Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/AndroidPolice
Google silently kicked off the release of an unannounced Google Maps feature that highlights the location of a pin on the map.
Google Maps is the world’s leading navigation app, yet the little features it comes with are at least as important as route guidance. They help refine the overall experience with the app, and this is precisely the purpose of this new tool.
When you use Google Maps to search for a location, Google Maps automatically adds a pin on the map to show where it is. Additionally, users can also add their own pins to mark certain locations when exploring the map.
Exploring the map and no longer keeping the pin in focus sometimes makes it pretty difficult to find its location again. Panning around is something most users do in Google Maps anyway, especially when exploring a certain region, so Google knew it had to come up with a way to find the pin more conveniently.
The latest versions of Google Maps are getting an indicator that’s displayed on either side of the map when the pin is no longer on the screen. As such, you can go as far as you want from the original location of the pin because you’ll always see this indicator.
In the current versions of Google Maps, the indicator looks like a small arrow that points precisely to the pin location. Its position on the screen is dynamic, so it moves as you get closer to the pin. Google Maps doesn’t currently offer an option to re-center the screen and highlight the pin similar to how you can center on the current position while driving.
The new pin indicator is now rolling out to users, but the process seems to take place in stages. It should eventually show up on both iPhone and Android, though Google hasn’t shared any specifics on its release.
More big Google Maps features are currently in the works, including the highly anticipated immersive view. Thanks to this update, Google Maps users can explore a specific region using a mix of aerial views, Street View imagery, and 3D models. Immersive view supports both daytime and night views, as well as different weather conditions.
The rollout of immersive view also started quietly a couple of weeks ago, though its availability continues to be fairly limited. Google did not officially announce the release of the immersive view, but the feature should start showing up in select locations later this year. More information is expected to be shared in a few weeks at Google’s I/O, when the company is also likely to reveal additional information on the upcoming Google Maps updates. This year, Google I/O kicks off on May 10.
When you use Google Maps to search for a location, Google Maps automatically adds a pin on the map to show where it is. Additionally, users can also add their own pins to mark certain locations when exploring the map.
Exploring the map and no longer keeping the pin in focus sometimes makes it pretty difficult to find its location again. Panning around is something most users do in Google Maps anyway, especially when exploring a certain region, so Google knew it had to come up with a way to find the pin more conveniently.
The latest versions of Google Maps are getting an indicator that’s displayed on either side of the map when the pin is no longer on the screen. As such, you can go as far as you want from the original location of the pin because you’ll always see this indicator.
In the current versions of Google Maps, the indicator looks like a small arrow that points precisely to the pin location. Its position on the screen is dynamic, so it moves as you get closer to the pin. Google Maps doesn’t currently offer an option to re-center the screen and highlight the pin similar to how you can center on the current position while driving.
The new pin indicator is now rolling out to users, but the process seems to take place in stages. It should eventually show up on both iPhone and Android, though Google hasn’t shared any specifics on its release.
More big Google Maps features are currently in the works, including the highly anticipated immersive view. Thanks to this update, Google Maps users can explore a specific region using a mix of aerial views, Street View imagery, and 3D models. Immersive view supports both daytime and night views, as well as different weather conditions.
The rollout of immersive view also started quietly a couple of weeks ago, though its availability continues to be fairly limited. Google did not officially announce the release of the immersive view, but the feature should start showing up in select locations later this year. More information is expected to be shared in a few weeks at Google’s I/O, when the company is also likely to reveal additional information on the upcoming Google Maps updates. This year, Google I/O kicks off on May 10.
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