Google is Adding Many New Features to Maps
- Paul Thurrott
- Mar 30, 2021
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11
Google announced today that it is adding over 100 AI-powered improvements to Google Maps throughout the coming year.
“Sixteen years ago, many of us held a printout of directions in one hand and the steering wheel in the other to get around, without information about the traffic along your route or details about when your favorite restaurant was open,” Google’s Dane Glasgow writes. “Since then, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of what a map can do, propelled by the latest machine learning … we’re using AI to make Maps work better for you with a number of updates coming this year.”
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Key among them are:
Indoor Live View. Google is adding its AR-based Live View feature to indoor locations including airports, transit stations, and malls. It can help you find the nearest elevators and escalators, gate, platform, baggage claim, check-in counters, ticket office, restrooms, ATMs, and more, Google says.
Weather and air quality. You will soon be able to see the current and forecasted temperature and weather conditions in an area, plus an air quality layer that explains how healthy (or unhealthy) the air is. Both features will start rolling out on Android and iOS in the coming months, Google says.
Curbside grocery pickup. Thanks to the pandemic, delivery and curbside pickup have grown in popularity, so Google is bringing shopping information to stores’ Business Profiles on Maps and Search that includes delivery providers, pickup and delivery windows, fees, and order minimums. It’s starting with Instacart and Albertsons on mobile in the U.S., and Google plans to expand to the web and other partners.
If you’re interested in Google Maps, you may want to check out the original post for a more complete list of some of the coming new features.