In an attempt to make its Map Application more relevant to users, Google has rolled out a series of new features that would enable better navigation experience for users.Google Maps has extended its language support for the voice that now includes Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu and a support for plus codes to let you find places with no addresses too.
Beginning with, what are Plus Codes?
Plus code, also known as “Open location code” is a way of identifying places that do not have addresses. It is a geocode system developed by Google that involves representing an area with a combination of local and area codes to anonymous places.
With the new update, a user can generate a plus code and share it across multiple platforms using e-mail, messaging or social media.
How can you generate a plus code using Google Maps?
Simply navigate to the location for which you want to generate a plus code, zoom in and enter the pin for the location. This will automatically generate a plus code that would be a uniquely created by Google.
How will plus codes help in better navigation?
Plus code is free and hence can be incorporated into open source applications that work on a location-based feature.
These codes are not network-dependent and can be easily generated without an internet connection in your device. However, one can also create them using a device connected to internet and share via message or call.
The best part, plus codes work for everybody! Any person can share his address with others using plus codes.Similarly, food delivery or cab providing businesses can make use of plus codes to serve their customer better.
While plus codes do not replace your actual address, they align with wider user cases in case the address is not identifiable in Google Maps.
Other New Features of Google Maps introduced in India
Google has come up with a “Smart Address Search” feature in India that would help to identify complex addresses.
Addresses in India are quite long as compared to that in the U.S. This sometimes poses a problem in navigation. Smart Address feature works on the concept of machine learning and identifies key points in a long address to suggest an alternative route using landmarks for better navigation.
Users can also pinpoint their business, home or favorite address using the “Add an Address” option introduced in the latest update of Google Maps.