Google Maps has added a new feature that will give users the option to choose vehicles to show where there are, while they use the driving navigation to reach their destination. This is quite similar to the Mario Day Easter egg that Google Maps had, which swapped the blue navigation arrow to Mario and his kart. Munish Dabas, a User Experience (UX) Engineer with the Google Maps team was the one who announced this feature on Twitter. Incidentally, Dabas also announced the Mario Kart feature in the app. The feature at this point is only available on Google Maps for iOS, and not on Android or desktops. So if you have got an updated version of the Maps app on your iPad or iPhone, you can make your navigation experience much more fun. The feature is available in India on iOS devices too.
In order to use this feature, users will need to update to the latest Google Maps app. Then you’ll just need to start the navigation and tap once on the blue coloured navigation arrow. This will present you with three options: a red sedan, a green pickup truck, and a yellow minivan.
Tap on any of the three to select the vehicle and this will replace the navigation arrow and become your virtual partner on the journey. The icon will remain same in future navigations too till you change it to another option or good old arrow. Interestingly, you can use these vehicles icons even if you opt for walking, a car or public transport for navigation purposes.
Though a small tweak, this feature makes Google Maps trips certainly more fun. The Maps, after all, comes preinstalled on most Android devices and is favourite among iOS users too. It has around a billion active users worldwide and is considered one of the most popular navigation tools globally.
