I’ve been trying out the Ubuntu Phone for the last few weeks. So far, it’s not a bad experience, but one of the things I was really worried about was the ability to use GPS. I was really happy to find posts online about people using a couple of different options for this on Ubuntu Phone already, and when I got mine, realized that one of the apps was now installed automatically with the Phone OS.
Sadly, when I opened the app the first time, I just get a bunch of map tiles that said something about MapQuest is no longer providing free access to their mapping tiles. I was really disappointed by this, and realized this was really a big deal for me, as I use GPS constantly when I travel for work.
You’ll notice the date is ‘As of July 11…’, and I happened to check this on July 13. Fortunately the folks making the app I was using jumped right on this, and after an OTA (Over The Air) update of the app, it was up and working again.
While MapQuest has discontinued access to their tiles, throwing Gnome Maps for a curve, the MapBox has come to the rescue allowing Gnome Maps access to their public API.
Here’s an article with more info from OMG Ubuntu!
Enjoy!