When it comes toAndroid navigation apps, the choices are numerous, but Google Maps remains one of the best. It integrates seamlessly into Android Auto, and its reign in the market is all thanks to its perfect combination of simplicity and accuracy. However, there is one sticking point, one that almost all navigation apps suffer from, and that is navigation in tunnels. Google Maps for Android has introduced a new tunnel navigation feature that uses Bluetooth beacons.
If your commute includes a tunnel, you are probably well aware of the problems navigation apps have while underground. Location services inside a tunnel are rarely accurate, and this is because GPS signals do not reach underground. Waze, another Google-owned navigation app, introduced Bluetooth beacons to squash this issue a while back. Bluetooth beacons enhance location accuracy in tunnels by using strategically placed Bluetooth signals for scanning and positioning, a technology also used in some shopping malls. Waze Beacons are already in cities like New York City, Chicago, Paris, Rio, Brussels, Oslo, Sydney, Boston, Mexico City, and more. As firsthighlighted by SmartDroid, Google Maps is finally joining the party; the Bluetooth tunnel beacons option has now widely become available in its settings.
Regular users of navigation apps depend on the presented information being accurate. As theWaze Beacons Programemphasizes, providing precise location data and real-time events inside tunnels is a matter of driver safety (via 9to5Google). The Bluetooth tunnel beacons feature is disabled by default but can be found and turned on under the “Driving Options” insideSettings > Navigation Settings. Google Maps describes the feature as follows: “Scan for Bluetooth tunnel beacons to improve location accuracy in tunnels.” You have to grant Maps the permission to find and connect to nearby devices when you enable it.
Google Maps is that copilot that will never fall asleep on you during a road trip or commute. It is a great tool to have in addition to some of our otherfavorite travel apps. The Bluetooth tunnel beacons feature might already be familiar to some; it first started appearing in October, but is only now becoming widely available. Those with iPhones may have to wait a little longer, though. This feature is not yet available on iOS.
The new Bluetooth navigation option is only one of many features the company recently added to its mapping service. The app only recently received its impressiveimmersive viewanda controversial new color palette. For EV drivers, it now evensuggests charging stops.
