Search engine giant Google is testing an “off-route” alert feature in India which will alert you if your taxi goes off route. This safety feature will help the user avoid being tricked by a cab driver while traveling to an unfamiliar part of the city. It will alert you if your taxi is driven away from the intended route by 500 meters. This year, the search giant announced new Maps features like Incognito Mode and Maps AR on Pixel devices. The company also added SOS alerts, an on-screen speedometer, and three major new features for commuters in India including live train status to help Map users in 10 of the largest cities in India to see bus travel times from live traffic and get live train status for Indian Railways. Google’s new feature is currently available only in India. It’s a very useful feature especially if you’re traveling around an unfamiliar part of a city. If the taxi goes off route it will quickly alert you without re-routing the driver.
You can use this feature by setting up navigation on Google Maps by selecting your destination normally. Now, tap on the ‘Stay safer’ button at the bottom of the screen. You’ll be shown two options under the Stay Safer feature which will include sharing a live trip with your friends or getting off-route alerts. This is how Google Maps will track your current trip. While navigating, Google Maps will also present a small banner at the top which says that you’ll receive an alert if your ride diverts by 500 meters. It’s a useful feature especially if you’re traveling around a new place.
Google has been updating Maps with an abundance of features including a speedometer and support for showing radar locations.
To help you out, Google Maps also supports offline access. You can navigate to the location you would like to access offline. You can download the map by selecting downloads in the pop-up and download the map of the location you would like to access.
The Goole also gives you the power to build your own private Google Map (My Map). If you are signed in to Google Maps on the desktop you have to click the hamburger menu > Your places > Maps > Create Map. You can add pinpoints with info cards, highlight whole sections, or create customized walking or driving directions in My Maps Feature.
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