Google declared today its debuting an update to its Google Maps mobile app that will enable users to add a stop along their present route. While still in navigation mode, users can search for items such as restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, gas stations and add them to the route on the way to their final destination.
A similar functionality was earlier available in Google’s mapping application Waze. However, this was a long awaited functionality for Google Maps users.
To use this feature, users can press on a magnifying glass icon that shows up at the top right corner of the display while in navigation mode. At this point, a drop down menu will show up providing many option including coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores. The updated app will display gas rates at the stations it lists on the route, so that the user can reach the nearest station with the most economical gas price.
The final choice is a search for more places button that can be utilized for finding other addresses or business establishments.
Users can also utilize this functionality through voice commands by tapping the microphone button. This is a feature that will make it simpler and safer to utilize when the user is driving and requiring to quickly readjust the route.
Also after a stop is selected the app will start with a countdown of around 10 seconds prior to the navigation automatically adjusting to that destination. Earlier adding a stop required the user to halt the current navigation session, find a new destination and then go along that route. It wasn’t possible to know which store or gas station needed the least quantity of extra driving from the present location.
The ability to add a stop was a missing feature in Google’s apps. it didn’t mirror the way folk in real life utilize mapping application. Though at certain times travelers are only driving from one place to another it often happens that we have multiple destination to visit on the way.
If an user doesn’t find a destination in the current position on the map, he can pan as well as zoom out and in to search the map. Google Map version 9.16.0 has these new features.
Sources: cnet, techcrunch
