Major Google Maps update rolled out; Here’s how to benefit

The winter festive season is coming! Ahead of celebrations, Google has rolled out a major update to Google Maps. This update brings a host of new features to Google’s navigation app that are aimed to help its users stay safe and maximize their time with their loved ones as Covid restrictions around the world start to lift and they travel more. Here are all the features that Google has rolled out on Google Maps.

Area Busyness

One of the features that Google has rolled out on Maps is called Area Busyness. This feature combines live busyness trends to help users instantly spot when a neighbourhood or part of town is near or at its busiest. Users can open Google Maps to see places to avoid. Alternatively, users will also be able to use this feature to pinpoint which neighbourhoods are lively. This can be particularly useful for travellers who want to check out some of the more popular areas in a town.

As far as how to access this feature is concerned, then all Google Maps users have to do is tap on a neighbourhood to see how busy it is at different times of day, along with the restaurants, shops and recreational places within it.

Availability: Google has started rolling out Area Busyness on Google Maps’s Android and iOS-based apps.

Directory Tab

Google is also expanding the reach of its Directory Tab feature globally. This feature enables users to find their way around large buildings such as shopping malls. Google said that it is expanding the reach of its feature to cover all airports, malls and transit stations around the world. With this feature, Google Maps users will be able to see what types of stores are in a building (like toy stores or jewelry boutiques), airport lounges, car rentals and parking lots among others. “And within each category, you can see a list of the relevant businesses, in addition to helpful information about whether it’s open, its rating and what floor it's on,” Google explained in a blog post.

Availability: This feature is being rolled out to Google Maps users on Android and iOS globally.

Pickup with Google Maps

Google first introduced Pickup with Google Maps in Portland, Oregon with select Fred Meyers stores and now, it is expanding the reach of this feature to more locations in the US. For the uninitiated, Pickup with Google Maps feature lets users track their order status, share their ETA and let the store know that they have arrived, all from the app once a user has placed their order.

Availability: Google is rolling out this feature to more Kroger Family stores like Kroger, Fry’s, Ralphs and Marianos. The company says that as of today, it’s now available in over 2,000 store locations in more than 30 states across the US.

And more…

Lastly, Google is rolling out a feature for its US-based users that will help them see price ranges for dining spots in the US based on contributions from other Google Maps users. It is also rolling out a simpler way to provide more detailed reviews about places, like whether or not a restaurant or cafe has things like outdoor seating, delivery options, curbside pickup and any features that customers should be aware of.