Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/AndroidPolice
Google is working on improving Google Maps on multiple fronts, and in addition to new options for EVs on Android Auto, the company also wants to make it easier for users to distinguish their pins from the default ones.
If you use Google Maps regularly, you probably save your favorite places within the app. The search company specifically equipped the app with dedicated features for managing favorite places, so you get four pre-defined categories and options to create your lists.
Users can organize their favorites in groups, but Google Maps displays all saved locations on the map, so you can easily see them when exploring a region or navigating.
The feature has been around for a while, but Google discovered that it might be difficult for users to distinguish their pins from the ones it also highlights on the map, such as forests and parks.
While I've never considered this a problem, especially because the saved locations use distinct icons, Google wants to make a bigger difference between all the pins displayed on the map.
As a result, the company has started experimenting with a change that many users wouldn’t even notice. The company will use circular icons instead of traditional pins for saved locations. The round icons include the same category symbol, so for example, the Starred places are now marked with a circular icon that includes a black star. Google also uses a color-coded approach to make favorite places easier to spot on the map.
The feature was spotted recently, but at this point, Google is still in the experimenting stage. It could take a while until the broad availability is reached, but considering this is a rather small change, I don't expect the rollout to take too long.
In the meantime, Google is busy refining Google Maps on several other fronts, especially as the competition in the navigation space becomes fiercer. Apple is also investing aggressively in Apple Maps, with the detailed city experience, which includes new maps and updated navigation, launching in more regions worldwide.
Google is betting big on immersive view, a feature that brings together satellite photos, street-level imagery, and historical traffic patterns to create a realistic simulation of a specific location. Users can then explore this location in 3D with realistic conditions, eventually getting familiar with a place before navigating to the location. Google keeps working on improving the immersive view availability, though the company is making slow process due to the heavy amount of data processing involved in the development. The immersive view is available only in a handful of regions, but Google announces new locations regularly. You can explore immersive view in London and Tokyo to see what it's all about.
Users can organize their favorites in groups, but Google Maps displays all saved locations on the map, so you can easily see them when exploring a region or navigating.
The feature has been around for a while, but Google discovered that it might be difficult for users to distinguish their pins from the ones it also highlights on the map, such as forests and parks.
While I've never considered this a problem, especially because the saved locations use distinct icons, Google wants to make a bigger difference between all the pins displayed on the map.
As a result, the company has started experimenting with a change that many users wouldn’t even notice. The company will use circular icons instead of traditional pins for saved locations. The round icons include the same category symbol, so for example, the Starred places are now marked with a circular icon that includes a black star. Google also uses a color-coded approach to make favorite places easier to spot on the map.
The feature was spotted recently, but at this point, Google is still in the experimenting stage. It could take a while until the broad availability is reached, but considering this is a rather small change, I don't expect the rollout to take too long.
In the meantime, Google is busy refining Google Maps on several other fronts, especially as the competition in the navigation space becomes fiercer. Apple is also investing aggressively in Apple Maps, with the detailed city experience, which includes new maps and updated navigation, launching in more regions worldwide.
Google is betting big on immersive view, a feature that brings together satellite photos, street-level imagery, and historical traffic patterns to create a realistic simulation of a specific location. Users can then explore this location in 3D with realistic conditions, eventually getting familiar with a place before navigating to the location. Google keeps working on improving the immersive view availability, though the company is making slow process due to the heavy amount of data processing involved in the development. The immersive view is available only in a handful of regions, but Google announces new locations regularly. You can explore immersive view in London and Tokyo to see what it's all about.
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