Google Maps just got 5 big upgrades in time for holiday driving season — here’s the new features
Today, Google announced the arrival of several new features meant to help with your holiday plans. The features cover everything from traveling on public transit to planning trips with your electric vehicle or a trailer.
Most of the features are built around making travel easier and to help you get around without getting caught in the holiday crowds.
Some of the features already exist in Google Maps but have been improved or are a good tool to use as you plan your travels and shopping trips over the holiday season.
Immersive View, for example, has been integrated with Maps since 2023, but as Google notes in its blog post, the tool could be useful for planning routes. Using the 3D planner, you can scope out the parking situation or unexpected turns before you leave.
Similarly, Google already offers a Popular Times feature to track the best and worst times to travel. This year, Google says that its analyzed the data from that tool and found the busiest and least busy times for popular places that get a lot of traffic over the holidays like the airport, post office and shopping centers.
Google also highlighted the Gemini integration that the company has added to maps this year which utilizes the AI assistant to find events using conversational language like "what are fun winter activities in New York city?" You can also ask Gemini questions like "Does this place have free parking?" The assistant will also provide summarized reviews of locations to give you an idea of what others think of a restaurant, event space or store.
Weather and Transit Disruption ReportingThough, we are reportedly going to see less snow this year, a new feature on Maps is ability to report "weather disruptions" including unplowed roads, low-visibility and flooded roads. This should help you know what's coming and help other drivers.
If you travel on public transit, Maps is also getting the ability to report delays and to get information based on reports from other riders and local agencies. Google is also adding "clearly marked" entrances to subway stations and alternative transit routes on the map.
Electric Vehicle and Trailer route planningFor those with electric vehicles, Maps has seen a number of EV specific improvements arrive this year, including adding the ability to find charging stations , which you filter for over gas stations . As part of the announcement, Google says that now you can plan a trip on your phone and send the route straight to your EV. You can also add your car's make and model into Maps on your phone and Google claims that Maps will "automatically show you compatible charging stations whenever you search for them.
For those who use trailers for hauling or travel with campers over the holiday season, Google Maps is getting the ability to let you enter your cargo dimensions "into [your] car with Google built-in" and Maps will create a route that avoids low bridges and tunnels. Currently, the feature is only available on the 2024 Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon, though Google says more "compatible vehicles" will get access in the future.
Product SearchIf you're like me, then you've definitely used Google Maps to search for places that sell specific products like comic books or board games.
Maps will now let you actually search for an item in Maps which will pull up stores that sell that item. It does not appear that the feature will work on every good, but Google specifically says it will find "home goods, electronics, apparel and items from grocery stores."
Once an product is entered, Google Maps will find relevant stores and you can easily get directions from there.
Finally, Google is adding a new "Cheapest" tab on Google Flights to help you find hte best deals on air travel. The tab was announced in October and appears after you put in your itinerary appearing next to the options that Google Flights considers the "Best" options.
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