Ever struggled with the Google Maps app? Many of us turned it off because the directions shown were too confusing or we couldn’t understand the turns. Google now made it easier for those users to find their destinations and it leaves little room for excuses.
Available only for the Android version for now, this new update pulls up an image of the street corner where you need to turn. You will also see images directly from Street View that’ll show you the exact place where you need to make the turn.
A picture of the corner of the street along with vocal and visual directions will leave little doubt about the turn you need to make. The best part is, you can now show the image and ask a nearby individual where this corner is located – a handy feature. As long as major construction work hasn’t taken place since the picture was taken by Google, you’ll easily locate the place. What’s interesting to note here is that Google actually tried to introduce Street View into Google Maps way back in 2008 for the web version. And finally with the introduction of Street View on the Android-based app, Google is looking to hit a homerun with even more satisfied users who have nothing left to complain.
What’s more? You can also view a 360 degree view of the corner where you need to make the turn. So if you are already on the street, you can easily understand where you need to go. It is best to hand the phone over to a passenger while using this feature because you need to tap the picture to enlarge it. Meanwhile you could also be going a different way and the photo keeps turning 360 degrees – this can be confusing. So if you are behind the wheels, handing your phone over to your friend is a less-fiddly way to find the spot.
The update also brought a bar at the bottom of the screen. This helps you access many of the tools within the app and it replaces the floating button icons which can become annoying at times. But thanks to a recent update, you can also now move widgets around the screen. So more customization and access – it is a useful update indeed.
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According to Android Police who first reported about the update, the orientation of the image changes as per the direction you are driving in, when you click on the thumbnail. All of this comes with Google adding the web version of Maps on the Android – a feature which was much awaited.
However, all of these features work only for Android right now. No word on iPhone integration yet, but we’ll keep you posted!
