Google Maps Updates

[Siva]

Written by Android police author.

Something weird happened to me on Sunday. I was driving to my friend's house with Google Maps, but my navigation interface was screwed up. Only the big roads were showing, without any street or highway names, nor any other details. I was on 9.42.3 and in the beta channel so I just attributed it to that.

But today, after getting the new 9.42.3 Maps installed on the Pixel XL (note it's the same version number), and noticing it didn't fix it, I decided to delete app data. When trying again, I got a new interface:

Left: current interface, Center: new interface, Right: after expanding "more"

Tapping on the ETA bar will bring up a menu where another tap gets you search, alternate routes, directions, and a shortcut to navigation settings. Note that alternate routes and directions are now buried one level deeper, but the touch targets to get to alternate routes are much bigger too. The traffic and satellite options that you get when tapping on the overflow menu in the current interface are also now buried deeper in the navigation settings.

From the alternate routes view you can also expand another menu, which will give you rather redundant search and re-center options (though, again, with bigger touch targets), plus directions and navigation settings:

This is apparently a server-side change (surprise). So far, no one else in the AP team seems to have gotten it, and it may be Google just running yet another A/B test with Maps users. Let us know if you are seeing this in the comments below. I had it also show up on my Nexus 6P by deleting Maps' app data, so if you think you're one of the lucky ones, you can try it out.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/12/06/google-testing-new-navigation-interface-maps/

 

[Siva]

As part of an update to the Maps app today, Google is adding fully native integration with Uber. You can set a destination, pick an Uber type, book it, monitor its location, and call the driver - all directly from Google Maps. This is excellent. While I did see an update to Maps on my phone today, the feature doesn't appear to be live for me just yet, so there's probably a server-side switch on this.

This is something I've been dying to see in Maps ever since they began showing taxi service (sorry, I refuse to call it "ride sharing") prices earlier this year. The rest of the changelog is actually for older features - home screen shortcuts to your Maps contributions, and best-of business listings.

Let's hope other services like Lyft get on board with this soon, because Google Maps is a heck of a lot better at handling this than the native applications most of these companies offer. The newest version of the Maps APK can be found here. For more, check out Google's blog post.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/01/12/google-maps-9-43-2-has-added-100-native-uber-integration-and-it-looks-awesome/

 

[Sarkar]

 

[rahul1117kumar]

Google Maps will soon show parking availability at your destination

Since a few years now, Google Maps has our travel sorted. You can navigate your destination, locate restaurants, ATMs and gas stations on your way, choose the best route based on live traffic updates. However, there is one thing that has been out of control — anticipating parking availability to wherever you are headed. Looks like Google Maps will now have us covered. According to latest reports, Google is testing a new feature on the maps, which will alert users of the potential parking problems.

According to a report by Android Police , the new feature on Google Maps shows the status of parking availability at the destination. This feature was first reported back in August last year, however, now that the feature is reportedly in its testing phase. Currently, the feature has been made live for a few users.

From the screenshots we can see the parking availability shown as a small rounded P icon. It shows up next to a user’s route duration estimate when they search for driving directions, followed by the directions written in text. The P icon is followed by text like “Parking is usually limited near this destination”. In addition to that, there are three levels to look for, Limited, Medium, and Easy. Limited parking will get the P icon to turn red, and for medium and easy, the icon is blue.

The publication also reports that the parking availability shows up for public destinations like malls and airports and various attractions. The update is currently available to limited people on the Maps v9.44 beta version. And at this time, it can not yet be told if this feature is live for select locations only, all over the US, or if it shows up in other countries too.

Google has been continually launched updates to make a traveller’s job easier. Back in 2014, Google had launched Parking Cards on Google app that allowed users to save their parking cards on their device. Of course not compatible in India, but it is nonetheless a useful feature. The Google app detects when a user steps out of the car, save that location and time as a card. And if somehow the phone gets the location wrong at the time of parking, a user can manually correct it too, right on spot.

Google Maps will soon show parking availability at your destination

 

[rahul1117kumar]

To help users mark out their favourite hangouts they love and the places they want their friends to go to, Google Maps on Monday added a new feature called "List".

With this feature, you can create lists of places, share your lists with others and follow the lists of your friends and family when shared with you, without leaving Google Maps on both Android or iOS platform, the company said in a statement.

You can list the places you wish to visit as well as share your recommendations, whether it is a list of weekend getaways or a list of best street food joints or fashion boutiques in a particular area, among others.

Moreover, you can view and edit your lists offline and if you have offline maps downloaded, places added to the lists will appear on your offline map.

This is how you can create a list.

Open the side menu, go to "Your places", open "Saved", and then click on the plus sign in the blue circle at the bottom right corner of the screen.

The other way is to open the place you want to add to a new list, tap on "Save", and then select "create a new list".

Now open your list and click on the share button in the top right hand corner.

On both Android and iOS, you can share a link to your list via any app on your phone -- Hangouts, SMS, Whatsapp , or even on
Facebook or Twitter.

Google maps: google maps list: here's everything you need to know about the new feature, Telecom News, ET Telecom

 

[sumitroy]

India’s mapping and survey organisation Survey of India (SoI) said that Google Maps is “not authenticated” and “un-approved” by the government, and hence not fit for high-end applications.

Speaking at a programme, Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao said the Google Maps is used by low-end applications with a confined accuracy, while the Survey of India maps are used for high-engineering applications.

“If you talk about the authentication, the Google Maps is not authenticated. It hasn’t been produced by the government, so they aren’t authenticated,” Rao said at a programme on the occasion of 250th anniversary of the Survey of India.

Google Maps is not authentic and unapproved: Survey of India

 

[Omi]

For me Google Maps is very useful.. I used a lot and it always give me the right direction with a live traffic update..

 

[Bapun]

Yes. Its very good and accurate. I have found it useful many times.

 

[Sarkar]

Their live traffic info is also very much accurate in kolkata

 

[Gssran]

It's useful for me too.