Google Maps uses Street View to keep you on the right path

google-maps-uses-street-view-to-keep-you-on-the-right-path photo 1 Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Google Maps for Android got a slight remake this week, with a couple handy new features on board. It still looks and functions basically the same as the Google Maps you know and potentially love, but Google has smartly integrated some Street View features directly into the navigation view. When you ask the app for directions, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to see the all the turn-by-turn steps as before. But now each step is accompanied by a Street View image of that exact turn.

If that sounds familiar, it's because Google added it to the web version of Maps many year ago, in 2008 in fact (as Android Police notes). Tapping on the Street View image opens it up full-screen, properly facing the direction you're going on the route. Most people are probably happy enough with the info provided by the turn-by-turn navigation, but if you're the type to get a little lost these images might help you prepare for the route.

The default view when you pop open the Google Maps app has changed a bit, as well. Now, the bottom third or so of the screen contains info relevant to the time of day and your location, like local lunch spots. Google's had this location-specific info in Maps for a long time now; they're just surfacing it in a more obvious way here. These changes should all be available in Google Maps for Android now, but they haven't rolled out to the iOS app just yet. Given how Google is keen on keeping its apps in parity, these new features will likely hit the iPhone before long.

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