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While you would normally expect Google to prioritize Android devices over iPhones when it comes to new features, the search giant often prioritizes Apple’s smartphones when it comes to latest-gen features.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Google Maps’ weather overlay is one of the features that debuted on the iPhone, but remained unavailable on Android devices.
Google has always been tight-lipped about its plans for this feature for Android devices, but a few months ago a small number of users started seeing weather information on top of Google Maps.
This was just a test conducted by Google with a limited number of users, and a new report says the company is currently expanding availability to more devices.
The rollout will be gradual, so not everyone will be able to see weather information in Google Maps. However, if you’re lucky, you should see a small weather icon in the top left corner that displays the current conditions, temperature, and AQI score.
Tapping the weather icon launches a full weather overlay, showing additional information such as the forecast for the next few hours and ‘what’s in the mood’ information. You can also expand the air quality data to get more information about his AQI score in Google Maps.
One of my favorite features on the iPhone, and now also available on Android devices with this release, is that Google Maps automatically updates weather information when you browse a map. This means weather data is automatically updated to show you data relevant to the location you’re exploring, so if you’re planning a trip to multiple destinations, you can see the current temperature for each. Google Maps can also extend its predictions to get additional information about your destination, helping you plan your route more accurately.
The feature doesn’t seem to be tied to a specific app version, but the report above indicates that Google Maps’ weather layer arrived in version 11.113.x. However, I installed the same version on my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the weather icon is not showing up. This suggests that Google is using a server-side rollout for this feature.
Although the company hasn’t officially announced new features for Google Maps, it’s about time to close the gap between the Android and iOS versions of its navigation app.
Meanwhile, Google Maps has also added other features such as Android Auto. The saved parking location feature, which has existed on Android devices for many years, is now available in Android Auto. This allows users to continue running Google Maps after they park their car and use the app to get step-by-step directions to their address. This feature is especially useful when your destination is different from where you parked, and Google Maps acts as an all-in-one navigation solution both in and out of the car.
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