New-Generation Google Maps Feature

 Launch of New-Generation Google Maps Features  

Google Maps remains the perfect navigation tool for many users worldwide, but the application has evolved way beyond this simple concept. Google transformed Google Maps into an all-in-one navigation and exploration platform, with the company investing heavily in innovative features to enhance these capabilities. Immersive View is living proof. Advanced computer vision and AI use all these data to create a lifelike world simulation so you can explore a place like you're there. You can also simulate traffic conditions, busyness levels and even the weather based on the forecast.

Launched in 2023, Immersive View is a brilliant way to explore the world from the comfort of your mobile phone. The feature combines aerial imagery, street-level shots, satellite maps, weather forecasts, you name it – in short, everything Google has about a specific location to create a multi-dimensional view of a particular place. Now that you understand how great Immersive View can be, you can imagine that releasing it in a new region involves tremendous work. Google has just announced that five major cities in Canada are getting Immersive View, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton. If you live in Canada and want to try out Immersive View on your phone, start Google Maps on Android or iPhone, navigate to one of the cities mentioned above, and look for the preview icon on the screen. Tap it, and you'll enter the Immersive View screen, where you can move around and explore the place as if you're there already.

In addition to this, Google Maps is reportedly extending to Apple’s iOS and CarPlay a speedometer and speed limits feature that it has long offered for its own operating system, Android. It is being reported that it spotted the feature being available to iPhone users and Google confirmed that the feature will be rolled out globally. The feature helps users avoid speeding tickets while driving by showing the vehicle’s speed when people start navigation on Google Maps and by changing colours on the speed indicator to remind people to drive within the speed limit, according to the report. The feature uses the same data as the standard Immersive View, allowing users to view rich details like trees, buildings and crosswalks and simulate traffic based on historical patterns and Google Maps data. The Immersive View for routes feature is also available in limited regions, as Google needs more time to release it everywhere, considering the amount of data that must be processed for every route. For now, the standard route preview screen in Google Maps remains available for everybody.

Meanwhile, while Immersive View launched in these five Canadian cities, the feature remains unavailable for the biggest part of the world. Google needs more time to release it everywhere, and it'll probably take years before the broad availability phase is reached. You don't need the latest Google Maps version, but a recent release is required to get access to Immersive View. However, the content is available on the server side, so you should be able to load the feature even if Google Maps is not up to date. Google has also released a version of Immersive View specifically aimed at drivers. This feature is called Immersive View for routes, and it is an improved route preview tool that allows drivers to explore a route generated by Google Maps using the multi-dimensional view before they begin driving.

The vehicle’s speed is shown for “informational use only,” according to a Google support page, suggesting that drivers should rely on their vehicle’s speedometer, per the report. Google launched the speedometer and speed limits feature on Android earlier. This new feature will join some others that have been added to Google Maps in recent months. These include a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feature launched earlier which helps people discover places by providing personalized recommendations based on users’ specific needs.

For example, if someone is visiting San Francisco and wants to explore vintage shops, they can simply ask Google Maps for “places with a vintage vibe in SF.” The AI models will then analyse the available information, including photos, ratings and reviews from the Maps community, to provide suggestions. Earlier, Google Maps added a feature which help groups plan trips by creating a collaborative list in which members of the group can add places they would like to visit and can vote on group activities by using emojis like a heart or a thumbs down. Google also added a “small business attribute” which allows merchants to prominently display their small business status on both Maps and Search, making those businesses easier to spot among the list of merchants. This feature is designed to help consumers find and shop at new small businesses. It is meant to appeal to the 84% of consumers who said they prioritize supporting local and small businesses.