Google Maps celebrates its 50th birthday by updating its Android and iOS apps with a variety of new features and tools to explore places and better plan your travels.
Since its inception in 2005, Google Maps has gone from a simple maps and directions tool that helps you navigate from point A to B, to a fully featured travel and entertainment hub that allows you to discover new places using street view photography and community reviews to hail a ride with the press of a button.
New Transit Features On Google Maps
The latest update gives you access to everything you need at your fingertips with five new easy-to-access tabs: Commute, Explore, Contribute, Saved, and Updates.
Commute: The commute tab allows you to make sure you’re on the best route. Whether traveling by car or public transit, you can use this tab to “get real-time traffic updates, travel times, and suggestions for alternative routes.”
Explore: The Explore tab features information, reviews, ratings, and more for over 200 million places around the world.
Contribute: The Contribute tab, formerly known as Your contributions, allows you to share local knowledge, including reviews, photos, and details about addresses and roads that may be missing.
Saved: The saved tab lets you find places you’ve saved and organize plans for upcoming trips. You also use the Saved tab to share recommendations of places where you’ve had good experiences in the past.
Updates: The new Updates tab offers a feed of trending and must see spots from local experts and publishers. You can use this tab to discover, save, and share recommendations with family and friends. The Updates tab also allows you to chat with businesses to get your questions answered.
Insights About Your Route From Past Riders
Additionally, to help you plan your travels, Google is adding new insights about your route from past riders, so you can see important details, like accessibility, women’s section, temperature, number of carriages available, and security onboard.
Accessibility helps you find public transit lines with staffed assistance, accessible entrance and seating, and more.
Women’s Section helps you find transit systems that have designated women’s sections or carriages.
Temperature lets you check in advance if the temperature of your ride is considered hot or cold by past riders.
Number of carriages available is a feature only available in Japan that allows you to pick a route based on the number of carriages it has, so you have better chances of finding an empty seat.
Security Onboard offers information about the security on board, such as if there are “security cameras installed or an available helpline.”
Have you tried the new features yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.