Photo: Google
Since Google Maps is currently the world’s number one navigation app, Google keeps working on further refining the overall experience with frequent updates that are released both on Android and iOS.
This week, however, the search giant has been all about Android and Android Auto as far as Google Maps updates go, so the company shipped several new versions for the stable and beta channels.
The good news is that the stable builds are getting a lot more love in July, with no less than three updates so far this month.
It all started with Google Maps version 10.45.2, which was published on July 10, followed by version 10.45.3 seven days later. Surprisingly, Google rolled out Google Maps version 10.46.1 during the same time for Android users.
As far as the beta build is concerned, the only update shipped this month was version 10.46.0 on July 11 – most likely, this particular beta graduated to the stable channel as version 10.46.1, which is also the most recent release for production devices.
As for what’s new, Google is as mysterious as it’s ever been, and these new updates obviously come without a changelog.
However, we already know that the company has recently started rolling out a new Live View AR calibration feature that makes it easier for the service to determine the location of a user in a crowded city. Because GPS signals might be affected due to interference and large buildings, Google Maps now allows users to manually calibrate their location with the help of Live View AR, technically requiring them to point the phone camera to a specific building to determine the GPS coordinates.
While this feature is gradually rolling out with a server-side switch, there’s a chance that these updates bring the necessary code to power the whole thing, so expect this calibration tool to go live for more users rather sooner than later.
Also, Google has recently started testing traffic information in Google Maps, so all these new beta and stable builds could include additional polishing for this feature.
In the meantime, there are no big changes on the CarPlay front, where so many users are waiting for Google Maps to get dashboard support.
The good news is that the stable builds are getting a lot more love in July, with no less than three updates so far this month.
It all started with Google Maps version 10.45.2, which was published on July 10, followed by version 10.45.3 seven days later. Surprisingly, Google rolled out Google Maps version 10.46.1 during the same time for Android users.
As far as the beta build is concerned, the only update shipped this month was version 10.46.0 on July 11 – most likely, this particular beta graduated to the stable channel as version 10.46.1, which is also the most recent release for production devices.
As for what’s new, Google is as mysterious as it’s ever been, and these new updates obviously come without a changelog.
However, we already know that the company has recently started rolling out a new Live View AR calibration feature that makes it easier for the service to determine the location of a user in a crowded city. Because GPS signals might be affected due to interference and large buildings, Google Maps now allows users to manually calibrate their location with the help of Live View AR, technically requiring them to point the phone camera to a specific building to determine the GPS coordinates.
While this feature is gradually rolling out with a server-side switch, there’s a chance that these updates bring the necessary code to power the whole thing, so expect this calibration tool to go live for more users rather sooner than later.
Also, Google has recently started testing traffic information in Google Maps, so all these new beta and stable builds could include additional polishing for this feature.
In the meantime, there are no big changes on the CarPlay front, where so many users are waiting for Google Maps to get dashboard support.
Google News