Among the many new features coming to Google Maps, there's also an important return: the compass feature will be restored
After years of waiting and requests to Google, now a much-loved feature will return to the Google Maps app. This is the compass, which allows you to orient yourself with respect to the planet's magnetic north pole, and which had appeared in the navigation app in January 2019 to disappear after just a few months.
The Mountain View giant announced the return of the compass in a long post in which it presents all the new features coming to the Google Maps app. Between the feature to not get lost in the airport or large stations using Live View, and the arrival of information about the weather and air quality of the place of interest searched, the return of the compass has gone almost unnoticed. Yet, it is an equally important news, since many users had asked for the return of the handy gadget and finally after two years of absence, Big G decided to please them and restore it.
Google Maps: how to use the compass
The numerous feedbacks with request of the compass after its disappearance had an effect and Big G decided to restore the handy feature. However, the reason for the removal was serious: the gadget had reliability problems that Google had not been able to solve. Now that Maps has gained new features and improved performance thanks to an artificial intelligence algorithm, the compass also reappears.
According to Android Police, the gadget will be available from Maps version 10.62 or later, but on using it you need to have some cautions. As much as Google has improved the gadget, it should be remembered that the accuracy of the compass varies depending on the model of smartphone that is used and its technical characteristics, so it will never be 100% reliable. The Google Maps compass can be used in everyday life in the city, to see where the sun will rise or set and get directions, but in the case of excursions or activities where this function is important, it will be better to rely on more accurate gadgets.
Google Maps: other new features coming
Among other new features coming to Google Maps, as announced by Mountain View in an official blog post, is the implementation of the Live View feature that will allow users to use the navigator even in enclosed spaces. Users will be able to use the app to move around an airport, a train station or a large shopping mall, so they can immediately find stores and landmarks.
Another useful feature concerns the ability to get information about the weather and air quality of the place of interest searched on the navigation app, thanks to Google's collaboration with The Weather Company, AirNow.gov and the Central Pollution Board. Maps will therefore be able to provide indications on the presence of particulate matter, pollution or even pollen and warn the user if it will be necessary to bring an umbrella to the destination or not. So you just have to wait for the arrival of the Google Maps update to discover and benefit from all the new features.