Google surprises iOS users with a series of new and interesting features for its most famous navigation application, Google Maps. The update was released on the evening of February 6th and committed to deliver a wide range of new options meant to ensure faster results.
On the Apple App Store, version 4.44 of Google Maps can now be downloaded by iOS users, offering them the chance to test it for the first time and individually discover its new features.
The newly launched update enables Google Maps users to add extra shortcuts to the Travel Times widget. This feature is not entirely new, as it was first made available immediately after the release of the iOS 10 software.
The Travel Times widget can be found on the lock screen of the Apple device, offering users a glimpse of the time estimation until their arrival at a defined destination. If until know, the widget included only two possible destinations, named Home and Work, the new update allows the customization of multiple destinations within the app.
Therefore, it is now possible for iOS users to create their own, personalized destinations by picking the desired address, with the option of either choosing the labels for them from a predefined list, or creating the labels according to their preferences. Based on the provided settings, Google will provide a constantly updated destination arrival time, which will be available in the Widget screen.
The main advantage of this new update brought to Google Maps is that is spares iOS users from regularly having to configure the same destination for recurrent events, such as weekly classes or appointments. At the same time, it will provide updated traffic information for the selected routes, always keeping users informed about potential traffic-caused delays.
At this point, with the newly released update, Google Maps allows the configuration of three additional destinations, aside from the two predefined ones.