DeGooglers swarm to new maps app that dodges Flock cameras

People trying to cut Google out of their digital lives – often called "degooglers" – have found a new Maps alternative to get excited about.

Vela Maps, an open-source Android navigation app in beta, claims to offer Google Maps-like features without ads, tracking, or needing a Google account.

The free app pitches itself on GitHub as “what NewPipe is to YouTube, for Google Maps.” This is a reference to the popular tool that lets people watch YouTube without ads, trackers, or a Google account.

Vela targets GrapheneOS users and others who have removed Google Play Services from their phones to protect their privacy and reduce how much of their data a single company controls.

Ditching Google Maps without losing any of the features that make it so useful is one of the hardest stumbling blocks for so-called deGooglers – and a workable open-source map alternative removes that hurdle.

Vela was created by a developer who goes by PimpinPumpkin on GitHub, working with one other person. It uses open data for its map, pulling from open source projects such as OpenStreetMap, Overture Maps, and AllThePlaces.

It can also download regions for offline maps, searches, routing, and electronic voice navigation.

Planning routes to avoid surveillance

For privacy die-hards, Vela also claims the ability to map out Flock and other automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras using data from the community-run DeFlock project.

Users can even tell Vela to favor routes with fewer surveillance cameras when the detour remains small.

Optional alerts can warn drivers when a license plate camera lies ahead.

Vela Maps: the community’s verdict

The deGoogled community’s response to Vela Maps has been largely positive.

Some X users report they're ready to replace Google Maps with Vela after giving it a spin on GrapheneOS – a privacy- and security-focused Android alternative that strips out Google's apps and services by default.

For me, the important part is that Vela Maps works well on GrapheneOS without Google Play Services or a Google account,

writes @sansgoogle on X.

“I’m using the weekly stable version," @sansgoogle added, noting that they had been using the app since July. "There are also nightly and canary builds if you want newer features sooner, but they’re less tested,” they added.

Others praised its everyday navigation, claiming it’s closer to the Google Maps experience than other navigators such as Organic Maps and crowd-sourced navigator OsmAnd.

A Reddit poster on r/degoogle also said they were “really impressed.”

But not everyone has fallen in love. Some claim that Vela is still missing key restaurant location info, and another user complained it felt “incredibly laggy.”

There’s one catch: Google

Others have pointed out that Vela isn't totally Google-free – something PimpinPumpkin addresses in the repo.

Search queries can go to Google, and tapping a place can trigger a Google lookup for opening hours, reviews, and photos.

Vela also queries Google for live traffic and traffic-aware ETAs during navigation, and some transit data falls back to Google where open alternatives lack coverage.

As a result, Google can see information including the user's IP address, search query, and the relevant map area – though Vela says it sends no Google account or app key.

Users can enable the "Use Vela without Google" setting to block those requests entirely.

That compromise may annoy purists – some Reddit users warned that continuing to rely on Google's ecosystem could discourage contributions to genuinely open alternatives like OpenStreetMap.

But with Google Maps proving difficult to replace, Vela could prove a tempting middle ground.

Another privacy-focussed free tool that privacy advocates are cheering on GitHub is Fieldwatch – which claims to recognize up to 242 types of devices – including Flock cameras and gun shot detectors - and flags you when one appears to be following.