The most recent Google Maps upgrades include new EV driving features and glanceable directions for your lock screen.
The long-awaited Google Maps update is now available. By allowing you to fly through 3D representations of cities at various times of the day and in different weather conditions, Google’s Immersive View elevates Street View and gives users a more immersive experience with neighborhoods and landmarks.
The functionality would be accessible in late 2022, according to the company’s initial announcement of Immersive View made at its I/O developer conference the previous year. Although it didn’t quite meet the deadline, Immersive View is now accessible to five cities on three continents. Beginning on Wednesday, you may explore London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Tokyo using Immersive View.
Google announced that more cities, including Florence, Venice, Amsterdam, and Dublin, will be accessible in the upcoming months.
Immersive View, one of Google’s improved language and search capabilities, is one of the many features that have come about as a result of the company’s enormous investment in AI. The startup has combined billions of Street View and aerial photographs using cutting-edge computer vision and then employed a method called neural radiance fields to turn them into incredibly detailed 3D representations. It’s one of several features that help Google maintain the viability of its mapping products in a market where Apple and its rivals are closing in fast.
Additionally, the company is expanding some of its current map functionality to new cities. In the upcoming months, new cities in Europe, including Barcelona, Madrid, and Dublin, will provide Search with Live View, a navigational tool that lets you hold up your phone to see details about nearby establishments and monuments. Google is also bringing Indoor Live View to 1,000 additional malls, train stations, and airports.
By adding Glanceable Directions to route overviews and lock screens, Google is also making it simpler than ever to ensure you’re still heading in the right direction. As a result, you won’t need to use the navigation to determine when to make your next move. or what your anticipated new arrival time is.
Special features created for EV customers who use Google Built-in, which are in-car infotainment systems that incorporate bundled Google services, are among the additional new tools Google is introducing to Maps. Google will be able to instantly locate very fast charging locations, display charging locations in search results, and incorporate charging stops into shorter trips.
Apart from Immersive View, which is presently available, Google will gradually roll out other tools and features over the coming months.
