Google has updated the Map service to commemorate it’s 15th birthday therefore giving it a newer looks and even newer app icon. Back in 2005 when there Android was still being built in the lab or even iOS still never being determined, the Google Map is obviously an important application in our modern world. The service had saved me on multiple occasions such as missing my destinations or getting to an unknown destination.

Another interesting thing about the Google Map includes the Turn-by-Turn feature for Android users and even being used by big brands like Uber and other hailing services. The Google Map includes “Street Views” which I obviously used during my first Job interview while fresh outta University.

Daily traffic highlights and reports from work back home is another interesting feature which tells me how jammed my route back home is and how long it would take me from my usual time. The Google Map is a true life saver and that is why it’s a big deal to everyone who has a smartphone in this modern era of smart technology.

The new upgrade includes some removal and addition which in turn enhances the user experience altogether. For example, the hamburger menu (stacked – icon) had been swapped out for a dual tab at the bottom increasing the number of tabs to be five. Each tab does the following…

• Explore: Here’s where you’ll find new places based on your personal recommendations. It’s also where you can search for restaurants, city attractions, and restaurants – along with their reviews.
• Commute: This tab helps you quickly find the best way to make it back home or back to work whether its by car, transit, or on foot.
• Saved: This is where you’ll find your saved places, reservations and plans for upcoming trips. You can also share recommendations to friends of places you’ve visited.
• Contribute: Here’s where you can leave reviews of places, share details about addresses, and add missing business hours.
• Updates: This is a feed of trending places near you. It will help you discover places nearby and get in touch with businesses to get your questions answered.

Other interesting features such as Live arrival times and crowdedness predictions and much more. In fact you’ll now be able to see the temeperature in advance assuming you’re travelling via a transit which will alert you about how you should dress up for your next trip.

There is also new accessibility information that lets riders know which train or bus lines offer accessible entrances and whether there are attendants to help disabled passengers. I don’t know how this feature will work in developing countries like Nigeria, South Africa or Kenya or India but this setup will definitely be on point in the US, Canada and UK.

That aside, there’s now a specific Women’s Section which offers info about the transit lines as well as a specific section designated to women. There is also a Security information system which can be monitored by either Cameras or just Live by security guards.

In Japan, there will be a chance for transit riders to chose a route based upon the number of carriages which will enable them find a seat when moving from a place to the other.

Google is in fact going to expand its availability of Live View navigation “over the coming months”. It expects to enable new capabilities and features for Live View. The Live View is different from Street View with the latter being a static navigate-able Multi-Dimensional images, the Live View will livestream an area in real time. I don’t know Google will achieve that globally as such feature might require tons of bandwidth and maybe Google Trekkers constantly walking around 24/7.

The upgrade is now available for install whether you’re using iOS or Android. Upon Installation, you’ll definitely notice the change in the Application’s icon which is to show the upgrade of the Google Map service.