Newsletter
Google Maps navigation now works with PIP mode as part of its latest version update, which seems to be heading out to users already, and will bring Google Maps up to version number 9.6. PIP mode for those who aren’t familiar is the Picture-In-Picture mode that Google is introducing with Android 8.0 Oreo, which also means that anyone who isn’t on Android Oreo won’t be able to utilize this new feature, at least not until they’re updated, if they end up updated. It’s also worth noting that this feature was technically available before, but it wasn’t working the way that it should have. If you haven’t gotten the latest update to Maps yet, you can click the button below to grab the APK.
In addition to the new picture-in-picture mode working with navigation for Oreo users, Google Maps also supports video submissions along with check-ins for local guides. While it’s always been possible to attach photos to your Local Guides contributions, video enhances things a bit and will give those viewing your submitted content more of an idea of what to expect when visiting a place.
So far these are just a couple of the things in the latest version of Maps that seem to be new, but there are a handful of other features or changes coming that Google is already laying the groundwork for and should be available in a later update. For example, Google Maps is getting a food review option where users will be able to give a description of what they ate and how they rated the meal, and of course it’ll be possible to add photos to these reviews as well, though you’ll also be able to give things a simple thumbs up if you don’t want to get too in depth. There will also be a new feature for personal notes landing sometime soon, where users will be able to write up a simple note about specific places on the map whether it be a place they’ve been or a place they plan to go. It also looks like businesses are getting the ability to publish events, and when that information is published if users are looking at a venue where events are typically held than any published details about upcoming events should show up. It’s not clear when some of these other features are going to be introduced officially but they may not be far off.
Download Google Maps v9.60 APK