For the last several weeks, Search engine giant has been speculated to be testing an 'off route' feature on its Maps mobile app for the commuter's safety. Now, the company has officially rolled it out as 'Stay Safer' in India.
The new feature comes with two options-- 'Stay safer' and 'Get off-route alerts'. It will let the commuter to be aware of the precise route to their destination and if their cab or auto go astray, Google Maps will alert the user about the deviation from the actual route. It also offers the user to share their real-time location with their friends.
Here's how Stay Safer feature works on Google Maps:
For instance, if the taxi driver deviates more than 0.5KM from the Google Maps suggested route, your phone will buzz with a prominent notification, and you can tap it to see where you are compared to the original route.
Then, you can also choose to share your live trip with friends and family directly from that screen so they know you are off route and can keep track of your journey, and take appropriate action if required.
As of now, The Stay Safer feature is now available to Android users in India using the latest version of Google Maps. It is expected to be rolled out to the iOS version for iPhone and iPads soon.
Google has been adding several new value-added features for the past months to improve the user-experience on Maps apps and exactly why it continues to be one of the world's most popular navigation application for mobiles.
Earlier in the year, Google has added Messages option on Maps so the users can chat with local enterprises for information such as availability of particular commodity or a service, which not only saves time for the latter but also help the former get feedback and improve their business. Or, in the case of a restaurant, the user can book a table.
Prior to that, Google introduced auto routes and fare calculator in select regions of India to help commuters, local and foreigners manage their travel plans and expenses. Google Maps also has a toilet-locator feature in India.
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