Google has been working hard on updating Google Maps over the last few years to provide Android and iOS users with more than just turn-by-turn navigation. Google Maps allows you to explore certain cities to find hotels, bars, restaurants and more. You can also find places to see and things to do in cities that you are planning to visit. And when it comes to the coronavirus, Google Maps has you covered. According to Google, almost 250 new features and improvements have been added to the Google Maps app since the pandemic started. 50 million updates are being made to Google Maps every day. And with the holiday traveling season upon us, Google continues to improve the most popular navigational and mapping app in the world.
Google Maps driving mode starts rolling out today
If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to maintain a safe distance apart from other commuters while taking the bus or the train, Google Maps will provide you with live crowdedness information to see how mobbed the bus, train, or subway line you plan on riding is. This data is sourced directly from Google Maps users traveling on these modes. And if you’re like most, the pandemic has turned you into a major customer of delivery services in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Brazil and India. If you place an order for delivery through Google Maps, you can receive an estimated time of arrival for your order. You’ll also have access to wait times and delivery fees, and will be able to reorder favorites directly from the app. Google says that once it is safe to start eating at restaurants again, Google Maps will show you the status of your reservation in 70 countries around the world.
In Driving mode, you can play streaming music from hundreds of providers including YouTube Music, Spotify, and more. To open driving mode, go to Google Maps and navigate to a destination and tap on the pop-up prompt. Or you can say to your Android phone “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.” Then select “Getting around,” choose “Driving mode” and turn it on.
To make sure that the data Google Maps gives you is accurate and up-to-date, it relies on information gleaned from 170 billion high-definition Street View images from 87 countries, information from Google Maps users, and data from more than 10,000 local governments, transit agencies and organizations.
