Google launches new Maps features
Google has launched several new features for its Maps navigation app.
The first update adds augmented reality (AR) Live View support in London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo.
When in one of these cities, users can lift their phone and tap on the camera icon in the search bar to see nearby stores and other places like coffee shops, banks and ATMs.
“With AR-powered directions and arrows, you can see what direction they’re in and how far away they are — and even spot places that aren’t in your immediate view (like a clothing store around the block) to get a true sense of the neighbourhood at a glance,” Google said.
“Beyond showing you where places are, you can see key information about each spot overlaid — like whether or not it’s open, how busy it is, what the price range is, and if the Google Maps community rates it highly.”
Other categories of locations that users can tap to find include restaurants, bars, dessert shops, parks, and transit stations.
The screenshot below provides an example of the information users will see when in Google Live View.
Users with electric vehicles can now also search for charging stations with fast charging of 50kW or higher if they need a quicker battery refill.
When searching for “charging station”, users will see a new “Fast charge” filter beneath the search bar, which will remove all results with charging below 50kW.
MyBroadband found this feature was already available for GridCars charging stations in South Africa when using Google Maps on Android.
The third update is great news for wheelchair users.
After initially rolling out its accessible places feature in Australia, Japan, the UK, and US in 2020, Google has expanded the option globally.
To enable the feature, users can turn on the “Accessible Places” setting in the Google Maps app.
“You’ll see a ♿ wheelchair icon on the business profile if it has a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and the same icon with a strikethrough if its a non-accessible place,” Google explained.
“You can also see if the place has accessible seating, restrooms and parking.”
Google said the feature could also be helpful if users wanted to avoid stairs because they had a stroller, luggage, or were using a cart.
The feature is enabled through contributions by business owners and the Google Maps community.
Now read: Zoom launches Outlook-like mail and calendar services
Loading ...