Google on the first day of its digitally held I/O event made a number of user-centric announcements, including, a number of new updates to its apps and services and yes Android 12 beta as well.

Google also announced what new changes are coming to its Maps app. It is getting five new updates so as to further ease your navigation. One of the big changes aims at reducing the hard-braking moments. Google explains there are situations when we suddenly have to decelerate in order to avoid any mishap. Google Maps will help you avoid such instances of hard-braking moments with the use of machine learning. Because Google can explain it better, so here is what Google has to say on how this works,

Every time you get directions in Maps, we calculate multiple route options to your destination based on several factors, like how many lanes a road has and how direct a route is. With this update, we’ll take the fastest routes and identify which one is likely to reduce your chances of encountering a hard-braking moment. We’ll automatically recommend that route if the ETA is the same or the difference is minimal.

The second update improves Live View navigation. Now, when you navigate around your neighborhood, you will see helpful details popping up along your way like shops and restaurants around you. You will also see how busy they are, their recent reviews, and photos. The Live View navigation will now also show relevant street signs for complex intersections so you know exactly what road you’re on and which way to go.

Google also announced that the detailed street maps that it announced back in August 2020 are soon expanding to 50 more cities by the end of this year, including Berlin, São Paulo, Seattle, and Singapore. The detailed street maps divulge you into more information around the street, like the shape and width of a road, sidewalks, crosswalks, and so on. This also tells you if a particular road is wheelchair-friendly.

Google has also improved live busyness information so that you could spot busy areas faster. Now, this is expanding to show the relative busyness of an entire area, like if a part of the two is busier than usual. You can open the Maps app prior to going out on the street to see what part of the street is the busiest.

Furthermore, Maps will also be tailored to highlight relevant places depending on the time of the day. Google exemplifies that if it’s 8 am on a weekday, the map will highlight breakfast places and hide dinner options. And, if it is a weekend, it will be easier to spot local landmarks and tourist attractions.

Google has announced all these new features will be rolled out globally on Android and iOS in the coming months.