If you use Google Maps for walking or public transportation guidance, we’ve got some good news for you. According to new reports, the navigation app has made some big changes to how it handles directions when using the walking and transit options, which should be a welcome change after this year’s earlier bug, which caused Maps to crash when searching for transit directions.
The changes were spotted by Android Authority, which spotted the differences while making its way through Paris to a local theatre. One of the biggest issues, according to that report, was how Google Maps used to lock out many of the other features in Maps when using public transit features. This made it more difficult to figure out where nearby restaurants might be while already on a route, and would often lead to dismissed starting points and entirely different routes showing up in the app. Suffice it to say, that isn’t an ideal way for the app to behave for users that rely on it for directions on foot or taking the subway.
For starters, the report indicates that Maps now shows your latest route progress on a persistent bar that runs along the bottom of the Google Maps app. This means you can look through other information in the app without having to worry about losing track of where you are or where you need to get off next.
Easier ways to find other destinations
Google Maps users can also now make use of the Other trips option, which will let you check if it’s faster to ride the subway, grab a bike, or walk to the next stop of your route. This can be found by tapping on the Other trip options pop-up at the top of the map. This lets you switch destinations mid-trip without having to go through the process of re-entering the destination details or sorting through train timetables. All you have to do now is type out the name of the place you want to go, and Google Maps will handle the rest. Then just tap the route you want to take and the rerouting will complete.
Walking directions have also received new incident reports similar to what Google Maps and Google’s other navigation app, Waze, offer. This lets you see if other incidents have been reported on your route — like construction, crashes, etc. It’s a great way to keep up with anything that might slow you down. Considering Waze and Google Maps share incident reports now, it should prove to be a powerful addition. The updates appear to be rolling out on Google’s side of the service, so you’ll need to wait for the changes to reach your app over the next few weeks.