Enabling Bluetooth beacons in Google Maps for Android now lets you get better location tracking when you’re underground.
Highlight
- Google Maps will use Bluetooth beacons to make tunnel tracking better.
- Inside supported tunnels, Bluetooth signals let you see real-time traffic data.
- Tunnel navigation is made easier by Waze’s agreements with beacons in places around the world.
Finding your route through a tunnel while following GPS directions might be annoying. It’s because GPS can remember that you are on a road going through a tunnel and keep giving you the directions it was giving you before you entered the tunnel. Other times, GPS will go completely insane and remind you to continue on the route. At the same time, it shows your car driving through a river, a trainyard, or a series of residential homes.
Google Maps navigates tunnels with Bluetooth Beacons
However, an improvement to the way Google Maps displays directions within tunnels is on the way. The Android version of the app now has a new capability that allows it to use Bluetooth beacons to monitor your whereabouts in locations where GPS signals generally are unable to reach. Technology experts spotted this feature.
According to Waze, which is owned by Google and already supports the feature, these beacons transmit Bluetooth signals to your phone that convey it where you are. Based on this information and the user’s mobile data plan, the app can “provide real-time traffic data as it would with a typical GPS connection.”
The only limitation is that the feature will only function properly if the tunnel you are passing through has been installed with Bluetooth beacons. New York, Chicago, Boston, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, and many more cities and towns around the world now have Waze networks available. Google owns both Waze and Google Maps, so it’s unclear if they would use the same beacons.
How To Use Google Maps With Bluetooth Beacons
Step 1: Open Google Maps Application
On the Google Maps app, tap on the profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Step 2: Go to “Settings.”
Go to “Settings” from the menu.
Step 3: Access Navigation Settings
Tap on “Settings” and then “Navigation Settings.”
Step 4: Scroll to Bottom
Scroll to the bottom of Navigation Settings.
Step 5: Enable Bluetooth Beacons
Find the “Bluetooth tunnel beacons” option and turn it on.
Step 6: Grant Permission
Select “Allow” to allow Google Maps to enable this.
Conclusion
At the same time, Google said it would be getting rid of some features in Google Assistant that weren’t being used much “to focus on delivering the best possible user experience.” According to the company’s list, 17 functions would be removed from Google. As of January 26, the company said that users could get a message telling them that a certain feature would be pulled out after a specific date if they asked for it.