After finally adding a dark mode to Google Maps on Android, Google has announced a bunch of new features for its navigation platform today. These include support for AR Live View in indoor locations, more eco-friendly routes for traveling, and integration of pickup and delivery information for grocery stores.
AR-Based Indoor Live View
Coming to the new features, we now have Indoor Live View on Maps. So, if you do not know what Live View is, it is Google’s AR-based feature for Maps that overlays navigation directions onto the real world to help users better understand their current position and their destinations. As of now, the feature worked only for outdoor locations. However, the company has now added Live View support for several indoor locations such as airports, malls, and many other public places. Credits: Google
This feature is currently available for some Westfield malls in US cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Island, and San Jose. It will start rolling for transit stations, malls, and airports in Tokyo and Zurich in the coming months. Later, the company says that it will be available for more cities around the world.
Apart from Indoor Live View, Google also added a feature that will now show more eco-friendly routes for destinations if they have similar ETAs as the fastest possible routes. This is a part of Google’s commitment towards the environment and to encourage users to reduce carbon footprints in the world. It will be initially available in the US with a “global expansion” on the queue. Credits: Google
Apart from these, the company is also overhauling its directions UI. As a result, Maps will show routes for all transportation modes on a single page instead of showing them on separate tabs. Moreover, the app will show additional information layers such as Weather and Air Quality of destinations to help users better plan their itineraries. Credits: Google
Google is also adding delivery and pickup information to Business Profiles on its mobile app. This will essentially show the delivery and pickup windows, fees, and minimum order tag for grocery stores around the US. Credits: Google
