Google Maps Will Soon Remind Passengers to Get Off Their Stop
Google Maps is about to save people from missing their bus or train stop. A new update is about to come to the app that gives passengers a live update on their journey, perhaps even reminding people to get off.
The main function of the upcoming feature is to provide real-time updates for passengers as they ride mass transit, according to Tech Crunch. This feature could prove to be a life saver for those traveling in unfamiliar cities, or for those who just like to doze off in their commute home.
A useful aspect of the new Google Maps update is how the directions will show up even on an Android lock screen, and these updates are interactive, even. Users can scroll past the latest update to the previous ones to see how far they've come, to give an example.
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Google Maps could even remind passengers when they are nearing their train station or bus stop and tell them to get off.
The way it works, at least in an early pre-release version, is that users would find a new "Start" button at the bottom of the screen whenever they look up travel directions on an updated Google Maps app, according to Engadget.
The app will then start to supply live updates whenever the user makes progress on their trip, by bus, train, car or even just by plain walking. The feature will also work on the lock screen, so users don't have to be glued to their phone to see the updates.
It's a function similar to other offers like Transit or CityMapper, and it remains to be seen if Google's own version could depend on Google Maps' extensive data to provide more accurate live updates.
While Google has not provided an exact release date for the new feature, the company could be testing the update via random roll-outs as of this time.
