Google Maps gets a new UI, features, logo as it turns 15

Google Maps is turning 15 this week. Ahead of its 15th birthday, Google Maps, is getting a major update. Google is overhauling the entire look and feel of the app.

Simply said, the company is not only changing the user interface of the app in a way that makes it easier for the users to access various features offered by the app, but it is also changing the way the app looks.

Google Maps app gets redesigned

Starting today, users across the globe will start seeing a new and an updated Google Maps on their Android smartphones and iPhones. The updated app will have five new tabs that will make it easy for the users to commute and explore new places.

Here are the new tabs coming to Google Maps:

Explore: This tab will allow Google Maps users to look for new places. Users will get information, ratings, reviews about places, such as restaurants and attractions around them. The company says that users can access information about nearly 200 million businesses across the globe in this tab.

Commute: This tab will give users the routes to those places depending on their mode of transportation and real-time traffic updates. In addition to that, users will also get alternative route suggestions in this tab.

Saved: In this section, users will see all the places that they saved. These places can be the landmarks that users want to visit or the places that they have already visited. Google says that users across the globe have already saved nearly 6.5 billion places in Maps. Now, the new tab will allow them to organize plans for an upcoming trip and share recommendations based on places that they have visited.

Contribute: Google has a Local Guides program that enables users to improve the Google Maps' experience by sharing images, writing reviews, adding new places, answering questions, and fact-checking the existing information on the platform. Google says that over 20 million users contribute to improve the Google Maps experience everyday. Now, the new tab makes it easier for the users to share their knowledge about local places.

Updates: This tab gives users information about new places, such as newly opened and trending spots, around them. In addition to this, this tab will allow users to directly chat with businesses to get more information about them.

Google Maps app gets a new look

Apart from redesigning the app, Google, as I mentioned before, is also changing the app's logo. The red-coloured location pin will now appear in Google's rainbow-coloured theme. Additionally, users will also see a party-themed app when they navigate the app during a limited period of time.

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New transit insights

That's not it, there's more. As a part of its birthday celebrations, the company is also adding more insights to its crowdiness predictions feature that was introduced last year. For your reference, the crowdiness predictions feature allows users to see how crowded their bus, train or subway is likely to be.

Now, the company will give users more information, which includes the temperature inside their rides, accessibility to entrance, seating and stop-button and onboard security. In addition to that, the regions where the public transit systems, such as metro trains, have special carriages reserved for women, Google Maps will also show if the ride has a women's section.

The company is also rolling out a feature as a part of its crowdiness predictions that will allow users to pick a public transport system based on the number of carriages, which in turn would make it easier for the users to get a seat. This feature, however, will only be available in Japan.

ALSO READ: 5 Google Maps features you can use that don't require navigation

Live View

Last thing on the menu is Google Maps' Live View feature. Last year, Google rolled out the Live View feature in beta mode on Maps' Android and iOS based platforms for some users. Now, this feature will be available as a regular update to all the Google Maps users in all the regions where the Live View is available. This update will be rolled out to users in March. However, the Live View feature is not available in India and so Indian users will not be able to access it.