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Google Announces New Google Maps Features to Avoid the Crowds

Google has just announced a pack of new features for Google Maps, and at first glance, they just make sense given the changing trends across the world.
Google Maps can now show how crowded an area is in real time 6 photos
Photo: Google
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First and foremost, the star of this new rollout is a feature called Area Busyness and is supposed to indicate just how crowded a certain area is in real-time.

This is helpful for many reasons. Google explains that people who want to avoid crowds can rely on this Google Maps feature to make sure they walk around places that aren’t very busy. Others might specifically search for them, especially if they’re visiting a new town and want to check out the liveliest parts.

The new Area Busyness is going live on both Android and iPhone, and you can see the real-time information when checking out each location on the map.

Then, Google is introducing the Directory tab to cover airports, malls, and transit stations all over the world.

Now, when we have this data available, you can quickly see what types of stores are in a building (like toy stores or jewelry boutiques), airport lounges, car rentals, parking lots and more. And within each category, you can see a list of the relevant businesses, in addition to helpful information about whether it’s open, its rating and what floor it's on,” Google explains.

And last but not least, the Mountain View-based search giant is also expanding the pickup with Google Maps functionality to more locations in the United States and, as expected, to more stores. With this feature, users can get navigation instructions to shops to pick up their orders but also to provide an automatic ETA to the staff, so they know when they arrive.

All these features are rolling out to Google Maps on iPhone and Android, and of course, make sure you are running the latest versions of the app to get them. Keep in mind that the release is happening in stages, so it could take a few days before they show up on your device.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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