Google Maps is ready to update with new features that favor the use of means of transport such as bicycles and scooters
Time of great work for Google Maps developers. After improving the Street View function by inserting information pins made with augmented reality, now the technicians have focused on other features of the app. There are several improvements that will arrive in the coming months on Google Maps and to anticipate them is Jane Manchun Wong on her Twitter profile. This is a pretty reliable source: already in the past has provided a preview of news on Instagram and all the most used apps in the world.
The news mainly concern the use of alternative and sustainable means of transport such as bicycles. Google Maps already supports them and shows ad hoc routes users can take to get to their set destination, but now they're being integrated within routes that involve public transportation. What does this mean? That if to get to the train or bus stop you need to walk a stretch of road, Google Maps now suggests taking the bike and calculates the time using this means of transport. But the news doesn't end there: the search bar will undergo slight aesthetic changes, including the app's new logo. Here's what's new in Google Maps.
New Google Maps: what's new
Google Maps has been updated with lots of small changes that have the sole purpose of improving the user experience. In fact, these are not "revolutionary" features, but small adjustments that are useful and necessary.
With the outbreak of the pandemic, Google Maps has necessarily increased its attention to alternative means of transport and public transport. If for the latter it is working to warn users when a bus is too full, for the former it has decided to make them more and more protagonists. The latest novelty concerns the possibility of taking a bicycle or scooter to reach the bus stop or the metro and train station. And the same goes for completing the route: if after getting off the public transport there is still some way to go, Google Maps suggests the route to do by bike, with the estimated time.
Modifications also to the user interface: the search bar at the top will have more rounded edges and the new Google Maps logo will also be inserted. For the iOS version of Google Maps, however, a very interesting feature is coming: use Ok Google instead of "Hey Siri" to activate the voice assistant. Logically, you need to have Google Assistant installed as well.
When the update arrives
All the new Google Maps features discovered by Jane Manchun Wong are still in the testing and development phase. The timing of the official release is not known, nor is it known if they will arrive in Italy. We'll know more in the coming weeks.