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Google shipped the first Google Maps updates in the first days of 2021, and now the search giant appears to be hard at work on refining the experience with its app on both Android and Android Auto.
This week, the company published new Google Maps updates for the stable and the beta testing channels, and while very little appears to have changed, these releases are important for several reasons. One of them concerns the beta, as this is the very first build part of version 10.59, so there’s a chance Google is working on bigger improvements for its navigation app.
The most recent stable build, on the other hand, is 10.58.3, so it’s only a minor release coming after the 10.58.2 update that shipped in mid-January. In other words, there’s a good chance it’s resolving some bugs, though given Google hasn’t shipped any changelogs, this is just a guess for now.
On the other hand, the new 10.59.0 beta could signal that something big is just around the corner.
Google has been working on several major improvements for Google Maps lately, including the highly anticipated driving mode exclusive to Android devices.
Announced with much fanfare in late 2020, the new driving mode is supposed to turn Google Maps into the new Android Auto for phones, providing users with a completely revamped experience behind the wheel.
Google Maps is now the core of the driving experience, providing easy access to phone calls, the music app, Google Assistant, and everything else that’s important in the car, all from a user interface similar to Android Auto for phones.
This new mode, however, is currently in the preview stage in the United States and only for Android users, with Google promising to release it to more users during 2021. For now, however, no other specifics are available, though it shouldn’t take too long before more of us can try it out.
The most recent stable build, on the other hand, is 10.58.3, so it’s only a minor release coming after the 10.58.2 update that shipped in mid-January. In other words, there’s a good chance it’s resolving some bugs, though given Google hasn’t shipped any changelogs, this is just a guess for now.
On the other hand, the new 10.59.0 beta could signal that something big is just around the corner.
Google has been working on several major improvements for Google Maps lately, including the highly anticipated driving mode exclusive to Android devices.
Announced with much fanfare in late 2020, the new driving mode is supposed to turn Google Maps into the new Android Auto for phones, providing users with a completely revamped experience behind the wheel.
Google Maps is now the core of the driving experience, providing easy access to phone calls, the music app, Google Assistant, and everything else that’s important in the car, all from a user interface similar to Android Auto for phones.
This new mode, however, is currently in the preview stage in the United States and only for Android users, with Google promising to release it to more users during 2021. For now, however, no other specifics are available, though it shouldn’t take too long before more of us can try it out.
Google News