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Google Maps's new features help ease you back into navigating public spaces
Expanded crowdedness indicators with live per-car info in some cities, travel "Insights," and some tweaks to reviews, plus general advice
I hesitate to say this year is worse than last year, but there are still a lot of things we're adjusting to when it comes to day-to-day life — especially out and about while traveling. We might have been able to hunker down for the last year, but with things like work obligations and family that haven't seen us in ages, we can't stay at home forever. To make it all a bit easier, Google Maps is rolling out a few new tools to help you navigate the "new normal."
Google Maps adds more features to help us safely navigate the pandemic
COVID layer enhancements, live crowdedness info, takeout tracking, and the long-awaited Assistant Driving Mode
Google has spent plenty of time this year updating its products to be more useful during the pandemic, and some of it's freshly announced Maps features serve that same purpose. Improvements to the COVID layer and live information about how busy buses and trains are will help to keep us safe when out and about, and the much-anticipated Driving Mode is finally arriving in preview.