Never get lost again with the upcoming Google Maps v9.16 update, which will search for quick stops for gas, food or grocery items. But as usual, the new features won't work offline.
Android Police got ahold of a copy of the updated Google Maps app and shared its findings before Google officially announced the update. Apparently, when in Navigation mode, the app can now search for nearby places along the set route. This will make long, backbreaking road trips a lot easier.
The "Search along route" option can be found in the overflow button on the bottom right of the app, and this will open up a menu that will let the user choose what to search for. The other option is the search button located on the upper right of the app, which will open up a drop-down interface where the user can choose similar options as well. Take note that the search button replaced the mic button's position, and the mic button can only be accessed now when the search button is tapped.
On both menus, destinations are sorted in four categories: Gas stations, Restaurants, Grocery stores and Coffee shops. Also, they both have the "Search for more places" option, where users can input what they need via the mic or keyboard.
The stops will start to pop up after the search, and Google Maps will even let the user know how much time it will add to the current route, not to mention that when "Gas stations" is selected, it will show the current gas prices on callout boxes as well as on the search results.
As far as using the updated app goes, the results screen can be adjusted with panning and zooming, so it's fairly easy to tinker with, and even more so on a larger screen.
You won't find the updated Google Maps app on the Play Store yet, but fortunately, the APK file is available on APK Mirror.
It seems that the official release won't be coming for a couple of days, but that doesn't matter because we're just so psyched about the new features of Google Maps.
