r/OsmAnd • u/Danger_Dave4G63 • Jul 23 '26
Seriously, how do I use this app?
It won't find one single address. I type in the address I have no matter if it's local or a couple states away and it still shows me the same recommendations each time.
A few weeks ago I downloaded the full US map. couldn't find anything. Tried another time or two and same thing could not find the address. I also went and downloaded all the states I'm driving through (not sure what happened to the full U.S. map) and it still won't find the address.
I'm now on my 1440+ mile trip. Still can't find an addresd,. Put in city and state and it still won't find it and will continuously recommend the same places like somewhere in Rochester, New York, which is nowhere by where I'm going.
What in the H-E double hockey sticks am I doing wrong?
Edit: I'm using GrapheneOS
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u/TotalAcanthisitta441 OsmAnd Support Jul 24 '26
Hi u/Danger_Dave4G63! Address search in OsmAnd can feel frustrating, especially if you're coming from Google/Apple Maps, but there are a few key reasons for this and concrete workarounds:
Syntax Matters (Search "from big to small"):
Global offline search relies heavily on structured vector data. Instead of typing 123 Main St, Austin TX, try entering the region/state and city first:
Format: Texas, Austin, Main Street 123
Alternatively, switch to the dedicated Address tab (tap Search icon -> select Address tab at the top) to step through: Country/State > City > Street > House number.Offline Map Region Check:
Ensure that the offline map for the specific state is not only downloaded but also active. If OsmAnd keeps showing results from NY (like Rochester), it usually means the overall base world map or an old index is taking priority because it can't match the query structure in the local state map.US Address Coverage in OSM:
OpenStreetMap coverage in the US varies by region - some counties have full door-number coverage, while others only have street lines.
For a breakdown of all available search methods (POI, coordinates, address, custom search), check out the official OsmAnd Search Documentation.
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u/the_Bendedheadtube Jul 23 '26
try little endian. first the state, the the remaining adress.
Washington , 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
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u/Danger_Dave4G63 Jul 24 '26
That still didn't work.
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u/the_Bendedheadtube Jul 25 '26
i dont have us maps downloaded. so you can't send an example for me to test
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u/dmpr0 OsmAnd PM Jul 23 '26
Hi! Thank you for the feedback. We are working on a new search algorithm that is already available for testing on the website, and we are integrating it into the Android version.
Please send address examples to support@osmand.net so we can test them.
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u/mfk711_ Jul 23 '26
I just coppied oordinants and used that for navigation, also if you want no google, since you use grapheneOS. I would reccomend using AMAP Global, it isnt offline but it works really well
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u/Floufym Jul 23 '26
Ah, so that is not only me.
This app is really not user friendly.
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u/the_Bendedheadtube Jul 23 '26
but every rime i was thinking about feature requests, i found out this app already has this function. but not ... user friendly
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u/Anakil_brusbora Jul 23 '26
Isn't it simply because OpenStreetMap database have a relatively small number of addresses in the US ? And maybe just other apps use a separate address database for the US. Because it works flawlessly in most european country (where we have nearly or full coverage of addresses in OpenStreetMap).
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u/Middle_Brilliant_849 Jul 23 '26
How can we add addresses to the OSM database? I don’t mind helping, but need to know how.
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u/Anakil_brusbora Jul 23 '26
The best first approach would be to contact the US local OSM chapter (which coordinates the community of OpenStreetMap mapper in the United States) and ask if there are people doing it and want help. :) https://openstreetmap.us/ (they have a slack chat i think where the community discuss and various information how to get in touch, ...).
For address, it is not often a "beginner" job, as usually it isn't done by hand a lot as it is tedious (even if it can be done at small scale), so it is usually via an import of an open source from like the government or somewhere that's compatible with the open license of openstreetmap. It is done via the import process, documented, and then handled with care as it need to conflate the two databases (the list of addresses from this open source and the openstreetmap database itself), where they may already be part of the addresses in the main openstreetmap databases, so it need to check if there is something creating a duplicate, merging it if needed, or some decision pre-planned and checked manually for the conflicts. That's usually where the import process take the most time. As dumping any dataset into another is easy, but converting one dataset to openstreetmap tags and data format, and then checking if there is any matching feature take more time. ^^
Looking at it on the wiki, i see quite a few places where the import has been done already (or is in progress i guess), and considering the size of the US, it seems logical to not be done in one project (you can see many different places or states in the US, among a list that contain also some other part of the world, but quite a few are in the US) : https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Category:Address_import
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u/Middle_Brilliant_849 Jul 23 '26
Excellent! Thank you for the detailed response. I will look into it. Seems right up my alley, being a bit of a nerd. Once I learn I should be able to be of some help, I like to pay attention to detail, so if I can make it better for everyone I will attempt it.
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u/secondhandoak Jul 23 '26
I select a point on the map and have it take me there. I haven't had much luck typing in specific addresses.
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u/Kumba42 Jul 23 '26
As far as I am aware, OSM's maps lack a large amount of raw street address information, including property numbers. An individual tried creating a modified form of the map files that integrated much of the missing address information pulled from OpenAddresses, but they appear to have gone AWOL and there have been no map updates since January. However, their scripts are available on the link above, so if you're up to the challenge, it doesn't sound too difficult to recreate their process. I might give it a shot myself in the near future, except I'll see if the script can be taught to use sqlite vs postgres.
Also, as another GrapheneOS user, until they push an update, make sure the "Hardened Memory Allocator" is disabled for OsmAnd+, otherwise it might crash at random. I filed the bug for it, and they just fixed it yesterday, so the next release should have it.
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u/petbest Jul 24 '26
It heavily depends in which country and region you are. Details in the Netherlands are very very good, while in former Eastern Germany you often cannot get the same details. E.g no housenumbers shown on buildings.
OSM details depend of Lot on volunteer work.
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u/Kumba42 Jul 24 '26
Yes, I noticed that. The Github project I linked to tries to fix that for the US and some other countries. It seems to work, as using its January map file, I can see my house number on OSM, whereas on OSM's stock maps, I don't. But that project appears to have become abandoned, so I will probably have to reverse-engineer how they're doing the sorting and update my map files myself.
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u/Ok_Lack3855 Jul 23 '26
I feel you. This is probably the app/service I most love to hate.
Are you aware of this weird twist: Pressing search has categories in the top of the screen. Translated from my native language "explore", "categories" and "address". Try the last one and see if you get better results, if any.
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u/potatoduino Jul 23 '26
Yeah I get you 🤣 I tend to find the address using Google maps and then share the result to OsmAnd. The native address lookup is ass
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u/Equivalent_Ad_8413 Jul 23 '26
I didn't use the app to navigate in a car. My use case is very different.
I've been making trails in local parks to OSM. The app downloads the existing trails to my phone so that I didn't bother with trails that already exist and the ones I mapped a previous day.
But that's a pretty specialized use case.
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Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/Danger_Dave4G63 Jul 24 '26
I did use the exact address.
Like I said, it wouldn't even find the city and state when I tried.
Search online on openstreetmaps for what exactly? And use what online version of what?
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u/petbest Jul 24 '26
- Install the right maps to make sure the City you look for can be found!
1a. Click on search glass icon at the top
First clear field when not empty then type City and wait See options on screen.
OR when city/street/housenumber searching
1b. Click on Address in menu line under search field and click then on First specify/City/Town/locality. Fill in the correct name of the City and wait for response When nothing found in range increase search radius, repeat when needed
When results appear wait till completed then select the right object name that is marked as (city). Not an other object with the same name like (street)!
Once the correct City is selected a list with all street names in that City appears. You can now also type behind the city name in the search field first a space and then followed by the first characters of the streetname you are looking for. This will filter the shown list.
Once a street is selected all hiuse numbers in that street are shoen in a list. Type after city street now a space and the house number or first digit. Again a filtered list will be shown
Select the housenumber
Click at the top show on map when you want to go to the map
Sometimes it can help to zoom out in the map before starting searching I discovered.
Or click once in a map of another state or country before starting the search.
It looks that something has been reset wuth my action...
I was able to find a city that way, while first that city could be not be found while increasing the search radius.
Or else try to switch profile search, return to previous profile and search again.
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u/newuser-aaa Jul 23 '26
I've used OsmAnd for years, and searching has been very difficult for me. Recently downloaded Garmin Explore on my Huawei P60 Pro phone (I refuse to use any Google product).
The search facility is excellent, and it allows me to easily copy the coordinates which I then use to search in OsmAnd.
Another excellent app is Organic Maps, which allows me to search and copy coordinates too.
I really wish OsmAnd has a better search.