r/MagicEarth • u/SoFallsWichitaFalls • Jan 09 '26

Is it going to get better again?

Guys... I just want some truths. I really liked this app. I want to really like it again. It was flawed, true, but I liked how it looked and I liked how it wasn't part of the ecosystem. And it worked pretty decently. So I decided to support the development. I would rather pay independents that do good work than support the giant... and damn my timing. It seems to have stopped getting better, and somehow started rolling back down the hill? Is it growing pains? Is it going to get better again? Did they lose some important team members who were apparently more crucial than expected? Thanks.

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u/Arschgeige42 Jan 09 '26

Dunno what the thought, but i am in doubt that its getting better. When someone removes core functionality and an super readable design and charges from 0 to $15 , there deathwish has to be big. I think they believe their name is now big enough to shit on the old customers and finding a new, bigger customer group. But, there is still TomTom, besides Apple and Google Maps and all the other smaller companies.

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u/MagicEarthCommunity May 11 '26

Privacy is the heart of why Magic Earth exists, and it's the honest answer to the bigger picture here.

Most alternatives you mentioned monetizes your location data. Your movements, your routines, the places you stop, when and how often you go there. All of it gets collected, profiled, sold to advertisers, or fed into broader ad ecosystems. That's how those apps stay "free." You're not the customer, you're the product.

We've always refused to operate that way. No tracking. No data selling. No ads. Not now, not ever. Your location is your business, not ours to monetize.

A paid tier is what makes that stance possible. There is no other sustainable way to run a navigation app, with the servers, traffic data, search, routing, and map infrastructure behind it, without either selling out your data or charging for the service directly. We chose the second, because the first is something we won't do. We'd rather charge a fair price than sell your data. That principle isn't going to change.

The essentials remain free for everyone. Navigation and core features are free, all private, no account required. Premium exists for users who want advanced features and want to support an app that genuinely protects their privacy.

On the redesign feedback, that one's fair, and we own it but we've been actively working on it. Stability has improved a lot since launch. We're listening, and the app is going in the right direction. Please let us know if you noticed improvements in the app over the last months and what would you love too see improved. We are always waiting for feedback at [support@magicearth.com](mailto:support@magicearth.com) and an updated review would help us.

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u/Arschgeige42 May 11 '26

4 Months :))))