Photo: DroidLife
Google Maps continues to be the world’s number one navigation app both on mobile and on systems supposed to be used behind the wheel, like Android Auto and CarPlay.
And because so many people are using the app, Google’s always looking into ways of adding more new features. More recently, the company started testing traffic light indicators in Google Maps on Android, only that very little was known at that point.
As we reported a few days ago, the whole thing debuted as a super-limited experiment on a handful of Android devices, and nobody knew exactly whether Google wanted to bring this feature to everyone in the near future or the company was just planning in advance.
But as it turns out, Google’s actually beta-testing the update ahead of a public launch supposed to happen sooner rather than later.
The company confirmed in a statement that it’s indeed working on traffic light indicators in Google Maps, while also revealing a few more details about this update.
First and foremost, Google says the feature would only go live on Android at first, but there’s no doubt it would expand to iPhones at a later date. Google doesn’t provide any ETA for the whole thing, and the company emphasizes that the feature is still in the testing phase.
Then, the search firm explains the traffic light data only shows up in “select cities across the United States,” something that we anticipated in our original report linked above. Such features typically go live in stages in limited regions before they are launched in more countries. Companies use this approach to collect more feedback on everything before broad availability is reached but also to buy more time to further refine the experience with the update and improve the accuracy of the displayed data.
For the time being, however, Google only offers vague information about this highly-anticipated feature, which is typically a sign that the company sees this as a major update for its service. When exactly this is supposed to launch for everyone is something that remains to be seen, but a beta build that would provide users with early access to the traffic light data could go live soon.
As we reported a few days ago, the whole thing debuted as a super-limited experiment on a handful of Android devices, and nobody knew exactly whether Google wanted to bring this feature to everyone in the near future or the company was just planning in advance.
But as it turns out, Google’s actually beta-testing the update ahead of a public launch supposed to happen sooner rather than later.
The company confirmed in a statement that it’s indeed working on traffic light indicators in Google Maps, while also revealing a few more details about this update.
First and foremost, Google says the feature would only go live on Android at first, but there’s no doubt it would expand to iPhones at a later date. Google doesn’t provide any ETA for the whole thing, and the company emphasizes that the feature is still in the testing phase.
Then, the search firm explains the traffic light data only shows up in “select cities across the United States,” something that we anticipated in our original report linked above. Such features typically go live in stages in limited regions before they are launched in more countries. Companies use this approach to collect more feedback on everything before broad availability is reached but also to buy more time to further refine the experience with the update and improve the accuracy of the displayed data.
For the time being, however, Google only offers vague information about this highly-anticipated feature, which is typically a sign that the company sees this as a major update for its service. When exactly this is supposed to launch for everyone is something that remains to be seen, but a beta build that would provide users with early access to the traffic light data could go live soon.
Google News