Google Maps has just received an update on iOS, and Google have actually been quite active in supporting the service on the platform of one of their main competitors. Of course, the company has plenty of users on iOS devices, so it only makes sense for them to keep everyone happy and keep giving them new features and bug fixes.
The most recent update to Google Maps on the iOS brought it up to version 4.4.0, and introduced several new features. Among those is the ability to get directions faster and more conveniently, with the addition of a voice search button. Users can now just tap the microphone icon and dictate their desired directions, with the app giving them a route in return, instead of having to manually type in everything. The app also supports shortcuts like “directions to home”, and users can even specify their starting point when searching for directions in this way.
The app can now also be viewed in full screen mode, which hides all toolbars and gives users more screen real estate. Activating the new mode is done by tapping any empty spot on the map, and another tap brings back the complete interface.
At the same time, public transportation options have now received their own line colors, which can make it significantly easier to know which bus a user should take if they have to go through several connections. Users just have to follow the lines as they appear when they’re making their transit connections, and the overall experience has been simplified a lot.
It’s now also easier to find good restaurants, as Google Maps now has the ability to show Zagat-rated restaurants, delivering much better results for those who want a bit of some truly good food. The user can now search for restaurants in any general area, tap the Filter icon, and check the “Zagat rated” checkbox, which will then filter the search results accordingly.
Of course, this only works in cities where Zagat actually has any presence, but this should be self-explanatory. Additionally, some users have reported seeing minor issues with the way Zagat searching works in certain places, but this seems to be a small, randomly occurring problem and not something serious that users should worry about. At any rate, if it really is a bug (as opposed to a temporary issue), Google will likely push out a fix for it in the coming days/weeks. As we said above, they have been quite vigilant about keeping Google Maps up to date and free of bugs lately, so they should be on top of this as soon as they have identified the root cause. In the end, it’s only been reported by a couple of users at some discussion boards, so it may very well turn out to be nothing.