Google just announced new features for Google Maps on Android and iOS. The update is being implemented this week and presents a lot of new features focused on the displacements, music and obtaining more personal data from you.
While Google Maps is particularly useful for road trips and vacations, the app can also be useful for stressful situations. commute Google is renewing some of those functions with a new "Switch" tab.
After configuring the address of your house and your work, the application will help you to know what to expect in the morning and in the evening. If you drive to work, Google Maps now tells you how long it will take and if there are alternative routes. It works very much like Waze's ETA screen and tells you if it will be faster or slower in 30 minutes or an hour.
If you take the bus or train to work, Google Maps can help you. Find out when you should leave. The application takes into account the ride or the unit to the station. These public transport functions compete directly with Citymapper and most likely rely on a large amount of open data.
Speaking of public transport, you can see your bus or train on the map, slowly approaching you. The application also tells you how long you have to wait. This function will be available in 80 regions around the world. In Sydney, the app tells you how full the next bus will be.
Unfortunately, this update comes with a privacy issue. Until very recently, you could associate your home and work address with your Google account in Google Maps.
Now, you need to activate & # 39; web & app activity & # 39 ;, the famous privacy destroyer that covers everything: I used to store my home and work address and I can no longer change those addresses without enabling that. If you activate that setting, Google will collect your search history, your Chrome browsing history, your location, your credit card purchases, and more.
And Google pushes him to activate that "function" all the time. You must activate 'web & app activity' to use Google Assistant on an Android device, for example. It is becoming quite clear that Google is monetizing its new functions with its data.
In other news, Google is also adding music controls in Google Maps. You can control Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music. It seems that the company is taking advantage of the higher screens to add a banner near the bottom of the screen with the current song and the ability to skip a song or pause the music.
There will be a new button on the right to open your music application as well. Spotify users on Android can also navigate directly through the Spotify library from Google Maps.
