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Google and India's government will launch a toilet finder
Google has teamed up with India's Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) to develop a toilet locator tool within Maps. The country has a pretty infamous toilet problem, with around 70 percent of households not having access to their own. According to Public Radio International, 60 percent of the 1.2 billion people in the nation still defecate and urinate in the open, leading to serious sanitation issues. Google and MoUD aim to tackle that dilemma by giving people the power to search for toilets within Maps by typing relevant words in English or in their native language, like "toilet," "lavatory," "swachhata" and "shulabh." Maps will then show available toilets in the same way it shows hotels, restaurants and other establishments.
Google will retire Map Maker, the tool that let anyone update Maps
Google's Map Maker tool was released in April 2011 as a parallel version of its official Maps app that encouraged user-submitted geographical and business changes, essentially crowdsourcing updates. Ideally, moderators would check the edits and roll them into the official versions once confirmed, though some trolling vandalism has squeaked through in the past. But it seems the dream to trust everyone with public maps is dead. Yesterday, the search giant announced that they will retire Map Maker and fold it wholly into Maps by March 2017.
Google Maps will show where your next Calendar appointment is
Google has been all about change for its suite of productivity apps this week, and now we're seeing what happens when some of the disparate services combine. On Android, Maps and Calendar are joining forces to give a quick visual reference for where your various appointments will take place. You need to be signed into both apps with the same account, of course, but other than that it all seems pretty easy to set up and use. Just put the event's address in the "where" box when creating a Calendar entry and you should be good to go according to Google's Keyword blog. Maps information has cross-pollinated into Calendar previously, so it's pretty cool to see this go the other way, too.
Hands-free 'Ok Google' commands come to Google Maps
The "Ok Google" command has expanded since the debut of Android KitKat, allowing devices to respond in various smart ways to those two words. Now, Google Maps on Android has this ability too, whether you're in the middle of a road trip or doing something else. Once it's enabled in settings, you can choose whether it works only while Maps is open or from any screen. Say the magic phrase then follow it up with something like "find a gas station" or "How's traffic ahead?" and it will let you know.
Google Maps' shining blue beam guides Android users' travels
Google has replaced the tiny Maps arrow on Android with something that can better represent the way you're facing. When you fire up the updated app, you'll now see a blue beam that shines towards your destination like a flashlight. This directional beam can also indicate whether your phone's compass is malfunctioning and directions aren't as accurate as they should be. All you have to keep in mind is that the narrower the beam, the more accurate it is. If you see it widen up, then your phone is having issues.
Google's latest acquisition should make Maps a bit better
Urban Engines has been analyzing city traffic and how people get around. So, naturally, it'd make sense if the company was acquired by an outfit interested in making its maps more efficient. That's where Google comes in. The search giant has bought the Urban Engines with the sole purpose of improving Maps. "Location analytics is an important focus for both Urban Engines and Google, and we're excited to combine forces to help organizations better understand how the world moves," the announcement post reads. It's a little early to tell exactly what Urban Engines will bring to the table for Maps, but based on its history, perhaps better routing around traffic jams is a pretty safe bet.
Google Maps adds Lyft and Gett to its ride hailing options
Users searching for directions from Point A to Point B in Google Maps just got a few more options for getting there. According to the official Google Maps blog, both the iOS and Android versions now include estimated fares and wait times for ridesharing services Lyft and Gett when searching in cities in the United States.
ICYMI: Hop on a bike and tour the world
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A British man was the first to bike the length of the UK, all within the world of Google Maps and his virtual reality headset. If you're intrigued, his blog is really the best place to get the details.
Google explains why Palestine isn't labeled in Maps
Services like Google Maps have not just functional but symbolic importance, as a bug on a map of Israel has proved. A Gaza City journalism group spotted a change in the way Google represented Palestine on a map of Israel, causing outrage on both mainstream and social media in the Middle East. "[Our group] condemns the crime carried out by Google in deleting the name of Palestine, and calls for Google to rescind its decision and apologize to the Palestinian people," the Forum of Palestinian Journalists said in a statement.
Google Maps for Android lets you save maps to an SD card
After testing it in a limited rollout, Google has officially unveiled "WiFi only" mode for Maps on Android. When enabled, it will keep the app in offline mode, blocking it from using expensive or spotty cellular data. At the same time, messaging and other apps can still connect to mobile networks. That will help travelers cut down on roaming charges, as navigation is often the only reason you need data on a trip. It will also be a big help to folks with limited data plans.
Google app for kids makes it fun to explore the Himalayas
Zooming around part of the Himalayas (and its tallest peak) on Google Street View might already be fun for a lot of people, but you'll have to amp up the fun factor if you want grab kids' attention. Google's solution for that is giving kids (and adults) a way to explore 3D imagery of the mountain range as a very friendly, 500-foot-tall Yeti. The tech titan's new Android app called Verne: The Himalayas, puts you in control of a Yeti that can climb mountains on foot, fly around in a jetpack, a hang glider or a balloon and even skate across frozen lakes. Verne can also play traditional Himalayan instruments and make friends with yaks.
Google brings Maps' multi-stop feature to iOS
Google is rolling out Maps' multi-stop feature to the iOS app, making it easy to plan for road trips or even for a dreary day of running errands. The tech titan introduced the ability to set multiple destinations on Android back in June. Now that it's also out for Apple's mobile platform, you can simply tap "Add stop" and even rearrange destinations by holding and dragging them around if you have an iPhone. Just like when it was initially released, you might not be able to access the feature immediately. It might take a few days or so for the update to show up -- for now, you'll just have to plot routes the old way.
Google Maps' WiFi mode won't eat into your data plan
Google Maps may get a subtle change to its offline and data modes that could have a not-so-subtle effect on your cellphone bill. According to an update spotted by Android Police, it has replaced the "Offline areas" in settings with something called "WiFi only" for some users. The difference is apparently that with the new mode, Google Maps will (almost) never use cellular data, even if you're outside one of your downloaded regions. Rather, it only connects to the internet when you have a WiFi connection.
Google Maps now highlights busy neighborhoods
In a new update hitting desktop, Android and iOS today, the Google Maps team has done a little design housekeeping to clear some of the clutter and create a cleaner look across the board. While doing away with certain elements like road outlines, the update also adds a new feature that highlights active neighborhoods or "areas of interest."
Tour Westminster Abbey with Google Street View
If you've ever wanted to tour Westminster Abbey but can't afford the £20 admission price (or, y'know, go to one of its many church services), Google has you covered. The giant church has become the latest London landmark to be photographed for Street View, allowing you to explore its tombs, shrines and pointed arches from the comfort of your desk (or mobile device).
Google Maps for mobile now handles multiple destinations
Believe it or not, the mobile version of Google Maps hasn't had support for multiple destinations. You could plan that multi-city tour on the desktop, but you'd still have to navigate one stop at a time on your phone. You might not have to the next time around, though: Google is quietly pushing what appears to be a server-side update to Maps for Android that lets you set multiple stops. You can navigate to a tourist trap, a restaurant and your hotel without having to enter fresh directions every time.
Google brings higher-resolution imagery to Earth and Maps
Every few months or so, Google improves the satellite imagery on services like Earth and Maps. Now, as part of its efforts to keep making the experience better for users, the search giant is going to offer higher-resolution virtual views going forward. You'll now notice sharper imagery of areas around the world, thanks to the latest data from the Landsat 8 satellite and "new processing techniques" that Google's implementing.
Google Maps wants you to help check user-submitted info
Google's Maps team doesn't have all day to go around checking that the information people submit about locations is accurate, so it's turning to you to share that responsibility. Some folks have been seeing a new feature that asks for input on whether a user suggestion is correct.
Google Contacts lists verified Maps info for businesses
Google has updated its Contacts web app to become much more useful, especially to people visiting new places. So long as you save a business' official phone number that matches its info on Google Maps, its Contacts card will automatically show its Maps-verified name, official address, website URL and operational hours. 9to5google spotted the new feature and also noted that the card comes with a shortcut that links to the business' Maps listing, as well.
Google launches beta testing program for Maps on Android
Here's one for adventurous techies: Google has launched a beta testing program for Maps. If you'd like to be among the first people to try its unreleased, experimental features, you can sign up to be a tester through its Play Store portal. Since you're trying out beta features, though, you're bound to encounter bugs and other issues. Android Police has the APK available for download, as well, if you prefer to go that route instead. The big G has also released an update for the stable version of Maps. It's not a huge upgrade by any means, but it comes with new notification settings and a splash screen for Android Wear devices.
