As a special Diwali gift for millions of mobile Android users who speak the language, Hindi has been added as an official language in the latest Google Maps update. Another segment of digital users that will be happy with this update are the Android Wear users, as it brings improved notifications for wearables that are on Google’s platform. These seem like minor improvements, but of course, for apps, any updates, minor or otherwise are always welcome.
Hindi is the most widely-spoken language in the world’s second-largest population, and so it is but logical for Google to add it to their ever-growing multi-lingual lexicon. The update includes voice navigation in Hindi as well. The other major improvement in the update is that the navigation notifications for Android Wear devices has been tweaked. Of course there aren’t that many smartwatches yet using the platform, but it’s good news for ASUS Zenwatch, LG G Watch, Moto 360, Samsung Gear Live and Sony Smartwatch 3 owners who like to run or are dependent on Google Maps for navigation.
While other map apps. specifically Nokia’s HERE, have come up to challenge Google Maps’ domination over the navigation market, it’s still one of the most downloaded apps in history, with an estimated 1 billion Android users using it. A recent major update in Google Earth, which now has 3D rendering to enhance it, will make Maps an even better accompanying navigation app for those exploring an area for the first time.
If you’re not yet part of the 1 billion using it, you can download Google Maps from the Google Play Store. The update should have rolled out to you by now, but in case it hasn’t, you can update it from your Apps list and enjoy the added features and improvements, particularly if you speak Hindi or have an Android Wear device.
