Google Maps, the world's most popular mapping application, has offered new values to businesses and consumers alike over the past year. December also saw the launch of a new app feature that will make it easier for users to manage their location settings and history.
According to Arnold Lukošius, "Tele2According to the innovation expert, the new functions already available in Lithuania are mostly related to user safety.
The blue dot has acquired new functions
"Those who use Google Maps are very familiar with the blue dot that shows you where you are. Until now, this point had no significant additional purpose. But right now, by clicking on it, you can also see various settings related to your location and manage them much faster than usual. This function already works in Lithuania," says A. Lukošius.
First of all, from now on you can tap the blue dot on the Google Maps screen to select shortcuts that will allow you to save the location where you parked in your map history or share your location with others.
Another useful feature of this update is the addition of device location and location history options. This way, you can immediately see whether these options are on or off and easily manage them as needed. According to the expert, these changes may be related to greater data security.
"By default, the location history feature is turned off in the Google Maps app. This function is usually used by people who want to review their travel habits later, remember the places they visited. With consent, all this data is stored in the cloud. Another innovation with the current updates is that Google has shortened the time after which it will automatically delete all users' location history to three months, although it previously kept this data for 18 months. These changes are promised to be made in the next year", assures A. Lukošius.
According to him, Google says it will soon make another small but important update - it will give you the ability to delete all data related to a specific location from your Google Maps account. Currently, it is possible to remove the visited location from the history, but the record of the visited locations remains in the app itself. For this reason, Google will offer a new way to delete all related information.
There have been other updates as well
More recently, Google Maps has introduced other updates to users related to environmental protection and sustainability. At the time, the updates aimed at business customers included measuring solar energy consumption, monitoring air quality and pollen distribution.
Google Maps launched Project Sunroof back in 2015 to help people figure out the potential for solar energy in their neighborhood and how much they could save by going solar, and this fall the company rolled out an expanded AI-powered service and for companies.
The Maps app also offered another business-friendly service, air quality measurements. The air quality factor is calculated using meteorological data, terrain and street traffic. Google Maps also allows you to see general air quality - data on the amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide. The update enables healthcare, automotive, transportation and other companies to provide more accurate information about air quality.
Another Google Maps tool introduced this year, according to the company, should help interested organizations see information about various allergens in their area. All this will be displayed on a hydrological type map. The pollen measurement function will allow you to see the information of the most common allergens, the temperature of the area, the concentrate, detailed descriptions and forecasts.
Can help save time and fuel
Andrius Archangelskis, "Bites Profas", says that Google Maps can also help you drive more economically.
In the free Google Maps (Android, iOS) app, you can choose your car's engine type: diesel, gas, hybrid or electric. The updated app function will calculate the most efficient travel route in terms of fuel consumption and estimated time of arrival. This means that the most economical route recommended by navigation will allow you to reach your destination in the same or similar time, but save money," he says.
A. Arkhangelskis adds that if an electric car is selected in the app, the fuel-efficient route may have traffic jams, and if a diesel or gasoline engine is selected, the navigation will offer the most economical route while avoiding traffic jams and maintaining the most constant speed.
