Google Maps has long been my mobile map application of choice, although Apple’s rival offering Apple Maps has certainly restored parity between the two services in recent years.
For me, Google Maps is a combination Yelp-like service, maps app, and phone dialer, because nine times out of 10 the business I’m looking up through Google Maps — most often a restaurant, for which I’m checking something like its location or operating hours — I’ll go ahead and call on the phone from right there in the app. Meantime, Google keeps rolling out one new feature after another to stuff into the product. Which leads some critics to complain of bloat, while others, like me, feel like the app is full-featured.
The newest tweaks? Tools that will help anyone planning to get away for a vacation this summer, including a more detailed navigation map, toll prices, and an iOS update that should help people better plan their trip away from home.
In a company blog post, Google Maps product manager Ruben Lozano-Aguilera explains what’s coming. “Soon, you’ll see the estimated toll price to your destination before you start navigating thanks to trusted information from local tolling authorities. We look at factors like the cost of using a toll pass or other payment methods, what the day of the week it is, along with how much the toll is expected to cost at the specific time you’ll be crossing it.”
Not a fan of toll roads, he continues? No problem. “When a toll-free route is available, we’ll still show you that route as an option. Like always, you can choose to avoid seeing routes with toll roads completely. Simply tap on the three dots at the top right corner of your directions in Google Maps to see your route options and select ‘Avoid tolls.’”
