Google Maps Uses Autopredict Feature To Facilitate People In Navigation and Direction

Google Maps would now predict the intended destination of user and guides accordingly.

Google has found out a way to find out people’s destination. Google Maps discreetly made an addition of a new feature in its recent update, which predicts about where one is heading and provides directions on the go.

A tech blog covering the Android ecosystem, Android Police, first noted the new feature, which is well hidden inside Google Maps app. Life Hacker explained how one could activate it. If one often uses Google Maps, “Driving Mode” would be useful, which would predict the destination of a user, preload the available route that is best for driving, and give travel updates to users.

Google Maps might pull work and home address, which most users save in the app, including places one has recently searched. It would also avail data on the driving routes used by users usually for trying and figuring out their way. Therefore, if a user typically drives home after working around 6pm, Google Maps would remember and pull up directions to one’s house automatically.

Prediction facilities make the applications of the search engine developer more useful and powerful for users, but the organization has something out of that as well: a valuable treasure trove of data. Google would recognize of where one wants to go, and when. As a large number of people use the feature, the better it becomes.

The data could also possibly be used to fuel the ambitions of Google in the market for driverless cars. Of course, the users of the feature would have to sacrifice their privacy. With Google Maps gathering information on where and when one is going, “Driving Mode” would seem ‘creepy’ to some. Still, in the absence of all the data, predictive facilities will be useless.

The company is working to develop driverless vehicles for years now, but efforts are elevated in the past few months. In September past year, the division appointed the former CEO of Hyundai United States. Bloomberg reported self-driving unit was moving out of Google X laboratories to turn into a fully-fledged entity under Alphabet.

Gathering data is quite significant to make driverless cars safer and accurate. With the search giant reportedly considering using its vehicles for a cab service, it is not difficult to imagine a Google car picking one up from work and dropping him/her at house. With huge players, such as Tesla, already delivering semi-autonomous vehicles, data provided by Google Maps could provide itself an advantage.