Two new separate updates for Google Maps on both Android and iOS will allow you to share your location and maps with friends more easily.
Apple users can now share their location on Facebook from within the Google Maps app. Simply drop a pin on the map and you can let your friends know where you are — either by posting it on Facebook or sharing through the Facebook Messenger app.
iPhone and iPad users will also get the improved Transit view, already available on Android since June. It offers more route options and in certain cities, it will provide real time information on the arrival of the next train or bus. The real time info is available in Budapest, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and locations across the U.K. and the Netherlands. The update additionally features a new image gallery, which allows you to look at user-uploaded images of a location through a grid view.
The Android update hasn't actually been pushed out by Google yet, but if you like, you can manually download the APK from Android Police here. Google Maps 9.11 lets you share maps with friends and hide items from the interface.
If you want more room to see the full map, a quick tap on the center of the screen will remove the search bar, GPS and all other buttons from view. It's a nice update, as all those pop-ups can be quite annoying when you're trying to find your way around a new area.
Android users can also share personalized "My Maps" with friends through the app. This could be useful if you want to show a particular route or map with images to a lost friend. Another minor upgrade is that you can now edit the captions on your location-tagged Google photos from within the Maps app.
If you're not comfortable downloading the APK, the full update should be rolled out by Google in the next few days for anyone using Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or higher.
