

With tags maybe I do not remember the single note content but I remember what it's about (that's why tags exists). A pin/geotag in the Android map fulfills the same purpose: I don't remember the single note content (a building, a restaurant, a customer, a monument), but I know where it is or where they are.

 

You may say "search for the cities names" and get a list of notes: ok, but this was the work I did with my paper notebook and that's why I started using EN.

 

The words are not enough, please let me see again my places inside EN and with all the feature of EN.

 

Cheers. 

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Hi Gangun, 

 

We haven't changed the map feature in the last update. 

What you experienced is most likely a bug. 

We use an external service to define the place for a specific coordinate, and it happens that the returned result is wrong. 

If you login with the web client, you will probably see that the notes are still correctly localised. 

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Hi and thanks for the response.

 

I had two support chat yesterday, the first told me it's a bug and suggested uninstall/reinstall approach.  Then I re-chatted to say I had no resultes in this way and she told me the feature has been removed from Android indeed (last time I used this feature was on friday, I believe with 5.1 version).

 

But I think you (xdelplanque) are talking about the location of a single note: yes it's still working (and with right location both for Web and Android).

 

I was talking about the "map service" inside Evernote for Android Instead, which allowed me to see a map with more than a note inside; the Map/Location button (I don't know its caption in English, I use the italian interface and it was called "Mappe") has gone.

 

It was in the menu bar at the bottom of the screen, which now includes only:

  • Add to home screen
  • Shortcuts
  • Sync
  • Settings

(I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S Advance)

 

Cheers.

 

Edit: I was looking around for some add-in to Evernote, but none cares about the "where" aspect. Or better, "where" is intended for few predetermined places (office, home, library, New York, Rome).  While other software care only about the "where" side, with little possibility for the "what" side.   Evernote instead linked the two aspects togheter and in a great way, allowing a "written" list (a list of notes based on some criteria) and a "visual" list (a map of notes based on the same criteria).

 

Edit2 17.06.2013: nothing, I'm (almost) desperataly looking for an app or software which could import EN geotagged notes in a map, but by now I've only a bunch of written notes; big "G" has a beta of a little maps engine, but not to compare with EN previous features.  So sad today :-(.

 

Edit3 19.06.2013: by now, the very last remains of search by location is  the "Advanced Search" option "Near Here --> 1/5/25 miles":  Maps allowed the same thing without the need to be "there" and without the need to write anything. Furthermore,  proximity between single notes was visualized too. 

 

Edit4 29.06.2013: created a map of my area with Google Maps and trying to define the perimeter of homogeneous zones (what I did with  my old paper map); the problem is with towns toward the border: I end up missing them all or including too many by adding adjacent zones. Furthermore, some towns near each other are difficult to reach because are in different valleys or with no direct roads ... 

 

Edit5 06.07.2013: there is a thing I don't understand about maps in Android: all the the apps I've checked (ok ok, EN competitors too) allow me to add geotag, but only where they want.    They say "ok, near you there is this pub, this restaurant, this disco: choose between them": I don't want to choose between them, I want to  add my pin where I want.

 

I cannot add/edit My Places even with Google Maps Android. The only option is to add a star on a place and then, at home, add and edit it on My Places.   Maps Engine Lite?? It's a beta and there is no app, only browser.

 

Evernote allowed this with simplicity: add what I want and where I want.          Any help is appreciated !!!

 

 

Edit6 11.07.2013: I've tried to divide my "travel zone" in areas, drawing shapes of  homogeneous spots (near each other, or connected by the same big road ...) with a bit of overlapping. Then I had two options:

 

  1. Name areas with a letters and with cardinal position (A-Nord, A-East, .. B-South) but so I've always to see (or remember) a visual map to know that B is nothern to A and is eastern to C ... rather difficult to remember, low grade of automation, always searching  "but that little town is 'B-East' or 'C-West' or both as it's in an overlapped area?  Furthermore no way to use coordinates;
  2. Drawing shapes on a map and save their "xy" corners coordinates as a "search".  Big problem: only not sloping rectangles are allowed as I can search only 2 latitudes (one bigger than .. and one smaller than..) and 2 longitudes (one bigger than .. and one smaller than..).   Again, rather useless.

No happy news today.

 

Edit7 19.07.2013: Oops I did it again.   Yesterday Google updated Maps app on Android ... removing My Places feature (obviously, without mentioning it in the changelog :( ).

First lesson, never update software reading changelog only: wait some days and read more forums.

 

Second, maybe maps with many Pins are difficult to maintain or it's a low used service so there is not enough money return. 

Infact, the new web Google Maps has the option of "My Places" but when I click on it I return to old Google Maps. Ok, there is the new "Google Maps Engine Lite" but still a beta and nothing to compare with old Evernote Maps (again, it allowed filtering both notes tags, geotags and content).

I've seen Evernote is implementig Atlas on Windows too, so I hope it will be back on Android again (maybe coexistence of old Maps and new Atlas was difficult or impossibile for the database maintenance). Albeit by now Atlas shows all notes together or sorted only by location; a leap backward; I hope in future improvement, but when I read this I've not many hope.

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I start believing Maps have been removed for the heavy work servers have to do:  iOS has it's own map interface, Android had it's own too.

 

But, in offline search the dirty work is left to local devices (EN premium) instead of EN servers. Why don't do the same thing for maps?  With Notes coordinates only or with maps images too.

Instead of leave Maps dying (see the inability to choose which Notebooks to see on iOS Atlas), couldn't you treat it as a Premium service or something like this?

 

Cheers.

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Ok, I've found out that in notes list, with a long click on a note, a contextual menu appears with "show on map" button inside. The nice old map appears with the single note pin inside, with the number of notes found on the upper right of the screen (obviously only one).

So the geotag isn't part of the searches anymore. BUT if I write the coordinates perimeter (latitude ... -latitude ... longitude ... -longitude ...) I can still find my notes: but only a list, not a geographical reference. Are these search parameters going to be removed too?

Do you want to reduce the server work? Leave some work to the user, so instead to show immediately note pins when map appears, ask BEFORE where the notes have to be. Ask which is the perimeter: you know where I am, so show only my area in the screen and ask to draw a rectangle as search edges.

Is it still too work for servers? Treat this as a premium service, ask to pay for "x" miles map.

But please, bring it back.

Cheers.

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