Google Maps has two new features: Split UI and Speedometer. While Split UI is available in the Street View interface, Speedometer is available in the standard view of the app.
Google is sending out an update for the Google Maps app for Android smartphones. It improves the Street View experience by adding a split-screen mode. Additionally, several users now have the Speedometer feature.
Google Maps Street View gets Split UI:
The Split UI is currently being rolled out for Google Maps Street View. However, it appears limited to Android smartphones. The Split UI doesn’t need any activation in settings.
The new Split UI launches automatically when users drop a map pin inside Google Maps Street View. Alternatively, if users are accessing Street View directly from a location’s listing, the feature is accessible by clicking on the ‘minimize’ button in the bottom-right corner.
#GoogleMaps Street View gets split screen UI on #Android https://t.co/vdaYfcoYne via @9to5Google pic.twitter.com/6zWonm0Fak
— Martin Holmes (@silverfox2) January 31, 2021
Google Maps has paths that feature street-level imagery highlighted in blue. Meanwhile, the Photo Spheres taken by users are surfaced as dots. Users can tap anywhere to quickly jump between the features.
The circular marker for “where you are” features an arrow that shows the direction being pointed at. Needless to add, such a navigation method is more convenient. Previously, users struggled to get around in Street View with arrows and repeated dragging.
The Street View Split UI is new for Android. Apple iOS users still have to receive the feature. However, desktop and web users have had this feature for quite some time.
What is Speedometer in Google Maps:
Before Google Maps became omnipresent, many drivers used Waze. The Waze interface had a virtual speedometer. Besides offering the estimated speed of the vehicle, the Waze speedometer offers quite a few additional snippets of information.
Google acquired Waze in 2013 for $966 Million. Now the search giant has included a Speedometer in the Maps app.
Besides showing how fast the vehicle is moving, the Speedometer feature also comes with other data. It can look for any restrictions in the area in which the user is driving and then issue a warning if the driving speed is over the limit.
The Google Maps Speedometer: A Mysterious Feature Everybody Loves https://t.co/SeBhxsFUBx pic.twitter.com/bg3vjuHDPn
— Flyin18T Motorsports (@Flyin18T) January 31, 2021
The Speedometer also changes colors when the vehicle surpasses the safe driving limit. Needless to add, Waze’s Speedometer also works very similarly.
Just like the Street View Split UI, the Speedometer is on by default. However, Google is intentionally slowing down the feature’s rollout. Moreover, similar to the Split UI feature, the Speedometer is currently available only for Android smartphones.
The Speedometer’s availability is restricted possibly because not every region has the perquisites in place or reliably operational. Hence, it is quite likely that several Android smartphone users might not get the Speedometer for Google Maps.
To check if the Speedometer is available, head over to Settings Options > Driving Options, and tick on Speedometer. If the feature is absent, then the region probably doesn’t offer the necessary support systems.