Tutorial:
Single-tap shortcuts to survey real-time traffic with location privacy
<
https://i.postimg.cc/DyBSKWC6/shortcut-url-01.jpg>
Without using Google Maps, you can still get 1-click real-time traffic
(with the privacy of not logging into any Google Servers or using GPS).
As you may be aware, recently Google drastically changed Google Maps
routing to _require_ precise location (which necessitated a one-click
shortcut to turn off precise location after you do any map routing!).
*Tutorial: How to make a 5-levels deep 1-tap shortcut to Google Precise Location Settings*
<
https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/KGDGRm7rUO4>
So how do you check real-time traffic WITHOUT logging into anything
and without having to enable GPS and, worse, precise GPS?
Easy peasy...
One way to check traffic with privacy is to create one-click shortcuts to traffic URLs coupled with GPS location spoofing - which allows you to
easily survey overall traffic in your area of interest - without revealing
your location.
There are actually _many_ one-click traffic privacy based shortcuts.
For example, here, in California, there are plenty of real-time traffic
sites which don't (as far as I know) report you to the Google servers.
Each real-time traffic map adds additional value Google Maps lacks.
<
https://511.org> <== home page zooms into the SF Bay Area + construction
<
http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/> <== SF Bay Area zoom + Waze alerts
<
http://sigalert.com/> <== defaults to the LA Area + traffic cameras
Since the sigalert default page zooms into the LA Area, I changed it to
<
https://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?lat=37&lon=-122&z=2>
Which means when the shortcut is tapped, it zooms to the SF south Bay Area.
Nobody should be typing this stuff while driving so each of these is a
simple one-click shortcut icon that opens to the pre-set general area.
There are many free adfree gsfree apps which will create a shortcut to a
URL where I'll explain this one for now since it's one of the easiest.
*Shortcut To URL* by Mio (free, ad free, rated 4.2)
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.miotti.ShortcutToURL>
Let's highlight the example of the more complex "sigalert" URL above.
1. Start Shortcut to Url by Mio, which will pop up a Name/URL form.
2. For the Name field, type "sigalert" (or whatever you like it to be).
3. URL=
https://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?lat=37&lon=-122&z=2
4. Optionally change the icon (you can download icon packs if you like).
5. Tap "OK" & then longpress on the icon to place it in your map folder.
6. Do the same setup for "511.org" and for "ca.dot" URLs listed above.
6. When tapped, it will open to your default browser with traffic.
(My default browser is set to be Ungoogled Chromium, for example.)
Regarding icons, there are many free icon packs (too many to recommend any
as nobody could test them all), so here are just two that pop up on an
F-Droid search that you can start with.
*Delta Icon Pack* open source icon pack with search engine
<
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/website.leifs.delta.foss/>
*MaterialOS* (nice icons but it doesn't have a search engine)
<
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.materialos.icons/>
If you prefer icon packs from the Google Play Store repository, here are
some free ones to start with but again, there are too many to list here.
*Monoic Icon Pack*, by KD Pixels
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kdpixels.iconpacks.monoic>
*Viral - Free Icon Pack*, by DrumDestroyer Themes*
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vintage.icon.pack.ddt>
*Whicons - White Icon Pack*, by Randle
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whicons.iconpack>
*LuX IconPack* by JustNewDesigns
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jndapp.lux.free.iconpack>
As with there being many free adfree gsffree icon packs, there are many
free adfree gsfree apps that help you manually create URL shortcuts.
To help others, here's another website shortcut maker I sometimes use.
*Website Shortcut* by Deltac (free, ad free, gsf free, rated 4.3)
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deltacdev.websiteshortcut> But you don't want to use too many of these utilities since all the
shortcuts disappear if you accidentally delete the app that made them.
Even the venerable shortcut maker app can create nice website shortcuts.
*Shortcut Maker* by Rushikesh Kamewar (free, ad free, gsf free, rated 4.4)
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rk.android.app.shortcutmaker> This Shortcut Maker has the added power of being able to open up the link
in any app you choose, simply by tapping the "Link Setting" option.
Note there are mobile apps for some of these traffic websites also.
*QuickMap* by the CA DOT (free, adfree, reqgsf rated 4.2)
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.caltrans.quickmap>
*California Road Report* by Adam Levy (free, adfree, reqgsf ratred 3.3)
<
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adamsappls.carc>
Where you can use these WITHOUT turning location or precise location on.
In addition to web pages outside of the Google domain, you can also open up Google Map web URLs which also do not require location or precise location.
Name=gweb
URL=
https://www.google.com/maps/@37,-122,11z/data=!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu
If desired, you can use that Shortcut Maker app to create a one-click
shortcut to open to your zoomed traffic area inside the Google Maps app
com.google.android.apps.maps
com.google.android.apps.maps.TrafficHubActivity
and
com.google.android.apps.maps
com.google.android.maps.MapsActivity
Here's how to set Maps up using the free adfree Shortcut Maker app.
1. Start Shortcut Maker by Rushikesh Kamewar
2. Tap the "Apps" icon & then search for "Maps"
3. Then press "Create Shortcut" to save the shortcut to your homescreen
Notice even the Google Maps shortcut will work WITHOUT asking you to set
your location or precise location - as it will open up in the general area
of the last stored location (which is GPS spoofed so as not to be private).
In summary, if you're a bit clever about it, you can still get real-time traffic without logging into anything and without having a Google account
on your phone and without ever needing to turn on your location or precise location (and even then, the location will be spoofed to the general area).
As always, if you know more about this topic than I do, please add value.
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