Google Maps 'Driving Mode' Predicts Where You're Going


A Google Maps update could make it more useful when navigating around town.

Google added a new feature called Driving Mode on Android, Android Police discovered. It makes assumptions about where people are going to make it easier to input destinations. In addition, it analyzes the path ahead to alert users to possible traffic slow-downs and other issues.

Driving Mode analyzes a user's Internet searches and recent location data to guess where they may want to go. If the Google-bot guess is wrong, users simply add their destination as they would before.

In addition to Driving Mode, the new Google Maps for Android has some interface tweaks, including an easier way to add voice recognition and hear alerts, according to Android Police, which took the app for a spin recently. There's also a new Timeline feature so users can see recently visited locations.

Google Maps Driving version 9.19 is available now to download on Google Play.