Make "Avoid" options always accessible when building a route #1660

What problem would this feature help solve?

A more streamlined experience for users

Describe the ideal solution

I've noticed that if I have no routing options enabled in the main settings menu, then I have no way to change them while I'm trying to plan a route. It would be a great touch to have the option built in the top bar menu even if no options are selected so we don't have to exit the route planning phase, go through the main settings and then return to planning.

I've also noticed that if I change an option (if I have another option enabled which brings up the bar menu) it does not automatically change the route, I think it would be excellent if it did.

Describe alternatives you have considered

No response

Additional context

iPhone SE 5g, iOS 18.5

Same issue for me on Android. At least as long as no avoidable object is found in the current route I can't change these settings easily

@yannikbloscheck this is what I commented in a test version ticket before. I said that the refactoring of route screen would fix it, but OM just removed that from latest beta, so it won't be available soon.

The problem here (not sure in Android the same) is that the Routing Options button (at the top) is not appearing when building a route. I don't know when this regression happened, but in OM there is not that problem.

As far as I can see it behaves the same in OM as it does in our app. If some routing restriction is enabled (for example through the settings), it shows a banner via which the routing restrictions can be changed. If no routing restriction is enabled, the banner doesn't appear.

In OM I don't have any routing restriction and the button appears to me. However, in CoMaps it doesn't. I believe the button should appear at all times, regardless of the user options.

Are you maybe using an OM beta? Because before I wrote that I tested it again

Ahhh, I see. It might be that they fixed that recently, because I'm using a beta version of them (released yesterday).

Let's do some research and see how/when they fixed that.

I'm not sure if we're all talking about the current intended behaviour or a bug (certainly the second part of OP appears to be a bug) - but I actually quite like that it's contextual and only appears when the routing settings will actually make a difference.

In my mind, it's a prompt to think about whether I do want to change the options or not. If it was there all the time I'd probably forget I'd previously set some trip-specific preferences.

I agree that it would be good for the prominent banner to only be there, if the route options are active for the reasons you mentioned. The problem is that without the banner there currently is no other way to set the route options from the route planning screen (at least on iOS). You then have to got into the app settings for that.
So there should at least be some other less prominent way to set the route options from the route planning screen.

Soon there will be a new version of route planner in iOS, and in this new version there will be a gear icon:

image

However, #1671 just got merged, which fixes now this problem (actually, I guess we can close this issue).

Isn't closing this issue still too early, as it still should occour in android?
I think no fix was made there yet.

I will try to check soon on Android by following same logic as iOS

@bluelight_henry wrote in #1660 (comment):

I actually quite like that it's contextual and only appears when the routing settings will actually make a difference

Yeap it seems like no one is asking a question - why would someone want to change routing options amidst route building, if usually it won't change anything for this route?

I.e. if there are tolls, ferries, unpaved roads on the way then there will be warning markers and "avoid" buttons. This way its much more discoverable and "avoiding" is more convenient than going into the settings manually. Maybe other options could be set similarly?

Strangely, there is no such warning for stairs - looks like an oversight?

Also not for "avoid paved roads", but its a really niche setting in its current form and should be at least re-framed as "prefer unpaved".

"Avoid freeways" seems to be the trickiest case. Probably we don't want to display a warning for every motorway ramp. But perhaps the use case could be solved by more specific vehicle type selection?

I've searched through OM's GH and found only one related request to make routing options always visible (https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps/issues/3090) and there was not much support for it.
(consider that OM has many more users and had been around for much longer)

So indeed it looks like people started to request always visible button more often after we've added new options without an easy contextual way to toggle them on.

So now the only way to avoid stairs on paved roads is to go to the settings indeed. Before (in OM) it was only "avoid freeways" which couldn't been set contextually via a warning mark on the route. But its also more of a set-and-forget kind of options, while users are much more likely to toggle stairs and paved roads avoidance on a per-route basis.

I.e. I think if we will add warning markers with avoid button for the stairs then we'll solve the issue already for users of this option.

I, for one, would always like the ability to toggle routing options on a per-route basis AND before routes are generated.

Sometimes routes are long and take a while to generate, and I don't want to be forced to wait for that twice; thus having routing options always available would be ideal for me.

Sidenote: I also believe that the planned iOS settings toggle in the routing planner is a bit too vague, and should instead be a button labeled "Routing Options" to make its function more obvious.

But ["avoid freeways" is] also more of a set-and-forget kind of options, while users are much more likely to toggle stairs and paved roads avoidance on a per-route basis.

It's actually the opposite for me; I frequently need to avoid a freeway then take a freeway the next time I'm navigating; the opposite of set-and-forget.

An example:
A freeway near me is under construction. I want to enable "avoid freeways" when a route I am going to take is going to use that freeway (or is otherwise short enough that local roads are a better option), but most other times I want to take freeways.

I opened an issue for this earlier today as I couldn't find this existing issue. I don't mind the option being contextual, but it took me awhile to figure out that that was how it worked, I thought it was just broken. With some kind of explanation as to how it works it could be useful, but otherwise I think it's probably easier to just show it at all times as happens on iOS.