Photo: autoevolution
While Apple doesn’t seem to be in a rush to bring the new Apple Maps experience to everybody out there, Google keeps working on polishing Google Maps not only on Android but also on iPhone. This week, the company has published a new update for everyone on iOS.
The new version of Google Maps is 5.70, and it seems to be just a minor release from build 5.69, previously published in mid-May. Of course, Google hasn’t shared a changelog, so it’s pretty much impossible to tell what exactly is new in this update.
But given the small version bump, there’s a chance the focus has been on under-the-hood refinements, which is actually something Google Maps needs in the first place. The app occasionally ends up hitting various issues, including GPS struggles, on CarPlay, so Google further polishing the experience on iOS is without a doubt a good thing.
But in the meantime, the gap in terms of features between the Android version and the iOS sibling is increasing. That's because Google rolls out much more significant updates on its own mobile platform while sticking with such minor releases on iOS.
For example, Google has recently announced that Google Maps would start providing users with safer routes by taking into account hard-braking areas when generating a route to a user-defined destination. In other words, if Google Maps figures out that a hard-braking zone might be on your way to a destination, it changes the route and allows you to avoid it, all in an attempt to provide a safer alternative.
Furthermore, Google Maps is also evolving to become a central navigation hub on Android with a new driving mode. That means Google Maps could at one point replace Android Auto for phones, therefore providing a car-optimized experience with one-tap access to key features such as phone calls, messages, and music playback.
But given the small version bump, there’s a chance the focus has been on under-the-hood refinements, which is actually something Google Maps needs in the first place. The app occasionally ends up hitting various issues, including GPS struggles, on CarPlay, so Google further polishing the experience on iOS is without a doubt a good thing.
But in the meantime, the gap in terms of features between the Android version and the iOS sibling is increasing. That's because Google rolls out much more significant updates on its own mobile platform while sticking with such minor releases on iOS.
For example, Google has recently announced that Google Maps would start providing users with safer routes by taking into account hard-braking areas when generating a route to a user-defined destination. In other words, if Google Maps figures out that a hard-braking zone might be on your way to a destination, it changes the route and allows you to avoid it, all in an attempt to provide a safer alternative.
Furthermore, Google Maps is also evolving to become a central navigation hub on Android with a new driving mode. That means Google Maps could at one point replace Android Auto for phones, therefore providing a car-optimized experience with one-tap access to key features such as phone calls, messages, and music playback.
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