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Google Maps starts showing social media profiles from your favorite bars and restaurants
Business Profile can now tie into your socials directly
Every brand is growing increasingly dependent on social media marketing to improve their visibility to consumers, and that’s why even homegrown businesses lay emphasis on social media presence through the best social apps. Besides the role of its advertising business in such marketing efforts, the company also allows businesses to create their profiles, called Google Business Profiles. Although they are fairly detailed and descriptive, Google now allows to link your business’ social media accounts with the Business Profile.
Google Maps is an essential traveling companion thanks to its wealth of useful features. It stores a history of everything you searched and places you visited (if you turned on location data). This feature can be handy if you need to pull up something you searched before. Still, you may want to delete your Google Maps search history for privacy reasons.
How to report speed traps and hazardous conditions on Apple CarPlay
CarPlay lets you report road incidents in seconds: Here are the safest ways to do it
A handy social feature on map apps like Apple Maps (and others) is the ability to crowdsource information. When people report an accident, a speed trap, fog, or another type of traffic slowdown, local users of the app benefit from that information with icons and warnings to keep them updated. Everyone benefits and safety increases.
Google Maps is ditching cloud-based location history for a more private solution
Your location history will be stored locally on your device going forward, but you can still opt for an end-to-end-encrypted backup
It's no secret that Google Maps keeps tabs on your every move with its Timeline feature, which logs all your pit stops and the routes you take. As long as you're signed in to your Google account with Location History enabled (it's off by default), Google collects all this juicy information and secures it in the cloud, promising it's encrypted. But if you're the paranoid type, the company will soon give you the option to stash your trips directly on your device.
Your Google account stores a lot of personal information for several reasons. Your home, work, or school addresses can be used by Google Maps, Google Home, and other services to provide detailed information based on where you live, making commuting easier. The Google Home app, for example, gives you more accurate weather information when you ask your high-end Google Home speaker about it.
Android Auto offers an intuitive and familiar interface to make almost any car smarter without spending a fortune. It's even compatible with most Android devices, including our favorite budget phones. It saves you the trouble of buying extra hardware to enjoy a modern and connected in-car experience.
Save time and money with this new AI-powered route planner for Android
Optimize multi-stop routes with Routora's new app
Planning the most efficient way between multiple stops is not a new problem, but in an age where Amazon trucks flood our streets daily, solving it is more pressing than ever. Routora might not be endorsed by mathematicians, but its AI-powered route planning tool is the closest we've got to a practical solution to the traveling salesperson problem. Routora was initially limited to a Chrome extension, but today marks the release of the Android app hot on the heels of the iOS release last month.
How to go back in time on Google Earth
It’s easy to spend an entire day gaping at those fascinating historical photos
While Google Maps helps us navigate our expansive cities, Google Earth takes things slightly higher (quite literally). It gives us an immersive virtual experience of watching our planet from far above. And you don't need a powerful device to use the web version of Google Earth. Even the most affordable Chromebooks will do the trick. With Google Earth's smooth zoom-ins and 3D buildings, you can spend countless hours watching those curated, stunning tours as often as you want.
This AI-powered app wants to optimize Google Maps' multi-stop routes
Routora solves one of the biggest problems facing delivery drivers
Google Maps might be one of the best ways to navigate between two spots, but turn that journey into a multi-stop route, and things start to fall apart. This might not be noticeable on the surface, but under the hood, Google Maps isn't optimizing your route. This is where Routora comes in, offering a nifty solution to the traveling salesman problem by using AI technology to find the shortest path between multiple points.
Waze is one of the most popular navigation apps, thanks to its powerful features and community of users. It's compatible with Android Auto and CarPlay. Plus, it works on virtually any smartphone, including budget Android devices and iOS, making it widely available to Apple and Google users.
How to measure distance between two points in Google Maps
Google Maps makes it easy to measure the distance between where you are now and where you want to be
The Measure distance feature offered by Google Maps allows you to measure the distance between two points on a map "as the crow flies." You can also plot an irregular route between two points, which is helpful if you want to do something like use Google Maps with the new Pixel Watch to measure your morning run.
How to find satellite images for any place on earth
Explore the world around you without ever leaving your house
Google Maps is a popular tool that has existed for many decades, allowing us to view live satellite images of the world. It enables us to learn about or explore our local community. It also helps us navigate to different locations via detailed travel directions. You'll never worry about getting lost again when you pair Google Maps and GPS with one of the best Android phones. This guide discusses the various ways to view satellite imagery of Earth from your smartphone or desktop computer.
While the Play Store has superb video calling apps for connecting people, mobile devices are also perfect for personal navigation for those rare connections in person that take some quality GPS navigation to sort out. Travelers have benefited from portable devices that provide directions through an assortment of the best apps for years, so we assembled a roundup of the best map and navigation applications on the Play Store, all so you can travel with ease. So if you're looking to take control of your traveling habits with your favorite Android phone, you've come to the right place.
Google Maps will stop treating bicyclists as second-class citizens and give them the info they need
Maps also gets improved location sharing and some beautiful photorealistic aerial views
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Google never rests when it comes to enhancing the navigation experience and feature set on Maps, bringing us recent additions like the ability to rewind time in Street View and estimate toll prices on planned routes. Maps isn't about to slow down now and is in the process of adding three big new features, so you won’t have trouble cycling, exploring famous landmarks, or coordinating gatherings this summer.
Google Maps gets a widget that starts you navigating right from the home screen
Along with a search bar for faster directions
Widgets are making a big comeback with Android 12, and so far, we’re really liking what we’ve seen. Whether it’s playback controls for YouTube Music, links to your favorite websites in Chrome, or clocks designed to perfectly match Material You, it’s exciting to see home screen controls make a comeback. It’s looking like Google Maps might be next, offering shortcuts to nearby stores and your most visited locations.
Android Auto may get multitasking on the navigation screen, and somebody will surely complain
But it's just the split-screen mode for non-widescreen head units
Android Auto has gone through quite a few revisions over the years, with many changes aimed at making the interface easier to use while people are driving. With the latest update, a new interface is in development that may promise to keep the navigation screen in view all the time so drivers never have to switch screens just to check notifications or control music.
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: Nifty new Insights feature is now rolling out more widely
Monthly travel stats derived from your timeline
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Google Maps keeps track of your daily timeline, and though its level of accuracy can feel a little too invasive, it's an excellent tool for tracking vacations, road trips, and any other travel. Timeline is getting a fresh coat of paint, along with a couple of new features to help you track your activity on an even deeper level. The new Insights tab now appears to be rolling out to more users.
Google Maps Go passes 500 million Play Store installs
It's a good indicator of Android Go sales figures
Android Go is designed for phones with limited resources and comes with a variety of apps, including Maps Go. The latter offers limited functionality compared to the main version, but doesn't require a lot of resources to run. The fact that it just passed 500 million downloads on the Play Store is a good indication of the platform's success.
All the new Google Maps features announced at I/O
There's a ton of new stuff coming to the app and the web later this year
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While Google I/O gets a lot of attention for Android, Chrome, and Search, Google hasn't rested on its laurels for one of its most successful products: Maps. According to the I/O keynote presentation, over 100 improvements to the system are currently in the works, many of which are relying on new AI developments.