Google Maps Updates

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New Delhi: Popular search engine giant
Google recently upgraded its free map service to guide users of Android-powered smartphones to destinations without relying on Internet connections.
The newly introduced offline functions in Google Maps is now available for users in India.
Also Read: Google searches in India for takeovers
According to Indian Express.com report, users can now enjoy turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, find useful information about places and contact information and ratings in the upgraded version of Google Maps that too without internet connection.
One can download the offline maps by simply searching for an area before the trip and then hit download on the app.
Also Read: Google targets start-ups with new cloud, apps for work
Google Maps will download areas to your device only when you are on WiFi connection and not on 3G connectivity.
The latest Google Maps version has been rolled out on Android first. The iOS version will take place later.
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Google has started rolling out an update to the Google Maps app that includes some significant changes to the Navigation portion of the app. The app on mobile devices is getting updated to version 9.19, although some of the new features appear to require Google to flip a switch on your account on the server side of things. The headliner for this latest update is a new Driving Mode that has been added to the app.

Driving Mode appears to be a merging of some Google Now functions, some Waze features, and existing Maps functions, putting them all on steroids, and letting your device become much more useful when navigating. When Driving Mode is launched – which can be done via the overflow menu or using a new button placed on a home screen – the app will analyze your location, search history, and probably other data sources like your calendar and Maps own timeline history, to predict where you are heading. Using that prediction, Maps will provide an ETA and alert you to road conditions and hazards. Waze users will be familiar with how some of this works and anyone who commutes regularly is probably used to getting Google Now cards related to their home or work locations.

Google tweaked the audio controls when users are in the Navigation portion of the app. A new button appears between the Search button and the Compass button. Pressing on it brings up options to set audio alerts to “muted,” “alerts only” or “unmuted.” This will be useful for those drivers out there who want to dispense with a constant litany of turn-by-turn notifications.

Google also modified the timeline options some to give users a little more control over the information contained there. This includes new options over the appearance of photos showing up in the timeline or if search and app activity should be used when editing locations.

In a teardown of the app, it looks like Google is also getting ready to add some options related to a “to-do list” although it is unclear exactly what this refers to. Some sources think Google may be planning to add multi-point routing capabilities to Google Maps, an often requested feature. Another possibility is Google may be making a connection with the new Reminders function they recently added to the Google Calendar app making to-do items location aware and added to the Driving Mode mix.

http://www.talkandroid.com/281112-google-maps-update-improves-navigation-functions-adds-driving-mode/?utm_source=feedburner-ta&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AndroidNewsGoogleAndroidForums+%28TalkAndroid+-+Android+News%2C+Rumours%2C+and+Updates%29
 
Google Maps v9, which has been in Google Play for a while, has had the ability to show heads-up bubbles announcing upcoming turns and street or exit names while in navigation mode. The feature was previously only available to a lucky few but is now much more widely available.

To see if the feature has been enabled for you, simply go to Google Maps (make sure you have the latest version first) and enter navigation mode by getting driving directions to a destination and tapping the blue arrow at the bottom right of the screen. You should see your first turn or exit marked by a little blue bubble announcing the exit number or street name along with an arrow indicating the direction you need to take.

It’s a subtle change but a very useful one, as you no longer need to cross-reference the turns being announced at the top of the display in green with the names of the streets on the map itself. It’s a minor enough thing, but one that will benefit somnolent or distracted drivers because it allows you to focus more on the act of driving by cutting out a little unnecessary cognitive activity.

http://www.androidauthority.com/google-maps-update-adds-navigation-bubbles-680108/
 
Google Maps for Android has a new update out today that lets you ascribe stickers to your home and work locations, as well as label other areas of interest like your local gym and favorite places to eat. The neat-looking doodles, of which there are 24 to choose from, range from castles and barns to igloos and treehouses. Once you pick one, it will show up on the map at whatever addresses you've saved in your app. You must sign in with a Google account to use the features, the company wrote in a blog post .

Google has a reason to want users to login with Google Maps and save addresses for home and work locations. The company can provide ever-smarter algorithmic suggestions and features so long as users are willing to let its apps learn and study your behavior. For instance, Google's Driving Mode will let you tap a single button to get ETAs and traffic conditions to preset locations like home and work. The more Google knows — and the more you let it learn — the better its products can get.

Google Maps now lets you customize locations with colorful stickers
 
Internet giant Google on Tuesday announced that its popular street view feature for Sri Lanka is active and available on Google Maps.

The launch brings the total number of countries where street view is available to 76.

"We are delighted to bring imagery of Sri Lanka to Street View on Google Maps" said Helena Lersch, manager (Public Policy) at Google in an official statement.

The new street view allows people around the world to view and experience the infamous bustle of downtown Colombo, the cool tea plantation hills, the rich history and beautiful and diverse landscapes of Sri Lanka in 360-degree panoramic imagery from their phone, tablet or computer.

To capture this imagery, Google drove close to 50,000 kilometres across every state and province in Sri Lanka starting from December 2014 and finished in February this year.

By bringing Street View to Sri Lanka, Google hopes to create a new way of showcasing Sri Lanka's beauty to the world while helping strengthen the country's already burgeoning tourism trade, the statement said.

Sri Lanka has become a popular tourism destination, with the numbers of tourists heading to the island nation growing by almost 20% each year. In 2015, 1.8 million tourists visited the country.

"Sri Lanka is already a popular tourist destination, and we hope Street View will make the country even more accessible to people interested in exploring and visiting here. Whether you continue your journey in Google Maps or are inspired to visit in person, we invite you to enjoy the Land of Lions" Lersch added.

http://m.timesofindia.com/tech/comp...Lanka-on-Google-Maps/articleshow/51515705.cms
 
Google this week after rolling out Android Auto update and April security update factory images for Nexus smartphones, has rolled out an update for its Google Maps application as well. Google Maps for Android has now been bumped up from v9.22 to v9.23 and brings along plenty of new features.

First up is the new Navigation notification, which has now received a visual overhaul. While previously the notification for Navigation showed the information in Black and Gray colours on a broad white background, it now shows up in white colour in a green background and uses much less space than before.

The Google Maps v9.23 update now also lets you choose which notifications alerts it should give. The notifications can be toggled on or off for Questions about places, Show edit notifications, Adding your photos, Traffic from nearby events, and Timeline notifications - which are shown after a user has stopped at a location.

Google Maps also gets the ability to post a photo for a location review directly from the list of reviews.

Lastly, a nifty feature has been added - the option to "Automatically download offline areas" in the Offline Settings screen. Android Police performed a teardown of the app, and found code for the automatic download option that indicates Google will be pre-emptively downloading the maps where the users are so that they would not lose the track during poor networks. The app might still use a live connection even after downloading the offline app.

Some of the other features learned in the app teardown include Live Traffic, improvements to contributions section, notifications for places that need an image, Crowdsourced Curation.
Google Maps v9.23 update will take some time to reach all the users. However, the interested ones can also download and install the apk file of the app manually via the apkmirror website.

Google Maps 9.23 for Android Gets New Notification Features and More | NDTV Gadgets360.com
 
The excellent navigation mode of Google Mapshas turned the free app into an invaluable tool for hundreds of millions of drivers worldwide. Starting today, drivers on India’s notoriously congested roads can use Google Maps to steer away from the worst jams, in real time.

Launching today in India, Google Maps’ traffic alerts have been available in the United Statessince May 2015. When users enter a destination, the app warns them about any segments with heavy traffic on route. Based on the explanation, users are able to pick alternate routes that are longer, but may actually be more convenient.

Google Maps will also warn users about rough conditions arising due to heavy traffic, construction work, or accidents, after they begin their trip. A vocal alert will describe the situation and give the driver the option to re-route.

Google has worked hard to adapt its app catalog to better cater to India’s fast growing mobile user base, which CEO Sundar Pichai hassingled out as a priority for the next years. One area of focus has been adding offline access to apps that had typically relied on internet connections, including YouTube and Google Maps. The latter received offline navigationback in November 2015. But Google is also trying to bring more people online in India and South Asia, with initiatives like free WiFi in hundreds of rail stations or balloon-powered internet access for the entire nation of Sri Lanka.

http://www.androidauthority.com/google-maps-live-traffic-alerts-india-686696/
 
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