14 DAY TRIAL // Google is working on a major update for its Maps app that is reportedly bringing some much-needed features like battery stats in location sharing and important improvements to mass transit.
According to a report coming from Android Police, the Google Maps 9.71 Beta app is incorporating some very interesting changes like the ability to display battery stats in location sharing and multiple improvements to mass transit, which aren't user-visible at the moment of writing.
These changes have been discovered by the Android Police editors by tearing down the APK binary file of the Google Maps 7.91 Beta app, and reveal the fact that Google plans to add a very useful feature when the user shares his/her location, which includes information about the battery level of the device.
This new battery stats information could look something like "John's battery level is between 25% and 50% and is charging" or "John's battery level is between 50% and 75% and is not charging" when you share your location, according to two new strings found in the APK file. However, the feature is not yet user-visible.
Mass transit improvements
On the other hand, the major Google Maps update will bring several enhancements to mass transit, including the ability to create shortcuts for your favorite train, tram or bus stations, arrival times, the ability to share your trips with your friends or family members, as well as alternative suggestions for departure times.
Some users also reported a new screenshot button on detail pages in a recent Google Maps beta version. While all these new features sound good, they are yet to be implemented by Google in future Google Maps updates for Android and iOS devices alike, so stay tuned for more details soon. Until then, you can always try the latest beta release if you want to have an early taste.
