In the upcoming days, Google Maps will receive a new augmented reality feature that enables you to use your phone’s camera to discover what’s nearby. The Search with Live View feature will also include accessibility icons and a tool to help users find the best EV charger, the company announced on Thursday.
As you walk around London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, or Tokyo with Search with Live View enabled, Google Maps will display pertinent information about what it sees through your camera. This includes places like hotels, restaurants, ATMs, and street names. All users need to do in Google Maps is tap the camera icon next to the microphone.
The modification is an illustration of Google’s efforts to modernize its services by fusing the data-collection capabilities of our phones with the strength of its sizable informational databases. Although typing in information is a useful method, Google’s developments in this area with cameras and augmented reality are intended to help us understand the world around us more directly.
For owners of electric vehicles who need to charge their vehicles, Google Maps has undergone another notable change. You can use the updated Google Maps to filter charging station information to find fast chargers or plugs that are compatible with your electric vehicle (EV).
Additionally, Maps will now include wheelchair icons for those who require accessibility options.
The general Google Search experience will also see some other upgrades. On Thursday, multisearch will now include questions about food. Using the Google app’s Lens feature, you can take a screenshot or take a picture of a dish you’d like to try and then add the words “near me.” This reveals eateries in the area that serve that dish.
According to Google, the Lens AR translation system also performs better at deciphering signs and other materials written in foreign languages and displaying the translation in your language. This is particularly helpful when attempting to understand a menu written in a foreign language.
