I realize that google maps timeline feature is pretty antithetical to the way the average user here wants to do things, but I really like it as a way to easily go back and see where I went a particular day, or the last time I visited a particular place. It's also the most common way for me to notice a road that's missing from their map, because it can't figure out the route that I took.
Obviously, I'd really like to take more ownership of my data, but I have yet to find any OSM based apps that will just randomly get location in the background and write it down. Does anyone have suggestions?
The simplest way is to trace it on the starllite imagery available on the editor built-in to osm.org. If it's not visible there, here is the wiki's list of Android apps that can record GPS tracks, and it's not hard to find the other pages on the wiki about getting those off your phone and into the map. Some of those apps can probably do that bit for you, I've just never tried
The goal isn't to replace gmaps, though? If it was, I don't think they would care to allow me to map the species of tree of the height of a curb. Some apps are trying to use OSM as a base layer to provide a gmaps alternative, but the real goal is just to map the world, at least to me
That's the best part about OSM, if it's lacking in your area, it's super easy to fix yourself! iD, the editor built into openstreetmap.org, is super easy to use, or an app I started using a lot more recently is StreetComplete, which lets you answer simple questions as you walk around