Mature products like Google Maps enter a phase at a certain point where it’s all about incremental improvements. You could say the same thing about the iPhone. Google Maps is also dominant in its space, so it’s all about maintaining that healthy market-share lead with a steady flow of features.
Google did just that in Maps’ latest round of updates. Among other things, it announced new in-map elements such as toll road prices and traffic signs. And for the iOS crowd, it launched new features that let users “pin” frequent trips and sync directions to their Apple Watch for easier access while driving.
Collectively the theme here is more intelligence and automation for users’ daily travels. Let’s tackle these one at a time…
Game-Time Decision
Starting with toll-road pricing, the feature rolls out for 2,000 toll roads in the U.S. Japan and Indonesia to support smarter driving decisions. Specifically, it does the math to inform users about price differences in taking a given toll road. This arms them to make quick decisions about time versus money.
To do this, Google is tapping local toll authorities for baseline data. It then calculates toll prices for a given trip using variables like mileage, payment method (toll pass or not), and day of the week. The estimated cost plus estimated time savings gets to the above goal for smart game-time decisions.
Moving on to the new traffic-light feature, Google is adding a greater detail in the Maps navigation UX that indicates upcoming traffic lights and stop signs. The thinking here is that driving and following directions in unfamiliar places can be stressful and distracting, causing drivers to miss traffic signals.
Additionally, Maps is adding more details for these scenarios such as building outlines, as well as more true-to-life road shapes, including things like medians and islands. And its iOS pinned trip widget lets users save and easily access frequent trips from the “Go” Tab on their iPhone or iPad home screen.
Speaking of iOS, Maps directions can now be accessed directly from your Apple Watch, as noted. Previously, navigation had to be initiated from an iPhone before being synced to a Watch. Now, users can cut out the middleman and tap the Google Maps shortcut on their Apple Watch to navigate.
Lastly, Google is making similar integrations across iOS, including access points in Spotlight, Siri, and the Shortcuts app. Practically speaking, this means that Siri now recognizes commands like “Hey Siri, search in Google Maps.” Users will start seeing all of the above features roll out throughout Q2.
Future Proof
While Google continues to work on all of the above core mapping functions, it also has one eye on its future. That’s all about 3D mapping. As we’ve written, its Live View feature (a component of Google Lens) lets users hold up their phones to get 3D/AR directional overlays for urban walking directions.
Though this is a bit awkward to hold up your phone as you navigate city streets on foot, it’s largely an experimental play to feel out consumer behavior. It’s also experimental in that it’s live-testing the technology itself which involves a combination of object recognition (via Street View) and AR.
One supporting factor for Google’s efforts here is Gen Z. As we’ve explored with Snap during Localogy Events, Gen-Z is very camera forward. They’re also increasingly buying empowered as they phase into the ranks of the adult consumer population. That makes them a key target for product road maps.
For that reason, expect more visual-search updates from Google. Another way to think of this is that it’s an alternative search input. Just like voice, visual searches can help Google boost query volume – a fundamental Google KPI – and to future-proof its core business beyond typed/tapped searches.
