Google maps adds key feature for drivers

New feature details

Borrowing a feature from Waze, the iOS, Android, and car versions of Google Maps now allow users to report police locations, complementing the existing crash and radar tracking feature.

As with those features, users can notify the app of a spotted police officer, and drivers passing through the same area must confirm. As long as people keep confirming the presence of police, others will be alerted to it.

Of course, this means a lot of unnecessary touchscreen action while driving, so Google is also increasing the size of the report buttons

Even within the Maps app, alerts can come from both Maps and Waze users to provide the widest possible data set. Waze is also getting some exclusive new features, such as the ability to report traffic lights that also track your speed.

In addition to user reports, Waze will also use public data to label its maps. Waze will also gain the ability to see turn-by-turn directions and other navigation guidance on the lock screen, coming to Android this month and iOS in the fall.

A traffic incident feature is already being rolled out in Waze, which brings together event-related road closures and detours on a single page.

Passengers who regularly travel through such areas will automatically receive an alert from the app when the event starts, which they can then share with others.

Back to Google Maps: Once you're at your destination, you'll be able to get to the building more easily. In the coming weeks, Google Maps will enable the Navigation to Destination feature, which will highlight a specific destination building in red and show entrances to the building in green.

The app will also highlight nearby parking lots. The Navigation to Destination feature will work on all versions of the Google Maps app.