Skip to main content

Google Maps adds offline navigation and search

By

Offline search and navigation was one of the biggest announcements at I/O this May — and now, nearly six months later, that feature is finally reaching users. Today, Google Maps will roll out a new offline mode allowing for driving directions and search. It’s designed to fit seamlessly alongside the online version of Maps, allowing data connection to drop in and out without interrupting the app itself. The new features will begin rolling out to Android users later today, and Google says the iOS rollout will follow “soon.”

The option to save certain areas has existed in Google Maps since 2012, but this is the first time they’ve been indexed for search and navigation. That means that if you save the city you live in, you’ll be able to search for a place to have dinner and get a response without a cellular connection. Because of space constraints, the businesses stored will have names, star ratings, and phone numbers, but no photos or user reviews.
Similarly, directions will work from average traffic time rather than loading in real-time traffic data, although the route will update as soon as the connection is restored. The initial rollout doesn’t include transit or walking directions, largely due to space considerations, but Google says those features will be added in the months to come.
The feature will be most useful for anyone navigating without a cellular connection, either in a dead zone or a foreign country that requires a second SIM. But project manager Amanda Bishop says even standard users will notice maps loading faster, because of the erratic nature of even the best data connections. According to Google’s research, the average phone is offline for 10 percent of the day, much of which results from simple network congestion. “The app just feels really fast,” Bishop says. “It’s about never ever having to wait.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Best ways to Relieve Dizziness

By
There are many causes of dizziness, among them riding the teacups or the scrambler at an amusement park. Most of the time, however, dizziness, characterized by light-headedness, loss of balance or vertigo, is unpleasant and unwanted. There are several natural remedies, such as acupressure and herbal therapy, which can be used to relieve dizziness. If your symptoms are ongoing, your dizziness might indicate low blood pressure or a serious health condition.
Post a Comment
Read full story »

I don’t care what people say about my age –Halima Abubakar

By
Kogi State-born actress, Halima Abubakar, certainly doesn’t care whose ox is gored especially since she went public about her age. Immediately she went on the social media to declare that she is 30 years, some of her fans and critics began to diss her. While some claim that she certainly couldn’t be 30 years, others accused her of shortening her age by at least five years. But while speaking to Saturday Beats, the actress said she wasn’t bothered about the ‘ranting’ of other people, saying she knows her age and is proud of it. “I have said what my real age is. I am 30, I am not bothered in any way about what people say,” she told Saturday Beats on the phone. (JAB)
Post a Comment
Read full story »

Taraba urged to increase resources to curb HIV/AIDS

By
The Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) has called on the Taraba State Government to comply with the global-based recommendations by allocating 15 percent of the state’s budget to the health sector. The Taraba State Chapter of the group also called on the state House of Assembly to prioritize the disease in their budgetary allocation for the year 2015/2016. The call was made on Tuesday during the commencement of a five-day massive awareness campaign on the disease by NEPWHAN in collaboration with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) -SURE-P HIV/AIDS programme. National Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Edward Ogenyi, expressed dismay at the way and manner the disease has being on the increase in the state. In Taraba State, the HIV prevalence is 10,5 percent which is above the national average of 3,1. “The total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the state is about 110 849 and those eligible for HIV treatment is 54 120,” Ogenyi noted. He fel...
Post a Comment
Read full story »