Switch to standard geo: links for sharing instead of omaps.app links. #10440

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opened 2025-03-07 14:03:03 +00:00 by rtsisyk · 9 comments

rtsisyk commented

2025-03-07 14:03:03 +00:00

Owner

Hi team, what are your thoughts on transitioning from custom omaps.app links to standard geo: links? The only purpose of the omaps.app links was to keep users tied to the app. Since vendor lock-in is not a goal of this project, it would be more appropriate to adopt the standard format instead.

Originally posted by @rtsisyk in #10231 (comment)

rtsisyk commented

2025-03-07 14:05:23 +00:00

Author

Owner

All major apps lock users into their proprietary links, but we don’t have to follow the same approach. Instead, we can offer a standard link for users' convenience. It also eliminates the need of having Cloudflare-based backend on omaps.app.

rtsisyk commented

2025-03-07 14:05:56 +00:00

Author

Owner

mentioned in merge request !10231

biodranik commented

2025-03-08 09:36:16 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

The main purpose of omaps links is to allow sharing the zoom level and custom name, optionally with future extensions, and allow users to immediately open these links in OM, without any other "default" app intercepting it. If geo scheme is used, links can be opened in any other app, or users will be prompted to choose the app => bad UX.

opk12 commented

2025-03-08 14:28:31 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

om:// and https://omaps.app are redundant, can you replace one of them? My family likes Google Maps, Chrome is slower and they want a full-screen map.

`om://` and `https://omaps.app` are redundant, can you replace one of them? My family likes Google Maps, Chrome is slower and they want a full-screen map.

cybertoad commented

2025-03-08 17:31:59 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I support removal of om schema (it is not highlighted in messengers), but when I try "Geo url scheme" links from this page: https://omaps.app/test they are also not highlighted in messengers. So for now https link looks the most portable.

zyphlar commented

2025-03-08 22:08:57 +00:00

Member

Yeah I want geo: links to work but only one messenger out of every one I tested (Element) detected it as a link.

If we don't like cloudflare we could use whatever host our website uses, or GitHub Pages. We can also improve the omaps.app page to be more user friendly.

Yeah I want geo: links to work but only one messenger out of every one I tested (Element) detected it as a link. If we don't like cloudflare we could use whatever host our website uses, or GitHub Pages. We can also improve the omaps.app page to be more user friendly.

biodranik commented

2025-03-09 15:45:54 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

The initial idea behind om:// (previously mwm:// and mapswithme://) was to have a guaranteed, immediate opening of the app from any apps, as http(s):// schemas didn't work reliably in 2014. ATM om:// links are highlighted and clickable in Mac OS X and iOS out of the box in most apps.

Replacing om:// with geo: in messages with two links may be okay if https://omaps.app always works reliably in all cases with OM. Note that geo: won't be highlighted and won't be clickable in most apps, contrary to om://, leading to a conclusion: why it should be shared at all, if it is not clickable? Maybe using geo:// instead of geo: helps in some cases, but it may not work in other cases (should be carefully tested on all OSes). The initial idea behind om:// (previously mwm:// and mapswithme://) was to have a guaranteed, immediate opening of the app from any apps, as http(s):// schemas didn't work reliably in 2014. ATM om:// links are highlighted and clickable in Mac OS X and iOS out of the box in most apps.

zyphlar commented

2025-03-09 15:57:05 +00:00

Member

FYI none of the messengers I tested highlighted om:// as a link (Android) -- it's common and expected that apps will have http share links, I'm more concerned with making sure there are no other issues or concerns alongside. (Ideally in my mind the share button would share a URL also, no text. I always have to delete so much text)