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Google Maps gains new features: Eco-friendly routes, Safer routing and more

By Iskren Gaidarov

Published: May 18, 2021, 1:42 PM

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The most famous map service, Google Maps will introduce two new routing features and other improvements as well. This was unveiled on this year’s spring Google I/O. The main two new features are called Eco-friendly routes and Safer routing, although Live View will also gain new options.

Eco-friendly routes

Eco-friendly routes will deliver the most efficient route for your car. This new feature will combine Google’s knowledge of road grade, traffic flow, distance and maps to get you to your destination using the least amount of fuel possible. The feature will consider both the height elevation and the traffic on the roads. Eco-friendly routes is coming soon in an upcoming Google Maps update.

Safer routing

'Safer routing' is the second new feature coming to Google Maps. It does what it says on the tin — increase the safety of your route. This will be done using AI (artificial intelligence) that processes road, weather and traffic conditions, to calculate where and when you will have to suddenly brake with your car. Google said that it aims to reduce up to 100 million sudden brake car events every year with Safer routing.

New Live View features

The updated Live View features will show you things like restaurants and shops when you look around you. It will show additional information about the places in question too, like their working hours and Google rating. And when you direct your smartphone to a building for which Google has information, it will tell you stuff like its name and height. Street signs and street names will also appear on Live View.

Other improvements

Google Maps' detailed street maps will include 50 new cities by the end of the year. Some of the cities that will get the update are Seattle, Singapore, Berlin and Sao Paolo. Detailed street maps use AI to show you things like street crosswalks, sidewalks and pedestrian islands in detail. The feature also shows you the shape and width of a road to scale.

Another new improvement will be spotting busy areas on Google Maps. Now, not only will you be able to see which streets and stores are busy, but also see if a whole area of the town is crowded.

The last new improvement that was announced regards what Google Maps show you. A map tailored to you, as Google called it, will, for example, show you coffee shops in the morning and bars and restaurants at night. Based on the relevance for the time of day, what is shown will be automatically adjusted.

"At Google, the past year has given renewed purpose to our mission - to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. We continue to approach that mission with a singular goal. Building a more helpful Google to everyone”- Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

Google’s CEO also bragged about Google Maps recently adding 150K kilometers of bike lanes. Google’s Map service is one of its most important. Last year the maps introduced helpful features like COVID-19 info. The app is still the number one maps and navigation service in the world and shows no signs of slowing or declining.

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Iskren, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been passionate about technology since his childhood, sparked by his early experiences with phones like the Ericsson T28 and Sony Ericsson P910i. After earning a bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism, he turned his fascination with smartphones into a career, with a particular interest in Apple and Motorola. Outside of his tech pursuits, Iskren enjoys watching TV series, movies, driving, and has a deep passion for cars and Formula 1. He looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly the potential of rollable smartphones.