Google wants clients from emerging markets to enjoy the features of its Maps app and to do so, it has prepared two neat features for the Android variant of the service.
Not only is Google Maps for Android getting a Wi-Fi-only option, but a new support for SD card data download is in tow as well. Testing for the Wi-Fi-only option started last month, but the storing of map data is entirely new.
Some might expect more radical upgrades from Google Maps, but the two new features will be a game changer to owners of budget handsets who have limited storage capacity, as well as to those whose pre-paid data plans make them wary of any overage of traffic.
Overseas travelers will benefit from the Wi-Fi option, as it will ensure that users avoid data roaming and stay within their home country data plans.
Offline support for Google Maps has been a great addition to the service for some time now, and tourists commended the possibility of downloading the data for a city before reaching it. However, keep in mind that such downloads can be a heavy burden, especially for entry-level smartphones. Here is where the extra SD card support comes in to save the day, allowing users to save important space on their phone.
In its blog post, Google explains how helpful the new features are.
The company points out that basic handsets usually come with internal storage capacities of 4 GB, which is half or one-eighth the capacity of a premium model. This makes it difficult to cram videos, music, apps and photos into the mobile devices.
Google Maps users will no longer have to delete precious memories to "download and use offline areas when they need them most," thanks to the new features that permit the downloading of "offline areas to an external SD card."
Google also boosted the number of transportation variants in Maps. This means that travelers to Southeast Asia can now tap into Go-Jek and Grab. Additional services are now supported for other markets, with notable names such as Hailo, MyTaxi and Gett for Poland, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Israel and Russia.
While the Wi-Fi-only option and the SD storage capability have landed just on the Android version of Maps, the latter will be available on both Android and iOS.
With the new features of its app, Google makes its way into the hearts and navigational needs of mobile-exclusive internet users.
