At the Google I/O developer’s conference last month, they showed us what their plans are for a redesign of Google Maps. Not only do we expect a new look but we will also see a more personal app that focuses not just on telling us how to go somewhere but also where we can go and what we can do in specific places. We’re now seeing server-side updates to some users and what we can expect from the new-look Maps app when the update eventually rolls out to you.
Visually, what you’ll notice is that Maps suddenly becomes whiter than its previous design and that the search bar now has rounded corners. Even most of the buttons get a sort-of makeover as they are now more stadium shaped rather than the previous rectangle with rounded corners. A lot of the text elements now use the Product Sans font, for those of you who are font-sensitive. Several of the icons have also been replaced, although you probably won’t notice them if you don’t look closely enough. As for the Driving and Transit screens, there are no major changes.
It’s the Explore screen that gets the major makeover this time around as Maps tries to be more than just a…well, map. You now get new rounded and colorful icons for categories like Restaurants, Coffee, Attractions, etc. And if you want to be more specific about what kind of restaurant you’re looking for, you now have a scrolling carousel of different types like nightclubs, sports bars, etc. Plus, you get lists of recommended places to go to including publicly shared ones by users and by publishers. If it’s events that you’re looking for, you previously had a list of upcoming events nearby but now you have options for different event timings.
The Explore section now includes a ton of more categories including Food and Drink (restaurants, bars, coffee, delivery), Things to Do (parks, art, gyms, nightlife, museums, libraries, etc), Shopping (groceries, apparel, shopping centers, convenience stores, etc), Services (hotels, ATMs, gas, parking, etc). The lists are also pretty useful and handy and you’ll be able to view all the locations, follow the list in case it gets updated, and of course share it.
At the I/O conference, they also showed a For You section with personal recommendations and your live scores (for sharing and recommending things we assume) but for this update, it looks like they haven’t included it yet. What we do see aside from the aforementioned changes are that all of the interface elements now have a full Material Design look. No specific time has been announced yet as to when the update will roll out so don’t hold your breath just yet.
VIA: Android Police
