Google Maps for Android is getting a new update, Android Police reports, which will bring users some interesting features for their favorite maps applications. Google Maps v8.2 for Android will support conversational voice actions in navigation mode – users will be able to ask things like “how long until destination,” “what’s my next turn” or tell Google to “show traffic.
- Google just announced a few significant upgrades for the Live View AR mode available in Google Maps.
- Live View will show landmarks in supported cities to allow users to understand better where they are on the map and support more accurate pin locations.
- Live View will also show up in transit navigation and significantly improve the trip parts that involve walking.
Google unveiled a neat Google Maps feature a year ago that seemed more like a battery-consuming marketing gimmick. Called Live View, the augmented reality (AR) feature would only work on the app’s mobile version, allowing users to get a better sense of their surroundings. But Google hasn’t stopped developing the feature, and the latest updates make it better and more exciting than ever.
Live View is the kind of exciting feature that could thrive on the advanced AR glasses we expect to see in the coming years, and Google certainly prepares for a future where Google Maps navigation would lean on AR.
Google announced several Live View improvements that will be available on Android and iPhone soon. The app will now let you use landmarks to orient yourself on the map.
When searching for a place on Google Maps, you’ll be able to tap on the Live View button to see your destination in the real world. Landmarks will be visible on the map, and Live View will tell you how far you are from them. The feature will include iconic places, Google explains. The Empire State Building in New York is one example, and the feature will be supported in 25 cities initially.
- Google Map is arguably the most popular map application and this should come as no surprise because of Google’s stronghold on web surfing and navigation e.g. Google Earth, but you would be wrong to think that there aren’t alternatives that are just as cool and in some cases, even cooler.
- Google Maps just got an amazing new hidden feature. Plus Google keeps piling up more tricks on top of what’s already available in Maps. The most recent one is an awesome new feature, one.
- Here are some of the best extensions you can add to your browser to make Google Maps that much more awesome. Google Maps is easily one of the most popular and powerful mapping tools on the internet.
But the most useful Live View feature concerns a different experience that many people who are using public transport to get around might be familiar with. Google Maps supports multi-modal navigation, which means you can combine all sorts of transportation types, including walking for certain parts of the journey.
© Provided by BGRNow, when using transit directions, you’ll have Live View readily available to show you which way you’re supposed to go after exiting a transit station. This will be incredibly useful, as seen in the image above. Just pan around the camera until you find the AR elements that will guide you to the next step of the journey.
Furthermore, Live View will now be supported in Location Sharing mode, which could be very useful during the pandemic for meeting outdoors. The feature will show you the location of the friend you’re supposed to meet and make it easier to find each other.
Finally, Live View will now show more accurate locations as Google improved the pin location. Technologies including machine learning and a better “understanding of the world’s topography” allows Google to take the elevation of a place into account to display the destination pin accurately on the map in Live View.
Live View will show up in the transit tab and Location Sharing on Android and iPhone in the coming weeks. The more accurate pin feature will also be available at that time. The Landmarks feature will roll out “soon” in these cities: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Dubai, Florence, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York, Osaka, Paris, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, and Vienna.
]]>Google Maps: Just Awesome Gif
When building a website, you often need to include a map to give people a better sense of direction. Google Maps is the most popular mapping service today and it offers a wide variety of tools and services that you can use.
In this tutorial we will show you how to easily add a map to your website and customize it using the gMaps.js library. It is a simple and easy to use library, that allows you to use the full potential of Google Maps without using large amount of code.
Project Overview
To demonstrate the usage of Google Maps, we have created a simple design using HTML and Bootstrap 4. You can check the image below for the final result.
Layout
Our design consists of a Bootstrap row and two columns. In the left column we show the Google map and in the right column we have headings, with some text, font-awesome icons and a small image gallery.
Google Maps: Just Awesome Backgrounds
Map Configuration
In order to use Google Maps, you need to import the gMaps.js library and the Google Maps API. It requires an API key, so if you already have one you can use it, otherwise you can go to this link to learn how to create one. When you have your key ready, simply replace the 'YOUR_API_KEY' part of the script.
Now we need to generate the map. We create a new map object and as parameters we set the selector ('#map'), and the latitude and longitude of the point we want to show on the map.
Next we need to add a marker on the map. To do so, use the addMarker() method with the latitude and longitude where you want to place it. We can also set the initial zoom at which the map is displayed using the setZoom() method with an integer number as parameter. The lower the number, the more 'zoomed in' the map is.
Styles
The styles are located in a separate CSS file. Since we are using Bootstrap, most of the styling is done by the framework. We have added some margin and padding tweaks, font colors and box-shadows.
Google Maps in Bootstrap Studio
The Bootstrap Studio app offers a fast and easy way to configure Google Maps without having to write a single line of code. You can find detailed instructions on how to add Google Maps in your projects in the Bootstrap studio tutorials section.
Conclusion
You can get the full source code for this tutorial, from the Download button near the top of the page. You are free to customize and use it in all your projects, for commercial or personal use, no attribution required (our license).
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