Google has announced an update to its Maps service which uses Gemini AI to offer a more intelligent and helpful service when it comes to navigation.

The new Ask Maps feature means you can talk to your Maps app as you would Gemini to receive specified answers that lead to real-world directions.

The new conversational experience, as Google describes it, allows you to ask complex questions and get helpful answers. For example, you might ask: “My phone is dying, where can I charge it without having to wait in a long line for coffee?"

Now you can hit the Ask Maps button and the answers will come back in a similar conversational style, along with a customised map that shows the options available to you.

What's new in Google Maps?

Usefully, if you're planning a trip, you can just say where to and ask about stops along the way and it will tailor the options to you – based on your Maps searches – specifically. This is done using information from over 300 million places and the reviews of over 500 million contributors.

Ask Maps goes beyond just directions though. It will also help you plan the trip. So if you're going to meet friends for dinner it will suggests places – based on your dietary needs – and even help you make reservations at the restaurant, for example.

Google has begun rolling out the Ask Maps service now in the US and India across Android and iOS, with desktop coming soon. When this is planned to roll out to more countries has yet to be announced.

What's Google Maps Immersive Navigation?

In addition to Ask Maps, Google has also announced the app will offer a more detailed 3D view in its navigation when driving, called Immersive Navigation.

This means you can now see buildings, overpasses and terrain with useful road details like likes, crossings and traffic lights. This, Google says, is all thanks to Gemini analysing street view photos and recreating that in the maps.

Immersive Navigation is beginning to roll out across the US on iOS, Android, CarPlay, Android Auto and cars with Google built-in.

Android Auto could soon add more settings, allowing drivers to customise the display further. Hidden options in the latest version of Android Auto have been discovered, revealing new details.

One of the nice features in Google Maps is the ability to customise your driving avatar – that's the little icon that appears on the map to show where you are. By default, it's a simple blue arrow, but through the Google Maps settings, it's possible to change the type of vehicle and the colour, just to make it more personal.

So far, it hasn't been possible to make those changes in Android Auto as well, so even though that custom avatar is visible, you have to return to your phone if you want to change it.

However, in the latest release version of Android Auto, Android Authority has found controls that bring the customisations to the in-car interface. That will bring up a similar menu to the one in Google Maps on your phone, allowing you to make the changes to the vehicle you're driving.

These controls currently aren't visible to users, but seem to work, with syncing back to your phone. So a change made in one place appears in the other. That suggests it's an update that Google will enable at some point in near future.

But if you follow the story of Android Auto, you'll know that there's often a lot sitting in the background that can take a long time to surface. Even some planned features – like Gemini – still haven't reached many users, despite being announced months ago.

Android Auto has been slow to add more detailed controls, usually leaving those to the phone – or just not allowing them at all. That's given the feeling that the car software has been a little static for some time.

That's understandable to an extent: Google is keen to avoid too many distractions when driving and that means that the core media, communication and mapping functions are slow to evolve, to avoid confusing users with regular changes.

At the same time, some of the popular apps that Android Auto offers aren't a patch on their smartphone-based original. Waze, for example, lacks useful features like route sharing, meaning drivers have to share that from their phone, rather than being able to tap the option on the screen when driving.

Even though this new option to control the avatar looks fully formed, there's no way of telling when it might be publicly available.

Back in November, Google Maps got an upgrade we'd been waiting a long time for. That saw the powerful Gemini AI integrated into the platform, with a view to making on-the-go assistance even more seamless.

That was great for drivers, meaning they could engage in a natural conversation to gain information and keep their attention focused on the road. Now, that functionality is rolling out to even more users, with functionality to help those who are walking and cycling.

The idea for cyclists appears to be much the same as for drivers – offer a solution which is as seamless as possible, ensuring you can keep your focus on the road, rather than on your phone. You'll be able to ask it all of the usual questions, like "What's my ETA?", "When is my next meeting?", or "What is the meaning of life?", all while keeping two hands on your handlebars.

For me, though, the implementation of the feature while walking could be really handy. I travel a lot, and often find myself getting lost in the middle of a city I've never been to before – it's all part of the fun, right?

With this new feature, I would be able to ask Gemini where I was, what there is to do in the local area, a good spot to get lunch and even find a good spot for a photo opportunity nearby. The possibilities are endless, really, and that could make it an invaluable tool for frequent flyers, or just those who get lost easily.

There's good news for iPhone users, too. The feature is live now around the world for those using Google Maps on iOS – as long as you're in a location where Gemini is supported, of course.

Those on an Android phones may have a little more of a wait, as the feature is rolling out for those handsets as we speak.

Google has started the roll-out of Gemini to Google Maps, bringing a new way of interacting with Maps. Using the AI-powered Gemini, Maps users will be able to pose more sophisticated requests to help them get to where they need to go.

The introduction of Gemini to Google Maps was announced at the beginning of November, part of a wider integration of Gemini into other Google properties. The roll out to Google Maps has now started, according to 9to5Google, although at the time of writing there was no change to my Google Maps in the UK.

Gemini is best known as the voice assistant that's coming in to replace Google Assistant, most prominently on Android phones. However, Gemini's intelligence powers a browser version of the chatbot, while also creeping towards Google TV, Android Auto and Nest speakers.

Adding Gemini to Google Maps changes the voice experience to make it more sophisticated. Gemini is known for its understanding of natural language and it should help those navigating to break away from the formulaic approach to voice control that's been the mainstay of the past.

That will mean that you can use Gemini's search powers to get the exact location you want more easily – as well as interrogate the AI about that location. That should mean that you can say you're going to a place, find somewhere to eat based on food preferences, add the parking to your route, share your ETA with friends and find out what the best dishes are based on user reviews.

Importantly, this should move voice in Google Maps beyond direct control and providing search listings, which Google Assistant was happy to do already. Now you'll be able to have a discussion about the result, narrow things down and reach a decision.

Google Maps will have a Gemini icon rather than the Assistant microphone, so you'll know you're talking to the AI and it works across all navigation, including walking, cycling and public transport. It will be interesting to see how well it can figure out custom multi-model transport directions, which I often use to get around London making decisions about which Tube line or bus might be fastest.

The update is expected to arrive for both Android and iOS users – but it looks like it's going to be a phased rollout, most likely starting in the US.

Android Auto likes to make its changes slowly and it looks like this latest feature update from Google could help you avoid something else slow – low power EV chargers. According to details found in the latest Android Auto beta, Google is going to make it easier to filter EV chargers.

While ICE vehicles can basically pull up to any fuel station and find what they need, the EV world isn't quite as simple. That's because EV chargers come in different flavours, with high-power rapid chargers great for topping up on the motorway, but low power chargers preferable for a longer charging session.

Google Maps already offers access to details about EV chargers, letting you add them as stops on your route, as well as filtering by charging speed, but that takes a lot of clicking – it's not information that's immediately accessible, because you have to apply those options once you have started your route search.

But thanks to a deeper investigation into the Android Auto beta, Android Authority reports that Google could be planning to change this option. That could mean drivers will be able to set their preferences for Google Maps in general. By tapping on the Settings in Google Maps, you'll be able to access "EV map filters", with options for charger speeds.

Multiple options can be selected, but it means that you can avoid getting results for slow chargers (under 50kW for example), because it's likely that if you're searching for a charger, you probably want a quick charge.

That's not the only filter: it appears that Google is also going to let drivers have a payment filter, so the results will only show chargers where you can actually pay. That will avoid driving out of the way to find that it's an old charger that only accepts RFID cards for account holders.

It's a minor change and arguably, it doesn't go far enough. Having driven a number of EVs, I'd love the option to be able to have a one-tap search for a charger (with all those filters applied) right from the navigation screen. That would help drivers find chargers without digging or messing around – one tap and the details along your route pop up.

There's still a disconnect between Android Auto and the EV driving experience. Google doesn't know the car's range, or how much charge there is, so routing and charging isn't a seamless experience like it is using a car's native software.

For example, EVs can plan a route including the charging stops, they can tell you how much range you'll arrive with, while also playing a more important role, like preconditioning the battery before arriving at a scheduled charging slot to allow for optimal charging conditions.

As the changes to the EV charger options are currently in the Android Auto beta, it's not known if or when they will arrive as an update.

Google Maps leads the way in navigation, both for drivers and those on foot, including public transport or cycling too. Now Google's navigation app gets a big boost through the inclusion of Gemini, the company's smarter AI-powered voice assistant.

This means that you'll have – according to Google – a "conversational driving experience in Google Maps". The company goes on to say: "It's like having a knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat, who can confidently help you get where you're going."

The idea is that you can replace the straight search you used to do with Google Assistant – ie. "navigate to 53 Church Street in Crawley" – with multi-step conversational tasking. The example is asking for the restaurant and finding local parking – before continuing to ask about popular dishes you might like to order when you get there.

Gemini steps beyond the current voice functions that Google Maps offers. Under Google Assistant, searches were limited to mapping-related tasks, but now Google suggests that you'll be able to ask other questions and put appointments in the calendar.

Is this a huge change? From the Google Maps side it is, but from the Gemini side it isn't. You can already trigger Gemini, search for places, ask about local parking and so on and trigger navigation – but hopefully this move will help to join the dots and give a more seamless AI experience. That's because until now, it's been a mixture of Google apps that use Gemini and those that still use Google Assistant.

Fortunately, this feature is rolling out to all locations that offer Gemini, with Android and iOS getting it first, and Android Auto following shortly.

Another Google Maps feature that not everyone will get

There's another feature that will aid with navigation, but sadly it's not going to be available to everyone. Taking things deeper, Gemini is also going to be able to compare the route to Google Street View and provide better navigation.

That will allow it to name particular landmarks or notable navigation points to help you find the right turning. For example, it might say "turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant", so instead of trying to spot a tiny street name or number, you can spot the landmarks instead.

The catch is that this feature is only slated for the US for now – but it will be available in navigation for both Android and iOS.

Another cool feature – again only in the US and this time only for Android – will be predictive traffic. If you're driving but don't have a route set, Gemini can alert you to traffic on your route. That means you can take action before you drive into a jam.

Exactly how this works remains to be seen – do you need to have Maps open or will it just work whenever you're driving? But as I said, it's only for US Android users.

Finally, Gemini is also making its way into Google Lens. Currently you can already get loads of information out of Lens and it's integrated into loads of searchable areas, both in Google Maps and Chrome. But now, instead of straight text, you'll be able to use Gemini to take that into a conversation.

Granted, you might not want to be standing on the street, waving your phone around, talking to an AI, so this is a feature that we'll really have to see working before deciding if it's actually good. Again, this update is only coming to the US on Android and iOS right now.

Google Maps just gained a powerful new feature, in the form of real-time lane guidance, helping drivers make sure they're in the right lane on motorways and at junctions.

For the first time, Google Maps now understands which lane you’re driving in, and which lane you need to get to your destination. Other integrated navigation systems have been able to do this for years, but it’s an important step forward for Google Maps, which until now couldn’t provide such granular instruction.

The result is a guidance system that tells if when you need to change lane, such as when navigating a complex junction or exiting a motorway.

The function is being rolled out gradually, since it requires access to the forward-facing camera and sign recognition system of cars equipped with Android Automotive, which includes native support for Google Maps. The result is that, for now at least, only the Polestar 4 has access to live lane guidance.

Google explains how it works: “Our AI in the vehicle analyses lane markings and road signs as they’re captured by the car’s front-facing camera. This real-time road information is instantly integrated with Google Maps’ powerful capabilities,”.

Live lane guidance is coming first to the Polestar 4 in the US and Sweden over the coming months. Google says the feature will then “expand to more road types and cars in partnership with key automakers.”

Echoing this, Polestar said live lane guidance will “reach more markets, road types and customers in the future.” It’s interesting to note that the Polestar 3, which is more expensive than the 4 and currently acts as Polestar’s flagship vehicle, misses out on the system, at least at launch.

As a reminder, this is a function of the car’s integrated Google Maps system, which runs on the car’s own Android Automotive-based operating system. This isn’t a function of the version of Google Maps running on a smartphone and used by Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

If you've ever been attempting to navigate somewhere and found the dreaded low battery warning on your phone, there's good news coming from Google. According to a new report, the brand could be bringing a new Power Saving mode to the Google Maps app.

That was uncovered by the folks over at Android Authority, and comes from a backend code teardown. The mode appears to work independently of any power saving mode on the device itself, which should allow users to drop the power output of the app without doing so for everything.

The user interface is substantially less cluttered, with a monochrome design that does away with just about all information. That may sound like a problem for navigating effectively, though we'd anticipate that audio prompts will help in that arena.

Still, it might be a step too far for some. The black background is only broken by an array of light, barely translucent grey bars, which represent the roads around you. Unless you're already pretty familiar with your surroundings, it could be a bit disconcerting.

The feature is said to support walking, driving and bike travel, though there's no word on support for travel using public transport. That could possibly require more power to draw on timetables and the like.

Bizarrely, the report also suggests that the feature only works in portrait orientation. That's an odd decision – maybe horizontal maps use more battery than vertical ones? Either way, it joins the list of slightly peculiar things which exist around this leak.

Still, it's a good update for the app. While I may have some reservations about the overall implementation, the idea is solid and something which I can see being loved by users.

Of course, it's worth noting that features found in this way aren't always guaranteed to see the light of day, so while we'll be keeping an eye out, we wouldn't pin all of our hopes on this too soon.

There are few apps out there with as wide a reach as Google Maps. The app is built into every Android system on the planet, allowing users to get their bearings right out of the box.

You might think that only consists of Android phones and other mobile devices, but that's not the case. It also comes as standard in a range of Android-powered cars – and there's a change coming to that platform.

For cars which run the Android Automotive OS, manufacturers can have a hand in crafting their own design to suit their branding. However, the apps within the system currently look identical, regardless of the system.

That's changing, though – and it all kicks off with Google Maps. As was announced at SXSW London, Polestar will be the first to make adjustments, with a new user interface which more closely resembles the core of its system design.

By the brand's own admission, the changes are subtle at first glance. Still, it's a neat change, and should help to improve the overall experience when driving.

It's a major plus for the manufacturers themselves, who will lavish the opportunity to create a more consistent brand identity across the platform. Still, that doesn't mean there's nothing for the end user to enjoy.

Ultimately, when you're driving, you want as little distraction as possible, to ensure you can stay focused on the road. By having less of a clash between different screens, users will likely remain less distracted.

The update is coming in the next few weeks, with other manufacturers almost certain to follow suit thereafter. There's no confirmed word on other brands or apps which will get the treatment just yet, but we'd anticipate seeing a lot more in the coming months.

All in all, it's a change which will certainly offer more creativity for brands, which will improve their offerings massively.

If you're an iPhone user, there's a chance you're not even making use of Google Maps. The brand offers its own Apple Maps as an alternative, and that's often baked in as the standard option.

Still, you're going to want to change over, because there's a new feature coming to Google Maps which is going to make planning your next trip a doddle. That lets Google's Gemini look through your screenshots to extract places and add them to your Maps.

Say, for example, you've been planning a trip to London. Perhaps you've been looking at TikToks, or asking Gemini for advice. If you screenshot all of that and add it into the software, Maps can extract the places and put them all on a map for you.

Depending on how much access you allow, you'll either need to manually select images, or the app will trawl through your gallery to locate potential places. It seems to stop short of planning an efficient route for you at this point, though doing that should be much easier once all of the places are in the map.

It's a really neat addition to the iPhone offering. Currently, the feature can be found on Google Maps for iOS in US English, though we'd expect other locations to be included shortly.

And fear not Android phone users – this one is also coming to your handsets. There's no word on exactly when, but we'd expect it shortly. It's unlike Google to let iPhone users enjoy a feature it has created before its own user base, so we don't anticipate this one being sat on for too long.

Personally, I think this could be a game changer. As someone who spends a lot of time travelling, one of my biggest pet peeves is trying to navigate different attractions. Having them all added to a map in a heartbeat should make it much easier to plan trips and not have the annoying feeling of missing something that was only around the corner.

We love an app redesign, especially when it involves one of the classics we use all the time. There are times when things don't quite go to plan – Sonos fell victim to that last year – but most of the time, a redesign makes things more intuitive and/or accessible.

For the latest Google Maps update for iPhone, the latter is most definitely true. The sheet-based redesign that arrived on Android last July is now being rolled out to Apple devices (via 9to5Google). Better late than never.

If you're wondering what a sheet-based redesign is, then it's where supplementary or secondary content is shown as an overlay or 'sheet' on top of main content, usually sliding up from the bottom or appearing on the side.

Google Maps already does this to some extent, but the redesign sees the bottom sheets featuring more rounded corners, whilst also keeping the main map visible when you slide all the way up. There's a new 'x' next to the share icon to close listings too, and the search bar has been removed in the new update.

Nothing has changed for entering a destination, but the redesign has seen an update to the directions interface with the top of the screen showing the start/end location in a floating rectangle, while the transportation switcher has been relocated to the bottom to make it easier to reach when using your device one-handed.

How to get the Google Maps redesign on iPhone

As mentioned, Google rolled out the design changes to Google Maps to Android back in July 2024 but it's only just coming to iOS users. To see the changes, you will need to be running version 25.10.2.

To make sure you're running the latest version of Google Maps, open the App Store on your iPhone and search for Google Maps.

Tap on it and choose 'Update'. We are running version 25.10.2 but currently, the redesign isn't showing yet, so you may need to exercise a little patience here if you're in the UK.

If you have an Android phone and a recent car, then there’s a good chance you use Android Auto, either by plugging your phone in, or on recent models, via Bluetooth. But, Google does like to tinker with it, and this recent update is causing some disquiet.

According to reports on Reddit (via Android Authority), a recent update has changed the alignment in Google Maps, meaning that the search box obstructs the view of the road that you’re driving along. When you’re navigating, this doesn’t happen, but if you don’t input a destination, then it obstructs your view.

Previously, the road you were driving on was over to the right of the display, so the search box didn’t obscure it, but it seems like Android Auto version 13.6 might have introduced this little quirk. Anyone who drives without a destination entered will now find that they can’t actually see the road they are on.

While this might suggest you know where you’re going, anyone glancing at the map looking for a road name because they can’t remember exactly where it is, looking to get a preview of an approaching junction, or looking for a POI on the map probably won’t be able to see it.

While Android Auto doesn’t get huge updates, Google seems to like these small UI tweaks. In recent times we’ve seen the introduction of incident reports for example, but significant updates seem few and far between.

For much of the last year, Android users were looking forward to changes to Android Auto that would allow the system to use a car’s hardware for its music, rather than streaming everything.

Access to a car’s FM radio in the Android Auto interface, or to a USB device plugged into the car, would make it much easier to control those devices without constantly switching from Android Auto back to the car’s own software.

While we wait for bigger changes to come to Android Auto, we’ll have to make do with these troublesome tweaks to the user interface. Fortunately, that update hasn’t yet arrived on my Pixel in the UK, so perhaps this is a limited roll-out.

Apple Maps continues to snap at the heels of the all-conquering Google Maps, and now it's introduced another feature that brings it closer to Google's offering.

Earlier this year, Apple rolled out a version of Maps that you could access with a web browser even if you don't have any Apple devices, and now it's given that web app one of the best features of the iPhone app.

The feature is Look Around, and we've got good news and bad news about it. The good news is that it's really, really good. And the bad news is that it's not widely available – whether you can get it depends on which bit of the world you want to Look Around at.

What is Look Around and where can you see it?

Look Around is similar to Google's famous Street View, and it gives you smooth 360-degree panoramic views from street level. Apple introduced it in iOS 13 back in 2019, and since then it's slowly added new bits of the world to its image database.

The problem here isn't a technical one but a logistical one: the world is big, and that means Apple has prioritised its busier bits.

The full list of Look Around maps is online at Apple's website, where you can see that the feature is available in London and Edinburgh, but not Birmingham nor Glasgow yet (for example).

You can get a really good view of where Look Around is and isn't available via the Look Map website: it shows coverage in dark green on a map of the world. Mainland Europe is pretty much completely dark green, but most of the UK and Ireland isn't covered just yet.

The new online version is officially a beta and it still lacks some key features of the Maps app, such as 3D buildings. And you can't currently use your Apple ID to access saved favourites. No doubt all of those things are on Apple's to-do list.

You can see the service and try Look Around for yourself at beta.maps.apple.com.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that Google Street View is now available for 18 London Tube stations, with another 18 due to be added by the end of the year.

That means visitors to England's capital as well as commuters can see the inside of major stations in Google Maps on their iPhones or Android phones before they travel, which helps plan routes. For example, you can check out where the exits are on each platform to ensure you board the most convenient carriage on a train.

Google has been travelling the London Underground and Overground network for a year to capture 360-degree images inside the stations. Passenger and staff faces were then blurred for privacy before the rollout.

The stations available in Maps today are Baker Street, Bank, Bond Street, Canada Water, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Custom House, Embankment, Euston Square, Farringdon, London Bridge, Monument, Old Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Tottenham Hale, Westminster, and Whitechapel.

They will soon be joined by Camden Town, Canary Wharf, Canning Town, Clapham Junction, Euston, Green Park, Hammersmith (District & Piccadilly), Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City Line), Highbury & Islington, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Paddington, South Kensington, St. Pancras, Stratford, Victoria Station, and Waterloo.

"By combining Google's Street View technology with TfL and Network Rail's expertise, we're breaking new ground in transport accessibility and wayfinding<" said Google UK's managing director, Debbie Weinstein.

"I'm personally excited to see how this recent collaboration empowers people to explore and experience London's transport network in a whole new way."

You may need to update Google Maps to see the new Street View options.

As Google promised this summer, it's bringing incident reporting from the Waze traffic information app to Maps – and that integration has finally begun.

And, when it reaches your iPhone or Android phone it's going to be one of the best upgrades Maps has had in years.

If you're not already familiar with Waze, it's an open source traffic reporting app – so if you encounter roadworks, an accident or other problems, you and your fellow drivers can report it.

That information is then available instantly to other app users, enabling them to route around it or find out how much it'll add to their journey time. And if the incident or obstacle is gone, you can let the app know so it's no longer warning other motorists.

Why Waze is worth waiting for

Google's parent, Alphabet, has owned Waze since 2013, and it's kept the app as a Maps alternative for all that time. But that's finally changing, and I for one can't wait.

I think the best way to put it is that Google Maps is by far the better driving app, but Waze is by far the better app for telling you about trouble. Unfortunately it's also – to my eyes – absolutely hideous and rather child-like in its design. So integrating Waze into Maps is a very welcome upgrade.

As 9to5Google reports, users are starting to see Waze information in Google Maps on their phones and also in Android Auto.

The examples we've seen so far are from users warning about police speed traps, which appear as an information banner in the main Maps interface: "Police reported ahead. From Waze drivers. Are they still there?"

As welcome as the integration is, there does appear to be some confusion over when the notifications and reporting options actually started. While the 9to5Google story is based on a Reddit report from this week, many users have replied to say they've been receiving Waze alerts for a month or more.

The confusion may simply be because this is a slow rollout.

Many drivers are now choosing to use a smartphone-based system in their car, rather than the car's own system. There are two systems going head-to-head here: Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Google has just pushed a new feature to help close the gap with Apple CarPlay.

Ironically, this feature has been available in Google Maps on Apple CarPlay for some months, but has only just made its appearance on its own offering, Android Auto. The feature in question is the ability to report incidents in Maps.

According to 9to5Google, Google is now pushing this feature to users of the Android-based navigation system, meaning you'll be able to contribute to information about the state of the roads. It will let you report things like crashes, traffic, lane closures and so on.

In another twist to this tale, it's strange that it's taken so long for Google to offer this to drivers using Google Maps on Android Auto, seeing as it has been a core feature of Waze for many years. Waze is widely used by drivers, but Google also owns it.

How does incident reporting work on Google Maps?

Within the Google Maps view you'll find a yellow warning triangle. When you come across something to report, you can just tap on this icon and a menu will pop-up offering you relevant things – crash, construction, slow traffic and so on.

All you have to do is tap on what's happening and that's it, you've reported that incident. As more drivers report incidents, Google gets a better picture of what's actually happening on the road, so it can alert other drivers and use that information to better estimate driving times and re-route if necessary.

Of course, you're under no obligation to make those reports, but if you're just sitting in traffic, then it's only a couple of seconds to add to the picture on the roads and that benefits all drivers.

A similar feature has been in Waze for many years, with Waze pitching itself as a community-based navigation app, based largely on this ability to contribute to information about the situation on the roads.

The new feature is rolling out for Google Maps in Android Auto now.

Google Maps is getting a neat new feature to help combat the wealth of fake reviews on its platform. That will see businesses which have had reviews deemed fake and removed from the site, display a badge to notify users.

The new feature was spotted on Twitter by a user in the UK. That shows a banner which reads, "Suspected fake reviews were recently removed from this place."

However, reports suggest that the feature is set to roll out to other markets in the near future. It comes as the brand look to crackdown on the spate of fake reviews on the site.

The brand has had a focus on fighting these reviews for a while, with a reporting system implemented to let users take direct action. The fake reviews can either be used to improve the image of a company, or to attempt to defame a brand.

According to a report from 9to5Google, the warning flag is also indicative of some limitations for the brand. The profile will be unable to publish any new reviews for a certain time, and may have other reviews and ratings unpublished.

Personally, I think this is a great addition to the app. I spend a lot of time travelling, and often find myself in an unfamiliar city on the hunt for a good coffee or a spot of breakfast.

When in unfamiliar surroundings, Google Maps is a crucial tool for separating the wheat from the chaff. Of course, that can only be true for as long as the review content posted there can be considered accurate. 

I suspect that's a big part of the reason why Google have made this push. With rival apps like Apple Maps growing in popularity and improving all the time, what once was something of a monopoly is slowly turning into a more competitive market.

Ever played a round in a pub quiz where you need to guess the name of the company based on pictures of their logos? If you haven't, you are missing out friends. It is much more satisfying than guessing the artist and title of a song based on the first few seconds of a beat. Some logos are just iconic, from the Nike tick and the Starbucks queen, to Google's 'G' and Apple's, well, Apple. 

It's always a bit of a risk then when companies mess around with well-loved and well-identified symbols, though. Don't worry, Google isn't changing the 'G', nor the main pin icon for Google Maps, but it has redesigned the iconic pins within Google Maps on its app for phones and the web. It's Okay team, it's not a bad redesign, not in our eyes anyway.

New colours and shapes have arrived for categories within the Google Maps app and browser, with the sharper point of the pin replaced with a shorter and more rounded alternative. It's a softer approach, and one that matches the icon design for stars, flags and hearts as 9to5Google points out.

Categories now appear in a coloured circle with an icon and specific colour and that circle is then placed on a white background within the new pins.

The report from 9to5Google, which spotted the icon change, not only offers a nice before and after pic that we've included above so you can see the differences, but also highlights that while most icons have remained the same colour, some have changed. 

The museum icon for example, was a teal colour in the previous version of Google Maps, switching to purple in the redesign and that applies to the name of the museum that sits alongside the icon too. The zoo icon meanwhile, remains the same colour but a slightly lighter shade. 

The new Google Map pins should be available to see on Android, iOS and on your browser so you can have a look for yourself and see what you think. We like them, do you?

Google Maps is rolling out an update that was promised during this year's Google I/O conference, simplifying the app's core navigation.

For the avoidance of doubt, that doesn't have anything to do with its route-finding – rather, this is about how you get to different parts of the app. For a long while now, Google Maps has had five buttons at the bottom of its screen for you to tap on.

These have been Explore, Go, Saved, Contribute and Updates – but moving forward there are only going to be three. This will now be simply Explore, You and Contribute.

This works quite simply – trips and places you've Saved will now be available in lists under the You tab, while the notifications and messages that were collected in the Updates section are now located in a notification icon at the top-right of the display.

It might take a little getting used to, but Android users should have the chance to try out the new layout very soon, as it's apparently rolling out on that platform now. Apple iPhone users have a slight wait on their hands, though – it's seemingly not yet available on iOS or iPadOS devices. 

In theory, this should all make for a cleaner experience, and given it's Google at the wheel you can imagine that everything's been tested endlessly to see how users actually interact with it all.

It comes hot on the heels of a change that might make more of a real-world difference, as Google rolled out further updates to how Maps displays live wildfires.

The system makes it way easier to see where fires are raging in order to avoid travelling through affected areas, which could end up helping to save lives.

Both updates serve to underline how apps that are this widely used rarely stay still – there's always another change around the corner, whether a big one or small. Keep an eye out for the new layout in your Google Maps app to see whether you think this one's meaningful or not. 

For a few years now Google Maps has had a hugely important feature in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and a few others, letting users see live wildfires in their maps, including relatively accurate depictions of their borders. 

However, wildfires are far from isolated to the US as a problem, and Google has now announced that more users worldwide will get access to the same feature as it rolls out to countries in Europe and Africa. 

The alerts will be live in both Maps and Search, and could be hugely helpful both in helping local people keep up to date on the situation, and in ensuring that people who aren't from the area don't accidentally make dangerous trips through fire-torn parts. 

Google says the feature is coming to 15 new countries, and the list is as follows:

• Andorra
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• France
• Greece
• Italy
• Kenya
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Portugal
• Rwanda
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Türkiye

This means there are 22 countries in total that now have access to the feature, and we'd assume that the list will slowly start to expand over time, given the number of places around the world that struggle with fires in hot weather. 

Google says that it's using AI to help model the fires and monitor their boundaries, and that the system has already successfully tracked fires Spain, Greece, and Cyprus over the last month. 

It also says that over a million people have already seen these fire alerts, so it's pretty clear that when the system rolls out it makes a tangible difference to people's understanding of the fires around them. People can be notified in serious situations, but they'll also have the information overlaid on planned routes in Google Maps, as a lower-key way of letting them know about fires along the way. 

With the climate emergency ensuring that more and more wildfires erupt each year in many regions, this sort of tool could be key in saving both lives and property, helping people get the notice they need to clear out of the area. 

If you're using one of the best Android phones on the market, chances are you'll also be using Android Auto when you drive. That's the native solution for users of those devices, offering a mirror of your device on your in-car infotainment system.

If you use Google Maps on an Android Auto system then there's great news for you. The brand has just announced a range of updates for the system, adding a host of neat new functionality for drivers.

First up, there's a couple of new AI-powered features in the system. That includes a new model which is designed to search for narrow roads. The idea is that users will be alerted to places on their journey which may be inaccessible for their vehicle, to plan another route if needed.

They've also added support for flyovers. These systems are prevalent in major cities around the world, with space at a premium. However, they can also present a massive challenge for two-dimensional mapping software.

It can be really tricky to decipher whether you're meant to be driving on the flyover or the underpass, though. Google has made steps to address this, with a new feature which will callout when flyovers are intended to be used.

Elsewhere, there's also an update which should make it simpler to report incidents on your journey. That's a big help, as users can identify issues to alert other users of the platform, with fewer clicks required.

So, what's the catch? Well – for now, at least – these features are only rolling out in India. All of the features mentioned were designed with the specific requirements of that country in mind.

Still, we can't imagine it will be too long before they reach further afield. While they're certainly useful there, they could also have a real impact on the usability of the platform for users in other parts of the world. For now, though, we'll just have to sit and wait.

When using Google Maps, there's nothing more annoying than making a wrong turn. except making a right turn you thought was a wrong turn. That's because the device orientation on Google Maps has been off for millions of Android users - me included. Thankfully it might now be fixed.  

Walking around London a couple of weeks ago with my Android phone, I found myself taking several wrong turns and doubling back just because my device wouldn't know which way I was facing.  Needless to say, it was maddening, and unless I twisted my elbow to all kinds of angles I was constantly going the wrong way, 

Currently, Android phones use the Android Rotation Vector to judge orientation with Google maps, but Google has apparently had feedback from developers about its inaccuracies.

So what's the potentially incoming fix? That's where things get a bit technical. Google explains it has added a new Fused Orientation Provider (FOP) API  "that provides quality and consistent device orientation by fusing signals from accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer." Still with me? Well, Google has promised this new system will bring"more consistent behaviour and high performance across devices." 

As long as your phone runs Android 5 or later (so everyone- if not you are a security risk) It should be a fairly simple change to roll out and as long as my phone faces the same direction as me, I'll be happy. Google Maps is a brilliantly useful bit of software when it works and this latest news comes on the back of the implementation of a brand new feature last week. 

Now if only they could improve my lacklustre sense of direction in general. That might be a bit trickier. 

If you're looking to get around these days, chances are you're using a map built into your phone. If you still crack out the giant Ordnance Survey to find your way around town, more power to you, but the rest of us are likely using one of two platforms.

If you're an iPhone user, you might find Apple Maps more to your liking, but almost everyone else will be using Google Maps. The platform has been around for years, and makes it easier than ever to get where you're going.

Now, it's getting even better. According to a new report, users are set to get a brilliant upgrade which will get you where you need to go with greater accuracy.

The new feature will add entrances to the map. That means, when you arrive at a location, you can ensure you are headed to the right spot for getting indoors.

That could be a massive help for users. Many of us will be used to hunting around buildings on the lookout for an entrance – particularly in crowded cities. That should be a thing of the past with this new feature.

So how does it work? Well, on the test devices shown, a small round entrance symbol is shown on the side – or sides – of the building which can be used. It seems to be quite effective, even on buildings with rather quirky layouts.

So, can you access this right now? Er, no. This is an experimental feature which is still in testing, and could only be implemented on a device within specific parameters. That's not to say you couldn't get access to it in future, but it definitely seems like something in an early stage right now.

Still, it's a positive sign. We'll most certainly be keeping an eye out for this feature in a future update.

Driving an electric car is all the fun of being out on the open road without the guilt of 1. harming the planet and 2. spending ungodly amounts on fuel. While you won't have to bear the perils of the petrol station again, you will however experience a new kind of inconvenience at EV chargers. 

One of the layers of faff however has been removed with the introduction of Plug and Charge stations. These power points don't need an app or charging subscription card to use, as the name suggests you can just plug in and charge and pay using the in-car systems. 

So where does Google Maps come in? Well, as discovered by Android Authority the latest update to Google Maps for Android lets users filter for only chargers that have Plug and Charge capabilities. Particularly handy I would say, if your phone is dead or it's raining. 

The only issue? Not all electric cars currently support Plug and Charge, although some vehicles from Audi, Porsche and Mercedez currently do.

Of course, this latest update won't magically manifest more chargers (with or without Plug and Charge) but it could be useful when planning longer journeys. Now let's hope it is adopted more widely. Google Maps currently only really has filters for chargers that are high speed (i.e. over 50kW) and to search by connector type, so any further information is appreciated. You wouldn't appreciate your diesel car being directed to a station that only had petrol pumps and the same logic applies here.

If you're thinking about an electric car, check out our guide to the best electric cars, the environment and your wallet might thank you. Of course, it's always going to be cheaper to charge at home, so investing in one of the best home EV chargers will pay for itself. 

I've been doing a lot of travelling lately, and I've come to love Apple's Live Activities: that's when apps can display automatically updating widget on your Lock Screen, so for example with Apple Maps it means I can keep my phone locked without losing those crucial turn by turn instructions. Google promised to add support for the feature, which it calls "glanceable directions", in Google Maps ages ago, but it still hasn't turned up. But it looks like you'll be able to get it when the iPhone 15 launches in a few weeks time.

That's according to well-connected tech writer Steve Moser, who says that the latest version of the Google Maps app for iPhone contains hidden references in the code to Live Activities support. That suggests that the feature is nearly ready to launch.

What are live activities and what iPhones support them?

Live Activities work on all iPhones running iOS16 and up, but they can only use the Dynamic Island feature if the phone actually has the Dynamic Island. That currently means the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, but come September it should also include the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

What's the difference? If your iPhone has the Dynamic Island, it can use that bit at the top of your screen to show you information from different apps at the same time – such as the latest sports scores – without unlocking your phone. So for example you might have your maps app delivering Live Activities in the lower part of your screen while your sports app keeps you updated up top.

I've written before that the benefit of this feature is that it's much less distracting than the full Maps view, and that's been underlined during all the travelling I've been doing; it's particularly good when you're driving at night. And of course Live Activities are for much more than just mapping apps: they're good for seeing when you can expect your Uber to arrive or how much time is left on your cooking timer too.

If you're driving an electric vehicle, there's a lot of information which will be really useful to you. Estimated range, charging speed – both of those are handy to ensure you don't get stranded somewhere without charge.

One thing that isn't particularly useful is knowing where the nearest petrol station is. And yet, that's still the default option served to drivers on the Google Maps app. It doesn't have to be that way, though. Users have had the option of configuring their settings to promote charging stations instead since last year.

Now, Google has reportedly demoted the appearance of petrol stations when it senses that users are driving an EV. That happens when users are employing Android Auto to mirror their Android phone display on the in car infotainment system.

It's not the only EV-centric feature which can be found, either. For example, when charging points show up on the map, users can also see real-time data about the availability of them. 

That's a fantastic feature. One of my biggest gripes with EV charging is that there just isn't enough about. If a spot is especially popular, you can quickly become part of a long queue of cars waiting for a top up.

There are also charging speed filters. That means you can quickly pick out a spot that has superfast charging if you're in a hurry. You can even configure the system to only identify chargers that use the right type of connection for your vehicle. That's probably more useful if you aren't using the standard type 2 connector, as those are most common.

You'll also get stop suggestions on longer trips, which takes data from the car's computer to give insight on the best place to top up along your route. And, if you're searching for something else – say a supermarket – the app will highlight ones with charging spots available. That's perfect for adding a little more juice as you go about your day, without having to pull over and wait for a full charge to complete.

It's a great set of features. Each one will make a real difference to the lives of users, and help to fix potential issues that arise from EV ownership. 

If you've ever hooked your Android phone up to your car, you'll know about Android Auto. The system mirrors your phone apps on the in-car infotainment system, providing a familiar interface for users.

Now, it's getting a decent upgrade. Google Maps is the go-to navigation app for Android devices, and – by extension – Android Auto users. And it's getting a redesigned interface, which should make it even easier to use.

That's part of the latest updates to the Google Maps system. It brings a sidebar to the design of the panel, for easier navigation. Users will have access to zoom controls, as well as settings and a mute switch.

That's a really neat upgrade. When you're driving, it's crucial that any adjustments are as easy as possible. You don't want to have to faff around with diving through menus to find the right button, when you just want to get on with your journey. This should help out a lot, offering a selection of the most commonly used tools in a quick-access menu. 

There does appear to be one caveat, though. The sidebar will only appear when the app is set to full screen mode. You wont have the same layout when you use a split-screen view. That makes sense – when you're looking at a smaller canvas anyway, you'll want to see as much of the map as you can.

Users can expect to find the updated design on version 10 of Android Auto. You'll also need version 11.90 of Google Maps. However, a smattering of users online have spotted it in Android Auto version 9.9, too.

It's not the only upgrades to the system which are expected. We recently found out about a host of upgrades for EV users, thanks to some source code in the latest version. That allowed users to personalise the experience for their EV, tailoring some of the functionality to match up with their vehicle.

Unlike this update, that one was fairly speculative. The source code revealed the bones of the functionality, but it has yet to reach the front end as a user-facing feature.

If you're looking for some navigation assistance on your Android phone, chances are you're using Google Maps. The app is one of the most popular on the market, coming pre-installed on all Android devices.

Now, it's getting a pretty substantial upgrade. For far too long, the app has used a rather outdated method of voice search. It's called Speech Services, and isn't exactly what you'd consider up-to-date.

That's all changing though. In the latest update, the app will begin to make use of the Google Voice Assistant. That's the same speech recognition engine that powers the "Hey Google" functionality on devices. It's much more accurate, and should provide users with a more seamless hands-free experience.

The update is rolling out to a lot of devices right now, so you may already have the functionality on your device. When you open the app, a large card will pop up saying there are now "faster ways to search."

According to 9to5Google, the whole thing is much snappier now, too. When you ask the app to take you to a certain place, it seems to take less time to work out what you mean and setup your navigation. That should save a lot of time and get you on your way quicker.

It also gives you a visual representation of the recognised speech. That's really handy for quickly knowing that the system has heard you correctly, and isn't going to send you off to a similar sounding – but totally incorrect – location. Speech recognition has become much better of late, but it's still not perfect, so having that should offer some reassurance.

It's a great upgrade for users. It should make it easier than ever to setup navigation without having to manually type and search for your location. The added accuracy and speed of working should provide some users who had previously ignored voice search a reason to use the feature once more.

As mentioned, the update appears to be arriving from the server side. That means you shouldn't have to do anything to get the new functionality – just keep an eye on your Google Maps app next time you use it. 

When you need to navigate somewhere, you'll likely turn to one of two apps – Google Maps or Apple Maps. Yes, gone are the days of trying to pin down a flailing Ordnance Survey to the bonnet of your Ford Escort – these apps ensure you have a reliable means of navigation, whether you use an iPhone or an Android phone.

Generally speaking, Google Maps is the more popular app. That's hardly surprising – it comes as standard on all Android products, while Apple Maps is only native to devices produced by the brand.

But now, there may be another option. Recently, four massive companies collaborated to build an open-source mapping system, offering an alternative to the big two apps in the space. The Overture Maps Foundation sees Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and TomTom come together on the project.

They've just released their first set of maps, which are available for developers to integrate into their software. There are four themes to download – Places, Buildings, Transportation and Administration.

The software is free for developers. That's a big deal, as both Apple and Google charge for their options in different ways.

So, what's going to change for you? Well, nothing overnight. But as time goes on, you may start to see more and more apps opting to use the Overture data instead of more popular options.

If it does gain enough traction, Apple and Google may be forced to improve their respective offerings to remain popular with developers. We've already seen a number of updates in recent years. Google Maps, for example, launched Immersive View for Routes earlier this year, which offers a 3D representation of your journey before you set off. It even shows things like traffic and weather.

Those kinds of features will be crucial to retaining the popularity of the legacy apps. If they don't want to drop their fees for using the platforms to compete on a financial basis, they'll have to offer enough to justify the outlay.

Of course, this is all speculative. The Overture product has only just launched, so it hasn't been integrated yet. Anything could happen, and until it makes its mark, Google and Apple have no reason to worry. 

With the impending changes coming to the motor industry, many drivers are beginning to consider purchasing an EV. The market has grown substantially in recent years, with over 150,000 new electric vehicle registrations so far in 2023.

When it comes to the infotainment system in EVs, there are a few different options. Some manufacturers have opted to take things into their own hands, designing a proprietary system for their vehicles. Others have used systems like Android Automotive, which is an operating system designed specifically for the head unit of a car.

If they opt for neither of those, though, there's always the option to simply mirror your phone display. Android Auto – or Apple CarPlay if you use an iPhone – is the system used to do that. Now, Android Auto has got a host of cool upgrades to make the system more useful for electric vehicle users.

That's according to 9to5Google, who have taken a dive into the code behind the Android Auto system. That has provided some insight into what may be coming for users.

The majority of the changes are focused around identifying that your car is an electric vehicle within the system. Users will be able to manually specify that, allowing them to toggle further information in apps like Google Maps.

For example, users will be able to select the kind of charger used on their vehicle. That, presumably, will feed into the information about charging stations contained in navigation apps, to ensure that the proposed pit stop location is suitable for your vehicle. Options are listed for various types of charger, including J1772, CCS (Combo 1 and 2), Type 2, and CHAdeMO.

Interestingly, there was no inclusion for the NACS charger used on devices like Tesla. That might have made sense initially – Tesla has always used an in-house software for their system. But that charging standard has recently been adopted by other manufacturers, such as Ford, who use Android Auto in their vehicles.

The deep dive also unearthed strings of code relating to battery level. That could mean that information will be displayed directly through the Android Auto system, though it wasn't fully formed enough to be sure.

There's no confirmation of when these features will go live – or even if they will altogether. These codebreaking efforts are useful for insight, but there's no guarantee they'll make it out to the public. I hope they do, though. The features would make the experience in an electric vehicle even slicker.

You may well have read about some of the upgrades coming to iOS 17 later this year: we're looking at improvements to reminders, better ways to display your contacts on screen, a new mode for using your iPhone as a bedside clock, and plenty more besides. There's no doubt Apple's software engineers have been hard at work.

However, all of these upgrades combined aren't going to be enough to tempt me away from using one of the best Android phones as my main handset. Having used both Android and iPhones alongside each other for years (it's all part of the job of being a tech journalist), Android is the mobile operating system that I'm still the happiest and most comfortable using.

And I'm saying that even though Android 14 is shaping up to be something of an underwhelming software update. Perhaps it's because Android already does so many things right? Here are some of the main reasons that I won't be trading my Google Pixel 7 Pro in for an iPhone when iOS 17 lands.

More customisation options

Android has long been recognised as the more customisable of the two major mobile operating systems. Even though Apple has recently added features such as home screen widgets and lock screen tweaks to iOS, Android still wins when it comes to the different ways you can alter the appearance of the software.

For example, you can see that in the recently introduced feature that lets you set system colours and even skin app icons based on the wallpaper that's currently set – at the moment, you can't do anything like that on an iPhone. I also like the way you can create wallpapers from emojis in Android 14.

If you want the ultimate in Android customisation, then you can of course install an entirely different launcher to take over every aspect of the interface: something like Nova or Hyperion. They can completely transform the look of your Android phone's software with just a few taps, and offer even more customisation options than normal.

Better Google integrations

With Google the main player in developing Android, you would expect its apps to work seamlessly with the mobile operating system, and they absolutely do. Whether you're sending emails, or backing up your photos or videos, or trying to use Google Assistant seamlessly across multiple devices, or wanting a home screen widget showing Google Calendar, it all just works better on Android.

Of course, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Keep, YouTube, and the rest of Google's apps are all available on iOS as well, and all perfectly usable. But the Android versions have the edge – take the way that you can customise email notifications based on how important the email is on Gmail for Android, for example.

If you've got a Google Pixel, then there are even more benefits (I've previously written about the four I can't live without). You get exclusives like the at-a-glance home screen widget (tightly integrated with Gmail and Google Calendar, as you would expect), the Now Playing feature that is constantly looking to identify the songs playing around you, and the very handy Recorder app that can transcribe speech instantly and turn it into text.

More flexibility for apps

If you've only ever used an iPhone, you may not realise that there are whole groups of apps available on Android that simply don't exist on Apple's smartphone, because of the way that iOS restricts third-party apps. We've already mentioned home screen launchers, for example – a category that isn't in the iOS App Store.

There are technical automation apps such as Tasker on Android that need low-level access to the operating system that iOS doesn't allow, as well as a wide choice of screen recorder apps: you won't find any screen recorder apps for the iPhone, beyond the one Apple gives you. Android has plenty of notification management and customisation apps too, another area that third-party iOS apps can't get at.

Network diagnostics is another area where Android apps have more privileges than their iOS equivalents, and let's not forget that all iOS browsers, from Chrome to Edge, have to use Apple's own WebKit rendering engine too (something that may change soon under regulatory pressure). When it comes to app and user freedom, for me, Android still wins out. 

Whether you love exploring or just have a shoddy sense of direction (guilty) Google Maps is a great tool that provides guidance and traffic information via GPS. Stopping to ask people for directions is luckily a thing of the past, but Google is not sitting still.

Three new upgrades are coming to Google Maps that could change how you use it forever. 

1. Improved Immersive View 

If you've ever felt like the street view on Google Maps is a bit flat, then you're in luck. The AI-powered Immersive View feature is being expanded to a whole bunch of new locations.

I went to Venice last week (sorry to make you jealous), but It turns out I didn't need to bother as you can now get a 3D model of St Mark's Basilica from the comfort of your own phone. If you are making a visit, you can even use a slider to check what the weather will be when you go and what that landmark will look like in that weather. 

Immersive View is expanding to Venice, Florence, Amsterdam and Dublin as well as 500 landmarks around the world. 

2. Glanceable Directions

When you're exploring a beautiful city (like Venice- did I say I've been?) the last thing you want to do is have your head down focusing on your phone screen. Luckily with the new Glanceable Directions, you can get your route info in an instant and keep your head up and eyes open to drink it all in. 

This new feature will use information that was once only available on the Comprehensive Navigation mode to help you know exactly where to turn to reach your destination and adapt your path on the fly. It even works on your lock screen!

3. Recents

Desktop maps users are getting a great feature to use when planning a trip. The Recents tool will let you keep track of everywhere you want to visit and store them in a list on the left-hand side of the screen. Much like your search history, you don't need to worry about closing maps and losing your progress either. 

Google has promised that users can also share their itineraries with their travel buddies and even make a route that includes all of their destinations at once, it just might take a while if it spans countries and continents!

Last week, at Google I/O, the brand unveiled the next update for Google Maps. That showed off a new feature called Immersive View for Routes, which looks set to revolutionise the way we travel.

But that's not all. In their accompanying blog post, Google announced that the underlying API and 3D imaging is being made available to other developers.

That means that similar functionality could be coming to other apps and use-cases in the near future. I think that's a really exciting prospect. Here are three reasons why.

1. Immersive View for Routes

It would be easy to brush straight past this, but lets give some credit to Google here. The app at the centre of this innovation, Immersive View for Routes is going to completely change the way we get from A-to-B.

In a move that will resonate with any users who's ever followed the quickest route, only to find themselves wandering through a sketchy alleyway, Immersive View gives you a 3D preview of the route on offer. That's brilliant, especially for travelling to places you might be less familiar with. Users can check out their journey to make sure it's a safe route, and memorise landmarks and points of interest to make sure they're on the right path.

That's before we even get into the live traffic and weather updates, complete with their own graphics on screen. Those allow you to check things like air quality, and determine the best time to travel.

2. Renting property

As someone who has moved house more times than I can count, I feel well placed to say this technology could change the way we rent forever. Having moved to a new city pretty much every time, it can be really challenging to know where is good to move and where is safe.

US rental website, Rent.com, are already putting this technology to work in this setting. Using Google's API, they are able to offer an aerial view of a property in the surrounding neighbourhood, letting applicants make better decisions about where they choose to live.

3. Game maps

This one is a little more out there, but stay with me here. Google are letting their API and aerial imaging out to other developers. They show this being used to give detailed aerial views of cities, landmarks and national parks, to develop an interactive tour.

But what if those same base renders could be used to map out in-game locations? Large city frameworks could become much easier to build, and much more true-to-life. 

Instead of playing Grand Theft Auto in Los Santos, users could find themselves driving through Los Angeles. Call of Duty maps based off real locations could add huge amounts of added detail and realism. It has the potential to create a seismic shift in these large map games. 

The Google I/O event started strong this year, with CEO Sundar Pichai announcing a new upgrade which is coming to Google Maps. The feature, called Immersive View for Routes, allows users to visualise their route prior to taking a journey.

The feature comes together thanks to the wealth of Google Street View images. Those are stitched together with AI and aerial imaging to create a 3D representation of the area.

It's not the first time we've seen this technology on show. You may remember Immersive View getting shown off at Google I/O 2022. That technology generates a model of a location, and recreates it on screen.

This takes it one step further, though, giving users the chance to check out their route before they take it. It goes even further again here. Information such as air quality is given, while generative traffic and weather updates allow users to see how the journey changes over time. That means you can easily plan the most fuel-efficient route, or decide when to leave to avoid an incoming storm.

It's a really great addition. The technology itself has a wealth of uses. I can imagine it will be massively useful if you're taking a trip in an unfamiliar location, where users can ensure they're taking a safe route. Plus, users can keep an eye out for notable landmarks or points of interest along their route, to ensure they don't miss out on anything interesting.

With the addition of condition updates, users can check for the best time to travel too. No more getting stuck in the rain – simply pre-check the route, to find the optimum conditions for your journey.

There's no guarantee of when this will be publicly available, but Pichai said it would be later this year. As you might expect, it's also not going to be available everywhere straight away. Fifteen cities will be included at launch, with London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and San Francisco included on the list.

Google also say it will work on "just about any phone." Exactly what the requirements are is unclear, but that should inspire a degree of confidence. Whether you use an iPhone, or an Android phone, there's a good chance that this is coming to your handset.

If there's one thing I particularly like about Volvo's cars, such as the XC90 and other modern vehicles, it's the inclusion of the built-in Google smart system. As someone who's always using the best Android phones, it's a great way to integrate when on the road.

And now millions of Volvo drivers have just got a great free upgrade to rival Google Maps, should you prefer to not use the built-in navigation system in the Swedish automaker's latest vehicles. 

So what exactly is this free booster? I'm talking about the introduction of Waze, the popular navigation app, which is now available in Volvo's in-car app library (for applicable models with Google built-in). 

Whether you're based in the UK, USA or beyond in the Asia-Pacific region (China, South Korea and Vietnam excluded), the application can now be utilised for what many consider to be the best app-based navigation on the planet.

I'm particularly fond of Waze's real-time routing, which updates quicker than the competition in my view, to help make getting about from A to Z all the easier. And by integrating with Volvo's infotainment system, you'll get a great big view of it on the in-car display - far better than on your phone! - and eye-level driver display.

You don't need to connect your personal phone to take advantage of the system either, it'll function for whoever's driving.

I believe this will also be of benefit to Polestar cars, too, as they utilise the same Google built-in platform. And as someone awaiting delivery of a Polestar 2 the inclusion of Waze is going to be a major free upgrade for me.

Google Pixel Watch review TL;DR: The tech giant's new wearable is already the second most sought-after smartwatch, but it's not quite as polished as Apple's market-leading Watch Series (yet). It's an excellent Apple Watch alternative for Android – especially Pixel smartphone – users.

Google has a long history of abandoning projects they spent tons of money on (just search 'killed by google' online). They don't mind dedicating resources to develop products and services that may or may not work out; after all, some of these are on top of their respective fields (e.g. Google Maps). Other times, Google (or, more like, its parent company, Alphabet) will assimilate other brands and use their R&D to develop their own products.

The Google Pixel Watch is the result of the latter process. Google acquired wearable-expert Fitbit in January 2021 to help them develop their own wearable that can finally take on the best Apple Watches to become the best smartwatch overall. Google needed Fitbit's enormous health database and hardware know-how to craft the brand's long-teased watch.

There was clearly a lot of pressure on Google to nail the hardware of the Pixel Watch, and after testing it for a couple of weeks, I must say I'm not disappointed with the watch. It feels premium on the wrist and uses all the best Fitbit features I grew to like in recent years. Is it good enough to take on the Apple Watch Series 8, though? Well, not quite, but for Android users, this might be the next best thing. Read my full Google Pixel Watch review below to find out more.

[UPDATE OCT 2023: Google launched the successor of the watch, the Pixel Watch 2, which I reviewed here: Google Pixel Watch 2 review. It's thinner, lighter, and can track and help manage stress, thanks to the new cEDA sensor, inherited from the Fitbit Sense 2.]

Google Pixel Watch review

Google Pixel Watch review: price and availbility

The Google Pixel Watch was announced in October 2022 and is available to buy now directly from Google UK, Google US and Google AU with prices from £339/$350/AU$549 (Bluetooth/WiFi only version). The watch can also be bought from Fitbit (for now) and select third-party retailers. For the best prices, check out the price widgets at the top and bottom of this Google Pixel Watch review.

Like the Apple Watch, the Google Pixel Watch has an LTE version, allowing you to use the watch for calls and messaging without a nearby smartphone. This version is slightly more expensive (£379/$400/AU$649) but has the same specs/colour options as the non-LTE version. The Google Pixel Watch is available in four colours, and there are over 20 different band options. For this review, I used the Google Pixel Watch LTE.

Google Pixel Watch review: design and build quality

Looking at the press photos, it's hard to tell what to expect from the Google Pixel Watch. It reminded me of Polar watches, most notably the Polar Ignite 3. When I received that watch, I wasn't too impressed with how that felt on my wrist, and I half assumed the Pixel Watch would be the same.

To my surprise – and maybe because of my experience with the Polar – the Pixel Watch felt premium right out of the box. It has a decent heft to it; it's not heavy but heavier than most all-plastic running watches and fitness trackers (the Pixel Watch weighs 36 grams without the band). The most notable physical feature is the custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 lens which practically surrounds the 320 ppi AMOLED always-on display (max brightness up to 1,000 units, same as the Apple Watch Series 8).

The 41 mm case has a depth of 12.3 mm and is made of 80% recycled stainless steel, which is also rounded and has the same depth as the lens, giving the Pixel Watch a pebble-like shape. Not the wearable Pebble, mind. There are a crown and a subtle push button on the side of the case, similar to the Apple Watch (sorry, there will be a lot of comparison between the two in this review).

The fluoroelastomer band has a soft-touch coating and a similar design to Fitbit and Apple Watch bands; if you've seen other of those, you won't have trouble with the Pixel Watch's band. The band isn't quite as easy to remove, though, due to the placement of the band release button.

Instead of placing the button at the bottom of the case, where Apple's is, Google put it on the edge of the case next to the band, making it very hard to press the button and pull the band off simultaneously. It's not impossible, and I don't think most people will have to swap bands often; I'm just slightly puzzled by this design decision.

All in all, the Google Pixel Watch feels premium, thanks to the combination of high-quality materials and the rounded, domed design. I look forward to seeing where Google can take this design in the future.

Google Pixel Watch review: features and user interface

The Google Pixel Watch uses WearOS, a wearable operating system infamous for being laggy and generally unpleasant to use. Different watches in the past made it work, but I, for one, wasn't a fan of WearOS. However, the Pixel Watch has the advantage of being built by the designer of WearOS, Google, and the company knows how to optimise the operating system so it works perfectly on the new smartwatch.

And indeed, the Pixel Watch shows no lag, thanks to software optimisation and the Exynos 9110 SoC and Cortex M33 co-processor duo. Despite the tons of apps available on the wearable, the Pixel watch never struggled to execute the command I requested, which was refreshing. Button and tap responses were reasonably fast, and at no point did I feel frustrated, which is a big win in my eyes.

Speaking of apps: unlike the Fitbit Sense 2 and the Fitbit Versa 4, the Google Pixel Watch runs most Google apps straight out of the box, including Maps, Assistant, Calendar, Wallet, Gmail and more. Sadly, there is no support for third-party music apps such as Spotify or Deezer – the Google Pixel Watch only allows you to store and listen to songs downloaded from Youtube Music.

On top of these, you also get access to all the top Fitbit health and fitness apps and services, like ECG and Active Zone Minutes. Better still, the Google Pixel Watch comes with a 6-month Fitbit Premium subscription, which grants access to advanced sleep tracking and features such as the daily readiness score.

Plus, as far as I'm concerned, the Google Pixel Watch uses the same sensors and algorithm as the latest cohort of Fitbit wearables, and those do a pretty decent job in passive fitness tracking (steps/calories burned/etc.) and sleep monitoring. Active monitoring is a different story, but I'll talk about that in more detail in the below section.

As for the user interface, the Google Pixel Watch uses a combination of Wear OS's tile system and a scroll menu accessible via the crown. The latter feels a little less sophisticated than Apple's 'bubble' menu, although thanks to the labels, first-time Pixel Watch users might find it easier to locate different features this way. Unlike the Apple Watch, not all smartphone apps are available on your Pixel Watch; I'm not sure if this is the same if you use a Pixel smartphone, though (I used an OPPO for testing). 

Google Pixel Watch review: tracking and sensor accuracy

Fitbits are the best fitness trackers – at least, they used to be. Fitness trackers are excellent for monitoring everyday health and fitness; Fitbits are also renowned sleep trackers. The Google Pixel Watch builds on this foundation laid by Fitbits are adds more smart functionality.

And while Apple is busy turning the Apple Watch Series 8 into a running watch, Fitbit is happy to use their smartwatch to just track fitness (for now, anyway). This doesn't mean the Pixel Watch can't be used for proper fitness tracking, though, but it's not quite a replacement for the best Garmins yet.

The Google Pixel Watch has access to four global navigation systems (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo), so it only misses out on QZSS, which covers East Asia and Oceania. GPS accuracy seemed fine during testing, although just like in the case of the Apple Watch Series 8, there is no way to play around with the GPS to improve accuracy/battery life.

Google's smartwatch also has a digital compass, an altimeter, a multipurpose electrical sensor (temperature and stress tracking), an accelerometer, a gyroscope and an ambient light sensor. Of course, an optical heart rate sensor and a blood oxygen sensor are also on board.

(If you've read any of my wearable reviews in the past, you'll know that I loathe blood oxygen tracking, as it's pretty pointless and uses a lot of battery; the first thing I do when I power up a watch is to turn it off.)

Heart rate accuracy seems fine if you don't use the watch for exercise that continuously spikes your heart rate (e.g. HIIT). That said, I sat on a fun fair ride one morning, and despite not telling the watch I was 'exercising', it recorded a spike in my heart rate as I spun around in a waltzer for six minutes (it was terrible).

As expected, sleep tracking on the Google Pixel Watch works like a charm. Different sleep stages are recorded accurately, and the algorithm can differentiate between relaxing on the sofa in the evening and sleeping in your bed.

Google Pixel Watch review: battery life

The Google Pixel Watch has a 294 mAh lithium-ion battery capable of powering the wearable for up to 24 hours. This, in my experience, is a reasonably accurate observation and, on paper, is better than the Apple Watch Series 8 or even the Apple Watch Ultra. Not looking at the watch continuously will enhance battery life, although not significantly.

These stats are fine, although nothing to write home about. Many AMOLED watches these days can function for a week or even longer on a single charge; I don't quite understand why the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch are different. More interestingly, the latter takes about 30 minutes to 50%, about 55 minutes to 80% and about 80 minutes to 100% – compare this with the Apple Watch Series 8 (about 80% charge in 45 minutes).

Battery life and battery customisation options are clearly areas where the Google Pixel Watch can improve. It's not terrible, but I'd expect longer battery life even from an AMOLED watch with up to 1,000 nits of brightness. It's 2023, people; I don't want to carry my magnetic USB-C charger with me in case my Pixel Watch needs topping up.

Google Pixel Watch review: verdict

Reading through this Google Pixel Watch review, you might have noticed that this wearable is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's sexy and offers many helpful health and fitness features, including those that made Fitbits sought after in the past. Build quality is superb, and passive fitness tracking is also on the spot.

However, the first lovechild of Google and Fitbit falls short in a few categories. Battery life would be longer, and including fast charging on a smartwatch in 2023 feels like a no-brainer to me – I wonder why they didn't include this feature here. Also, by only allowing Android users to connect to the watch, Google cordoned off a big chunk of smartphone users from using the Pixel Watch. To be honest, this is understandable.

All that said, what I wanted the Google Pixel Watch to be, it is; an excellent Apple Watch alternative to people with Android smartphones. I wonder where Google and Fitbit will take the Pixel Watch concept and how those minor issues will be ironed out. The Pixel Watch is undoubtedly a wearable to experience at least once, and by trying the first iteration, you can say you were there when the Google wearable revolution started. If it ever will.

Google Pixel Watch review: also consider

If you have any other type of Android phone than Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 5 is still strongly worth considering. You might miss out on a few features and will have to download a couple of extra apps, but these are small concessions to make. However, if you're a Samsung Galaxy phone owner, this is an essential smartwatch to buy. Read Jennifer's full Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.

The Huawei Watch GT 3 is a brilliant wearable. It successfully bridges the gap between smart and fitness watches and does it seemingly effortlessly. Better still, it offers impressive battery life despite having such a sizeable AMOLED display. Read my full Huawei Watch GT 3 review.

For some years now, big name car makers have been using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as selling points: buy our car and it'll do great things with your phone! But from 2024, General Motors is going to go its own way. According to Reuters, GM is going to phase out its support for CarPlay with a little bit of help from Google.

It'll begin with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV, but the goal is to replace all models currently running CarPlay with a new, GM-specific system built by Google. You'll still get access to the likes of Google Maps and Google Assistant, but there are a few reasons to be concerned here. 

Do you want to rely on your car firm's entertainment tech?

The official line here is that GM doesn't want to make in-car systems that expect you to have a phone, but given that its Blazer EVs start at around $45,000 it's hardly a leap of faith to expect EV drivers – some of the most affluent and enthusiastic early adopters around – to have iPhones or Android phones.

What's much more likely is that GM feels that by using its in-car system as a screen for CarPlay, it's missing out on data collection and money charging opportunities. GM can't charge you for an iOS update on your phone, or for using Google Maps on your Android. But it can charge you for ongoing updates or for specific app access if the apps you use are running on its own OS. According to GM's chief digital officer Edward Kummer, "we do believe that there are subscription revenue opportunities for us."

As the driver of an ageing estate car whose navigation system can't be upgraded past 2018, I'm very wary of trusting car firms' long-term commitment to in-car tech – and it seems to be the same here, with GM promising that you'll be able to use the likes of Google Maps "at no extra cost for eight years". That's maybe not an issue for the people who'll be buying these vehicles new, but it could be a problem for future owners. 

If you already have a GM vehicle with CarPlay, you're not going to lose that feature –  GM says it's going to stick with its existing tech for the remaining internal combustion vehicles it intends to make – and you'll still be able to use your phone to make calls or play music over Bluetooth if you'd rather use your phone OS than your car one. But it's clear that for GM at least, in-car entertainment is something they want to keep in-house.

Good news, Android Auto users: Google is finally rolling out an update designed to squash a serious bug that had cropped up in Google Maps.

The problem was first reported by Google Maps users in January, with claims that the app kept losing its GPS signal. More specifically, this was happening when Google Maps was running on Android Auto.

As you probably know, Android Auto is Google’s answer to Apple CarPlay, and is a car infotainment system that runs on an Android phone, but is displayed on the car’s dashboard screen. Any faults with Android Auto apps are actually faults with the apps running on the phone itself.

In this case, Google Maps was failing to work properly and would show a ‘GPS signal lost’ error message through the Android Auto system.

This would sometimes happen immediately after launching the app, or would also happen later and seemingly at random. Without GPS, a navigation app like Google Maps is essentially useless, as it doesn't know where you are in relation to its mapping database, so can't offer accurate directions or distances.

Thankfully, Google is now rolling out a fix. According to AutoEvolution, the latest build of Google Maps for Android, called version 11.66, solves the problem. This version is currently rolling out from the Play Store now, and should be with all users in the coming days and weeks.

Users who have taken a more hands-on approach report that, by downloading the APK app installer manually and updating to version 11.66.602, Google Maps is no longer plagued by the Android Auto GPS error message.

The Apple AirTag is a remarkably simple concept. A small, disc-shaped object, with built-in tracking functionality, which can be attached to just about anything to keep an eye on its whereabouts. The idea is to keep one in your wallet, or attached to your keys, so that they're as easy to locate as electronic devices like your iPhone or iPad.

To work, the AirTag uses the existing network of Apple devices to provide an accurate location. It works well, thanks in no small part to the sheer volume of Apple devices out there.

But it hasn't always been plain sailing. The devices have been used for far more sinister activities, such as tracking people. Apple have tried to put a stop to this, offering updates designed to deter stalkers.

Now, Google is looking to get in on the location tracking action, with their own device designed in a similar vein. The device – codenamed Google Grogu – would utilise a similar functionality to the AirTag, but make use of the Google Pixel and Google Nest network instead.

The information comes from renowned leaker, Kuba Wojciechowski, who has a fantastic history of providing information for Google devices. In a series of tweets, Kuba unveils a few details about the device. It has an onboard speaker – similar to the AirTag – and provides support for ultra-wide band (UWB) and Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

Beyond that, though, very little is known about them. Kuba suggests that they may see the light of day at the Google I/O event in a few months, although that is conjecture.

Regardless, I think it's a great addition to the Pixel product range. Sure, it's not the heart-stopping instabuy that a new phone or smartwatch would be, but it's a useful addition that makes the overall Pixel ecosystem more appealing. 

If you’re an Android user, your car infotainment system is about to receive a major upgrade to the way it looks and behaves.

First announced by Google all the way back in May 2022, the update is known internally as Coolwalk and was supposed to arrive on Android phones in the summer. Google missed that deadline, and although the update appeared for beta users towards the end of the year, it wasn’t until January 2023 that it finally landed for everyone.

Rolled out to coincide with the CES technology show in Las Vegas during the second week of 2023, the update promises to bring a whole new Android Auto experience to Android phones.

By way of an entirely new interface, the update priritises navigation, communication and audio such as much or podcasts. These are all shown on the home screen, and can be interested with directly, without the need to switch between apps.

How they are displayed will depend on the shape and size of your car’s dashboard display. The layout also depends on which side of the car your steering wheel is, as the Google Maps interface now appears at the side of the screen closest to the driver. Meanwhile, the new music playback interface shows album art, and there’s an application launcher for viewing the rest of your Android Auto apps.

Voice assistance from the Google Assistant has also been improved with the new Android Auto. So-called smart suggestions have the assistant remind you about missed calls as you drive, and make it easy to share your estimated arrival time with friends, and quickly access your music and podcast libraries.

A new feature of the media playback screen is how music tracks and podcasts can be skipped through by swiping across their progress bar, which is something Google says was a top requested featured from its users.

Google Pixel and Samsung smartphone users will soon be able to make calls using WhatsApp in Android Auto, although this function hasn’t arrived just yet.

Also coming soon to Samsung and Xiaomi phones later this year (and already available on iPhone and Pixel handsets) is the ability to share a digital car key, giving trusted contacts access to your car without the physical fob. Supported by BMW for now, Google says the feature will come to more car brands soon. 

The upcoming Polestar 3 will be the first car to feature a new, more detailed mapping system from Google.

An electric SUV and Polestar’s largest car to date, the 3 is due to arrive later in 2023, priced from £79,900. Like other models of Polestar, the car will use Google’s Android Automotive infotainment system, which includes native support for Google Maps and the Google Assistant.

What will separate the 3’s system from that of the Polestar 2 is the inclusion of Google’s new HD maps. An upgrade over the regular navigation imagery, HD maps provide “highly detailed and up-to-date road information,” Polestar says.

The carmaker adds that, with the new system, it will “be able to combine its vehicle sensor technology and Google’s precise lane-level and localisation data to facilitate driver assistance features like Pilot Assist, as well as future autonomous driving functionality.”

Polestar also says how the extra detail of Google’s HD maps will be critical for assisted driving computation, with an improved ability to recognise details like lane markings and objects like road signs. This should make for improved autonomous driving for the Polestar 3, which will be offered with an optional, lidar-based driver assistance system called Pilot Pack.

The Swedish car company also announced this week that an update to the Polestar 2 will bring more integration with devices running Google Assistant. This will let drivers check the car’s battery charge and control functions like cabin climate and preconditioning, and unlock the doors.

Once enabled, this will let Polestar 2 owners say: "Hey Google, warm up my car" to their Nest smart speaker, and the Google Assistant will turn on the car and heat the cabin. This update will be available initially to Polestar 2 owners in the US, before rolling out to other markets later.

Getting started with new tech can be quite a big job, especially if you’re starting from scratch or switching from another operating system like Apple's iOS. 

While the best Android phones usually take you through the setup process quite quickly, you could find yourself still hunting for and downloading essential new apps days later. 

More often than not, they come with the most useful Google apps already installed like Gmail, Google Drive and Google Maps, so you won’t need to worry about getting those. But which other apps will you need to make the most out of your new handset?

You’ve come to the right place to find out. These are 10 of the first apps you should download from the Google Play Store when you set up your Android smartphone - all of them are free although some might require you buy a subscription to unlock more features.

Whatsapp

While there is a messaging app already on Android phones, you’ll most likely still need to use Whatsapp because it’s the messenger of choice for the majority of people - young and old, far and wide - so much so that the app has more than 2 billion users in over 180 countries. 

You can use Whatsapp to send messages for free over an internet connection, to individuals or groups of friends, and it has a calling function too. 

Spotify

You'll need to download whichever music streaming service you use. Spotify is the most popular with one of the biggest libraries in the world made up of over 80 million songs and 4.5 million podcasts.

The app lets you listen to your all-time favourites as well as discover new tunes, and you can create your own playlists to go back to later as well. Other music streaming options out there include Tidal, Amazon Music and Deezer. 

Amazon Shopping

Amazon Shopping is a guilty pleasure, whhich is why it's one of the top apps in the Google Play Store. 

We'd all like to think we don't use it as much as we do, but being able to buy everything and anything from batteries to bunk beds then have it arrive at your front door the next day is one of the joys of the modern world. It's a must-have on your smartphone. 

Uber

Gone are the days of pre-booking taxis. You can hail a ride almost instantly with Uber. The app will show you exactly how long you'll need to wait for your cab to arrive, you'll be able to see your ETA and it will even let you split the cost with other Uber users.

If you travel a lot then it'll be particularly handy because you can use it in big cities across the world, and in some places, you'll be able to use it in more remote areas as well. 

Amazon Alexa

If you already own or plan to buy any Amazon Alexa kit like one of the best smart speakers, then you'll definitely need to download the Amazon Alexa app. There you'll be able to control your smart home by device or by room and manage all of their settings. 

With this app downloaded you'll be able to ask the Alexa voice assistant questions, and to add to that, it gives you handy suggestions about how best to make use of it. 

Shazam

Okay so this may not be an essential app for everyone, but music lovers will find Shazam really useful. Have you ever been to a friend's house or out in a shop and heard a song that really takes your fancy but you don't know what it is? 

When you activate Shazam, it will tell you what that track is as well as where you can listen to it. Some phones will even let you put a handy widget on your home screen to get to it more quickly.  

Netflix

To keep you entertained on long journeys or on your commute, why not stream a new TV show or movie? Netflix is one of the best streaming services in the world with a mix of fan favourites like Friends and its own original content like The Crown. You can stream over an internet connection or download shows to watch later without one. 

Netflix is an app that every subscriber needs to have on their handset, but there are also apps for its competitors like Disney+ and Prime Video as well as for popular catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX. 

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is the best free weather app on the Google Play Store so if you need to keep an eye on the elements for your upcoming plans then it's an app well worth having downloaded onto your device. 

Facebook

Social media platforms really come into their own on your phone, they're a great pass-time and they're pretty addictive too.

I've picked out Facebook here because it's a great way to keep in touch with your friends and family but you might prefer to look at pretty pictures on Instagram, read about the latest news on Twitter or scroll endlessly through funny videos on TikTok. Whatever floats your boat you'll need to download all the social media apps you plan to use when you first set up your new smartphone. 

Duolingo

Fancy learning a new language? Get Duolingo. Currently, there are 43 different languages on offer. Learning is fun, personalised to you and based on comprehensive research. 

Each course feels like a game because you unlock new levels, win points and compete on a leaderboard. You just need to spend a couple of minutes on it each day to see yourself progress!

Good news for owners of the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 fitness trackers – the wearables are about to gain access to a new Google Maps app.

Coming to Android users imminently, with iPhone access due later, the app will see Fitbit wearables gain the ability to serve up directions from Google Maps. Once a destination and route is set on the user’s Android phone, their Bluetooth-connected Fitbit Sense 2 or Versa 4 will show directions on a new Google Maps app of their own.

All of this has been revealed by a new support document on the Fitbit website, which was spotted by 9to5Google. The document explains how the Google Maps app will work, and what owners can expect from the setup process.

Android users should see the new app appear any day now. To get Google Maps for your Fitbit, open the Fitbit app on your Android phone, tap on App Gallery, then follow the instructions to add Google Maps to your Fitbit wearable. iPhone users will also get this upgrade, but not until “early 20223,” the document says.

Once the app has arrived, open the Fitbit app on your phone, tap on your profile picture, then opening the Sense 2 or Versa 4 device page will show a new Google Maps tile on the grid.

Google Maps for Fitbit can be used for cycling, driving and walking directions, but transit directions for bus, train and plane travel are not offered at this time.

A handy auto-start feature means the Google Maps app will automatically open on your Fitbit when navigation is started on your Bluetooth-connected phone, although this can be turned off if you prefer. On the Fitbit itself, Google Maps navigation can be viewed, paused, continued and exited with a tap of the display. When you’ve finished a walk or cycle, the app will show an activity summary of your journey.

Waze is now available as a native navigation app for cars, where it can be accessed without connecting a smartphone.

The Google-owned app is available to download from the Play store of Android Automotive, the infotainment system baked into some cars, which runs without connecting a phone to the vehicle.

Google Maps is already available in Android Automotive, where it is the default navigation app. But for those who prefer the crowd-sourced mapping abilities of Waze, they can now access it by logging into the car, or by creating a new Waze account via the dashboard display.

For those unfamiliar with Android Automotive, it is not to be confused with Android Auto. The latter, which recently received a major update, is an app that runs on a smartphone connected to a car, then displays a phone-like interface on the vehicle’s dashboard touchscreen. The former is a platform that acts as the car’s own infotainment system and runs without a smartphone, using the vehicle's 4G or 5G data connection.

But, while Waze coming to Android Automotive is good news for the system, which currently doesn’t offer many native applications, it’s only offered on two cars at launch. These are the new Renault Austral hybrid and Renault Megane E-Tech electric car, and for now only examples sold in Europe will be able to access Waze.

This is likely to change over time, and we expect to see Waze on more vehicles with Android Automotive, like those from Polestar and Volvo, in due course.

Waze for Android Automotive is available now, and is free to download from your car’s Play store, or from the My Renault smartphone app.

A great feature of Google’s Android Auto infotainment system is how it can be interacted with via a touchscreen, buttons or a rotary control knob, depending on what hardware the car has.

But what happens when the system no longer recognises inputs from a control knob? That’s the issue that has recently plagued Android Auto users, where the system launches straight into Google Maps, but in a state where movement of the car’s control knob is not recognised and the app cannot be exited.

This is particularly problematic in cars that don’t have touch-sensitive dashboard displays (yes, they still exist, even in new models), or vehicles that disable the screens touch sensitivity when in motion, like Mazdas.

Android Auto users posted on Google’s help forums earlier in November to report the problem. One user said: “Android Auto loads fine and I can work within Google Maps…but I can’t navigate off of maps to get to the menu or any other programs. All other nav based or physical shortcuts buttons are also stuck.”

Another Android Auto user, who owns a 2017 Audi S3, said: “...to get down to the menu you normally slide the dial downwards. This isn’t working at all.”

Thankfully, and as discovered by Autoevolution, Google appears to have resolved the issue.

The latest software update to Google Maps, called version 11.58.0701 and released on 24 November has fixed the bug, according to Android Auto support forum users. The patch can either be installed manually by downloading the standalone APK, or users can wait until it is rolled out to their smartphone via the Play store.

It is now possible to view live weather data for your driving route, alongside navigation instructions, within the Apple CarPlay interface.

This is thanks to an update from an app called Weather on the Way, which combines weather forecasts with driving directions, and now works with Apple CarPlay.

The app was updated to version 1.7.2 this month, and with that gained support for CarPlay. When a destination is entered, the app shows your route and how the weather forecast looks along the way. This includes the weather type and temperature, as well as sunrise and sunset times, so drivers can avoid driving when the sun is awkwardly low, if they so choose.

Showing weather and navigation instructions isn’t something that’s currently possible on Android Auto. To get the system working with Apple CarPlay, Piotr Knapczyk, developer of Weather on the Way, said: “We have made sure to respect Apple's strict CarPlay app guidelines (so for example no animated radar and including turn-by-turn navigation), allowing us to be the first app to be able to offer the radar view on the car's infotainment screen.”

Weather forecasts on CarPlay are only available with the application’s ‘Pro’ subscription tier, which is priced at $4.99 a month, $24.99 annually, or can be unlocked for life for $84.99. This tier also includes alternative routes, precipitation chance and amount, feels-like temperatures, wind speed and UV index scores.

The app can also issue local weather alerts, but this is only available in the US, Canada, Iceland, Israel and the European Union for now.

We're actually surprised that no one has combined weather and mapping before, and hope other mapping companies offer something similar in the future. For the sake of Android users, we also hope Google allows such a feature for apps running on its recently-updated Android Auto.

It would be great to see Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze all offer some form of weather forecast on top of navigation mapping, so long as the interface is shown in a way that doesn’t distract the driver.

Google Map's Live View is a hugely impressive augmented reality feature, enabling you to point your phone at the real world and see Google data on top of it. And now Google is rolling out Search With Live View to iPhones and Android phones to make it even more useful.

The new feature is limited to a handful of global cities: London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo. Google won't confirm plans for other places but it's no doubt working on it.

What does Google Search With Live View do?

Here's how Google describes it: you're in New York and want to do some shopping and hang out with friends. "Lift your phone and tap on the camera icon in the search bar to see nearby stores and other places like coffee shops, banks and ATMs. With AR-powered directions and arrows, you can see what direction they’re in and how far away they are — and even spot places that aren’t in your immediate view (like a clothing store around the block) to get a true sense of the neighborhood at a glance."

That's pretty clever, but the killer app for me is that it overlays the key information that you need to know, for example whether it's open right now, how busy it is and whether other Google users think it's a hive of villainy. 

That's not the only update Google is rolling out. There's a new charging station finder for electric vehicles, and the brilliant Accessible Places feature has now been rolled out globally after successful pilots in the UK, US, Australia and Japan.

Accessible Places is a boon for wheelchair users, people with restricted mobility and parents with prams: it can tell you if the place is accessible, if there are accessible toilets and seating, and even how close to the venue you can park. If a location doesn't already have that information you can add it yourself right there in the app.

As much as I love the gee-whiz features of Search With Live View, I think the Accessible Places is much more important: it might not look sci-fi in an animated screenshot, but it's something that'll help make life easier for millions of people. 

After promising the feature at launch, Fitbit has added Google Wallet support to the Fitbit Versa 4 and Fitbit Sense 2. Until now, you could only make wireless payments through Fitbit Pay using the watches. According to Fitbit, you should be able to find a Google Wallet section in the Fitbit app inside the pane for your wearable. You will also be able to download a Google Wallet app for your Versa 4 or Sense 2.

We tried it. There’s nothing new to see yet in our app, despite having received a very recent Fitbit Sense 2 update, but you may have better luck. Fitbit’s precise wording is that Google Wallet is being added, not Google Pay. However, it is Wallet we need as it is the part of the chain that lets us add and access virtual versions of our credit and debit cards. 

The key benefit here is many more bands support Google Wallet and Google Pay than Fitbit Pay. And this makes sense when an order of magnitude, more devices use Google’s alternative. Fitbit also teased the incoming Google Maps support for Versa 4 and Sense 2, another feature that was not quite ready at these watches’ launch. 

It says the feature is “coming soon”, and, again, there is, of course, no sign of it yet on our test Fitbit Sense 2. As previously discussed by the company, Google Maps support here will be limited to turn-by-turn navigation, with details sent from your phone to the watch over Bluetooth.

You have to open up Google Maps on both your phone and watch, start navigating on your phone and then will receive turn-by-turn info cards on the watch screen. Fitbit adds some of its own sauce by recording steps, Active Zone minutes “and more”, just as it might be you to start a tracked activity. 

To check for an update, open up the Fitbit app, tap your profile picture in the corner of the screen and then the entry for your watch. If an update is available, you should see a download prompt. Check out T3's best Fitbit guide and also our roundup of the best cheap Fitbit deals. 

(via XDA Developers)

It might be worth holding off on updating your iPhone to iOS 16, at least for now, as users are reporting a serious bug in Google Maps when using Apple CarPlay.

Although the timing could be coincidental, iPhone users have reported on Reddit about the bug appearing since upgrading to Apple’s latest version of iOS. The bug appears to be affecting the GPS location of an iPhone running Google Maps.

Specifically, the problem occurs when Google Maps is running on CarPlay, Apple’s iPhone-powered car infotainment system.

The bug isn’t affecting everyone – we haven’t seen any issues with iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16 – but some users have described their Google Maps app as going “haywire”. One user said on Reddit: “The directions go haywire and don’t show me on the road and to turn somewhere completely incorrect.”

One user said how Google Maps on CarPlay has been “extremely buggy” since iOS 16 arrived, with another saying: “The map shoots to the middle of the ocean”.

Yet another said: “My Google Maps, while open, will cause everything else to be laggy and unresponsive. For example hitting ‘skip’ on audio will skip to the next track immediately but the next song will not show for 5-15 seconds. Tapping anything gives a massive delay of the same amount. Only happens while Google Maps is running. Apple Maps doesn’t do the same.”

The issue has also been experienced and reported by AutoEvolution, which adds that a workaround doesn’t seem to exist just yet. Other users claim force-closing Google Maps on the iPhone (while parked, of course) fixes the issue, but only temporarily.

For now, if your iPhone is showing the same issue it could be worth switching to an alternative navigation app, like Waze or Apple Maps.

One of my favourite things about the iPhone 14 Pro is its Lock Screen: the always-on display features the same widgets as other iPhones running iOS 16, but they’re always there for fast access and instant info. At first they were primarily an Apple affair, but the number of third-party widgets is increasing by the day – and now Google's getting in on the act with a selection of really useful widgets for those of us who don't use Apple apps for everything.

Google announced the widgets last month but they've started to roll out today. The Google Maps one isn't here yet, which is mildly annoying as that's the one I want most for my Driving focus Lock Screen, but there are plenty of others to stick on your Lock Screen.

What new widgets does Google offer on the iPhone?

Last week updated the Chrome and Drive apps with new widgets, and this week's ones add widgets for some of the most-used Google apps including Gmail and Google News. The Gmail widget comes in circular, rectangular and inline text formats so you can get the information you want in the style that you want it.

The Google News widget is slightly different, as it's only available as a rectangular widget to display a single news headline; tap on it and your iPhone will take you to that story in the Google News app. I'm not a huge fan of news widgets as they tend to show stories I'm not remotely interested in. 

There's no dedicated Search widget yet, but you can use the Chrome widget as a workaround: one of its widgets enables you to search Google in Chrome. And if you're bored you can launch Chrome's famous Dino Game, which usually turns up on the desktop Chrome browser when your internet connection's packed in. But the search widget should be worth waiting for: as Google showed us last month, it'll enable you to configure the widget to search with voice or camera rather than text.

Google hasn't given us a release date for these widgets yet but the pace of the other releases suggest it's a matter of days or weeks rather than months.