Google Maps is about to receive a significant update on Android, promising to solve one of the most common problems: confusion over which direction to take. Your phone will now be able to more accurately determine which direction you are facing, making navigation even more intuitive and reliable.
Google Maps, despite its popularity, faces criticism regarding its delay in key functionalities compared to Waze, notably for the reporting of speed cameras and incidents. Introduced in 2019, this option aimed to help drivers by sharing information in real time. However, the lack of updates and integration with systems like Android Auto and CarPlay has limited its usefulness.
Nevertheless, Google Maps continues to innovate and improve. Recently, the platform has introduces a feature allowing the navigation signal to be maintained in the tunnels. Additionally, in an effort to make the more intuitive pedestrian navigation, the application is testing a functionality indicating building entrances, thus facilitating orientation in complex environments. And now, a new update has further refined its precision.
This new Google Maps function will help you orient yourself
In the current context where the urban navigation may turn out complex because of unreliable GPS signals in a dense environment, the new API Fused Orientation Provider (FOP) comes as a promising solution fornavigation applications on Android, such as Google Maps. This new function, in merging information derived from the accelerometerof gyroscope and magnetometerensures orientation of the device more precise and constant. It aims to eliminate the uncertainties often felt when using navigation, particularly in the big cities where magnetic disturbances can be misleading. With the FOP API, navigation will become more intuitive, reducing the chances to get lost or take unnecessary detours.
This update therefore promises to improve navigation for all Android users, regardless of the quality of their device’s sensors or brand. The FOP API is designed to optimize its performance according to the specificities of each phone, thus ensuring precise and reliable direction indications for everyone. This innovation should not only improve the use of Google Maps, but also that of other navigation applications.
Source: Android