Google has been regularly releasing updates and new features for its search engine and its apps. One of the new features that is set to come to Google Maps will indicate speed limit on a user’s route. Along with Maps, Google is also said to be adding the feature to Android Auto. Recently, a Reddit user posted a screenshot on the website of Google Maps showing a speed limit sign in the bottom left corner of the screen. Another photo, shared by Android Police, shows a similar indicator sitting at the lower right of the in-car Android Auto interface.
Apparently, a lot of users globally have been requesting Google to add the speed limit tool to the app. Up until now, people have been using third party apps like Maps Speed Limits to track their speeds on their route. Many
Android users in US and UK claim to have spotted the speed limit indicator on their Google maps app, however many said that the feature appeared for a brief period, and then disappeared a few hours later. For now, Google has made no official statement about the tool, and it is unclear if and when the feature will officially arrive on the app, however, the inclusion of the feature could prove to be a bonus for drivers around the world, and could work as an effective tool to avoid accidents or mishaps.
Last month, Google updated its Maps app with some improvements to better the connectivity of the app, and to make it more data efficient. Google introduced a new Wi-Fi only offline mode , which allows one to use Maps without an internet connection. This feature comes in handy for those who haven’t subscribed to a mobile data plan or are on plans with limited data and are afraid Google Maps would consume a huge chunk of data from their plan.
Another feature recently added to the Google Maps is the ability for users to save maps offline on an SD card. Google wrote on its blog post while announced the feature that entry-level smartphones come with storage capacity as low as 4GB, which is not enough for storing music, apps, videos and more. However, with the ability to save offline maps to SD card, users will no longer need to delete their photos and other content, just to navigate offline. The feature can also prove to be a boon for those travelling overseas, they could simply download all maps offline and avoid the massive data roaming charges. Additionally, in the new feature Google Maps also supports turn-by-turn navigation in offline mode.
Among the other improvements to Google Maps, the app has also gained support for traffic alerts in India. Also, Google added a multiple destinations support to the app. The
multiple destination feature allows users to add different destinations after they have entered the start and end point of a trip. Therefore, instead of waiting for a trip to get over and mapping individual routes between two points, user can now navigate directions from point A to point B to point C to point D and so on.
Google reportedly testing speed limit indicators on Maps