Users of iOS are in for a treat as Google Maps just received an update a few hours ago. The update brings forth a host of new features to Google’s proprietary navigation app that make navigation fun and less of a chore. The features introduced in the latest update are the ability to label places on your map, a new ‘Night Mode’ feature and the ability to edit your posted photo captions.
While all the new features are exciting, the new ‘Night Mode’ addition is surely the show-stopper for the navigation app. The feature had been on millions of users’ hitlist for a while now and Google has finally implemented it on their app. While it’s not going to give you nightvision or any superpower like that, the feature will display your maps in a darker display as opposed to the traditional bright glaring white one that’s the default look for Google Maps.
In theory, the feature will adjust and improve your nightvision as your eyes will no longer be needed to keep switching between the dark road up ahead and the bright display of your smartphone screen displaying the map.
The feature is entirely automatic and doesn’t need you to do anything. The app automatically switches to ‘Night Mode’ when it’s actually nighttime. You might think that the app might use your phone’s ambient light sensor to determine whether it’s dark or not, but your assumption is wrong as the feature only gets activated during nighttime.
Also, it is available only in the turn-by-turn navigation display and not the default maps view so it activates only when it’s essential.
The other noteworthy feature of the latest Maps app from Google is the ability to label places on the map and search for them accordingly. This will offer you a more personalized experience as you can label places of importance to you such as ‘Granny’s place’ or ‘Hangout with friends’ etc. Another feature is the ability to edit the captions of photos you’ve uploaded to Google Maps.
The update is currently only available for iOS but it won’t be long until Google’s very own Android gets a bump in features too.
