Photo: Google
Google Maps will soon get a new widget on Android devices that will make it super-easy for users to see the nearby traffic before getting behind the wheel.
The Mountain View-based parent company says the new widget will launch in the coming weeks, and obviously, it will be exclusive to Android devices.
On Android, the new Google Maps widget will come in the form of a square that can be pinned to the home screen of the mobile device.
According to a preview released by Google, the square will show the current location with the famous Google Maps blue dot, along with the nearby streets and the color-coded traffic information. The traffic data is apparently being updated in real-time when viewing the widget, so you can see the information without having to launch Google Maps.
Furthermore, the widget will also support zooming in if you want to see the current traffic conditions in detail. Because the Android widgets are tappable, you can simply tap the widget and therefore zoom in and out without launching the full application.
As far as iPhones are concerned, Google Maps already come with a series of widgets specifically aimed at Apple’s devices as well.
Launched last year as part of version 5.74, the iPhone widgets also include a so-called “Know before you go” version that also shows the traffic layer along with the current location. You can therefore see traffic information in your area without having to load Google Maps, all from the iPhone home screen.
Google Maps is getting lots of improvements lately, and earlier this week, Google also started the rollout of another highly anticipated feature. The application is now displaying toll estimates in a series of regions, with Google previously promising to bring it to more countries out there as soon as possible.
The toll estimates are displayed before starting the journey, just after a route to the user-defined destination is generated.
On Android, the new Google Maps widget will come in the form of a square that can be pinned to the home screen of the mobile device.
According to a preview released by Google, the square will show the current location with the famous Google Maps blue dot, along with the nearby streets and the color-coded traffic information. The traffic data is apparently being updated in real-time when viewing the widget, so you can see the information without having to launch Google Maps.
Furthermore, the widget will also support zooming in if you want to see the current traffic conditions in detail. Because the Android widgets are tappable, you can simply tap the widget and therefore zoom in and out without launching the full application.
As far as iPhones are concerned, Google Maps already come with a series of widgets specifically aimed at Apple’s devices as well.
Launched last year as part of version 5.74, the iPhone widgets also include a so-called “Know before you go” version that also shows the traffic layer along with the current location. You can therefore see traffic information in your area without having to load Google Maps, all from the iPhone home screen.
Google Maps is getting lots of improvements lately, and earlier this week, Google also started the rollout of another highly anticipated feature. The application is now displaying toll estimates in a series of regions, with Google previously promising to bring it to more countries out there as soon as possible.
The toll estimates are displayed before starting the journey, just after a route to the user-defined destination is generated.
Google News