Google Maps Gets a New Commute Tab Offering One-Tap Access to Live Traffic and Transit Information

Google Maps is one of the widely used services from the search giant and today it’s getting even better. Google has announced a slew of new features to Google Maps which will make your commute a lot easier. First of all, Google Maps now has a new Commute tab helping you take control of your daily commute, which essentially means that you can get access to traffic and transit information on your daily commute with just one-tap. Furthermore, Google also announced the integration of Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music services to Maps, so that you don’t have to switch from one app to another while in transit.

Google Maps Gets an All-New Commute Tab

In the last 18 months, Google Maps has come a long way- especially in the app’s user interface. Today, Google Maps got a new Commute tab which will be sitting on the bottom portion of the app’s home screen between Explore and For You tabs. Once you set the daily commute, the tab provides one-tap access to live traffic and transit information. With this, users can save a lot of time, especially those in the busy cities of India such as Bengaluru, Mumbai or New Delhi.

In the case of a delay on your daily commute, Google Maps will suggest you alternative routes to help you get to work faster. On Android, you’ll also receive notifications about delays and disruptions on your route as they happen, so you can know about an incident before you get caught up in the delay.

Public Transport Has Got a Lot Easier

There will be a lot of people who use public transit as their mode of transport in the daily commute. Google has rolled out a new feature which will seed important information to users such as when to leave, any traffic in the drive; when the next train/bus departs and more. “We do the work for you and automatically factor this into your ETA so you can anticipate exactly when you’ll get to work,” said Google in a blog post.

Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music Integrated to Maps

Another much-needed feature added by Google is the integration of music services to the platform. Most of us listen to music while driving and even Google knows that. To remove the hassle of switching between Maps and Music apps, Google is making Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music available right inside the Google Maps application.

With Spotify on Android, you can also choose your favourite content by browsing through songs, albums, podcasts, and playlists with the new, easy to use navigation.

When Will I Receive These New Features?

Well, Google has confirmed the new Commute features are rolling out to Android and iOS users this week, and to use the features, head over to Google Play Store or Apple App Store to update the app.