Google has finally brought Driving Mode to Google Assistant on Android. The feature was first made mention of during Google’s I/O developers conference in 2019. The UI, however, looks somewhat different from what it looked like the first time it was showcased at the conference.
Per XDA Developers, the feature has started showing up on some users’ phone–a huge sign that it could soon be widely available. To see if you can use the new Driving Mode on your phone, simply open Google Maps and right from the navigation settings menu, select “Google Assistant settings.” Howe, if it is not enabled, you will be taken straight to the main Assistant settings section.
A couple of weeks ago, Google Maps welcomed a new feature that lets you pay for parking within the app. The feature, which is in partnership with Passport, is currently only available in Austin, and Texas, and will soon be widely available.
Google’s partnership with Passport, a transportation software company, will enable people in those two cities to pay for parking directly from Google Maps. The feature has already rolled out in the aforementioned cities.
Drivers will now have the option to pay for parking with Google Pay as they approach their destination. This can be done while navigating with Google Maps on iOS and Android. You can also visit pay.google.com/parking to pay directly from your phone’s browser.
Maps users in select cities can now see icons for traffic lights at intersections in yet another new feature added by Google. This feature according to CNN, is already available on Apple M
Google Maps had earlier launched a feature that allows you to easily locate where bike sharing stations are. With data provided by Ito World, you can locate a bike sharing stations, which now makes everything easier. This is commendable considering how safe it is to ride a bike to your destination in this period where social distancing has very much become a part of our daily life.
Ito World provides you with information on where to find a bike sharing station, the number of bikes there, and whether or not there is an empty space waiting for you to dock your bike when you get to your destination. Google says there has been a 69 percent increase in the number of people requesting for cycling directions made through Maps; with the number spiking last month.
