Navigation apps already tell you where you can find the destination (using common phrases like “your destination is on the right”), but Google takes the experience to a new level with this Google Maps update.
First, when you approach your destination, you’ll see the typical turn-by-turn instructions on the screen. You’ll see the distance to your destination, albeit Google Maps will now highlight where you can leave the car if your destination is a building, a shop, or a restaurant.
Google Maps will suggest parking locations and use a dotted line to guide you to the building entrance. With this update, Google Maps offers a “more complete” experience to take you to the destination by offering turn-by-turn directions to the parking locations and then walking directions to the building’s entrance.
However, because finding the building and choosing a parking location isn’t as convenient as we’d all wish, Google Maps will now display dynamic content, highlighting the building that you navigate to. The maps are updated as you approach the destination, and Google Maps will automatically light up your building, so you can tell where it’s located much easier. Google Maps will also show nearby parking lots, and the walking directions are updated in real-time according to your location.
Google calls this feature “destination guidance,” and it will be available everywhere. Users will get it in Google Maps on their smartphones running Android and iOS, but also on Android Auto and CarPlay. Google Maps on Android Automotive will offer the same functionality, and the rollout on all platforms will start in the coming weeks.
With this update, Google Maps is again becoming the better option in the navigation space, making driving to any destination more convenient. This is a feature that we are unlikely to get in Waze, whose focus remains on traffic navigating, incident reporting, and keeping users up-to-date with what happens on the road.
The new destination guidance in Google Maps will come in handy especially during nighttime driving, when the highlighted building is more useful because you can’t see where your destination is located. The feature should start rolling out with a server-controlled model, meaning that it will become available for users without needing to install a new app version on their devices.