The answer to getting improved navigation when passing through tunnels and other areas that restrict GPS and cellular connections is coming to Google Maps for Android. It is the Bluetooth beacons that will alleviate the challenges of losing reception when getting in a tunnel, particularly for global positioning services (GPS), with the said beacons to ensure that navigation continues.
Maps for Android's new feature is not new to Google anymore, as its renowned app Waze, already introduced said feature before.
Bluetooth Beacons Coming to Google Maps for Android
(Photo : OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
A report by SmartDroid revealed that a new feature for Google Maps for Android is now available for some users, and it brings in the Bluetooth beacons feature to the app that will help improve location and its accuracy. Through this feature, users who will be passing through tunnels would see no hindrances in their navigation, as opposed to the previous experience where the directions go haywire.
9to5 Google regarded that this feature first appeared for users last October 2023, but its varying rollout only had the feature appear for others now.
This feature is available to turn on via Settings > Navigation Settings > Driving Options, then scroll towards the bottom of the page and look for "Bluetooth tunnel beacons."
Waze introduced the Bluetooth beacons feature in its app for a long time now, and in Australia, it already covers as much as 18 kilometers, with over 930 beacons installed to help the drivers. In the US, Waze offers Bluetooth beacons in New York City and Chicago.
According to Google's support page for Waze, the beacons are focused on areas where GPS is inaccessible or out of range, may it be in tunnels or underground, offering improved visibility and real-time updates.
Google Maps Improvements
As part of Google's renowned improvements on its app, the company brought on a new look and experience for its Maps last year, particularly with the new color scheme available to use. However, it was met with mixed reactions from its users, especially as they claim it to be less accurate and "less human" compared to the design it featured before.
Still, Google delivered significant experiences for the Maps app, and this helped improve more of the navigation and use of the app in general. One of the non-navigation features that helped improve Google Maps is giving users better control over their personal data, with the company's safeguards already in place to protect your information, but takes it up a notch with this upgrade.
Google Maps and Waze have long been side by side to deliver app-based navigation that helps in getting users from Point A to B, using their preferred vehicles and applies to any type used. In this upgrade, Google is ushering in a familiar experience from Waze to Google Maps for Android, helping traverse tunnel roads using Bluetooth beacons to ensure that the ride continues.
