Google Maps Adds Directions Widget, IMessage App and Timeline to IPhone App
iPhone: Google released an update to Google Maps today that adds several handy new features, including a new lock screen widget, the iMessage app, and the creepy Your Timeline feature that has been available elsewhere for a while.
You can now access step-by-step instructions on Google Maps as a widget. This makes it a little easier to scroll through each upcoming turn on your trip without blocking your device. The iMessage app allows you to easily share your location with a friend right from iMessage, just like you can already do it with Apple Maps. Live location sharing works the same here as it does on Android .
Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Google has finally brought Your Timeline feature from Android . Thanks to this, you can see your entire travel history in a convenient timeline. If you want, you can go back and edit any of these places to add more information. Click on the preferences panel, then on your timeline to view it. You can also subscribe to a monthly email that shows you where you have been, in case you somehow can’t remember what you did in the last 30 days.
Of course, if you don’t like the idea that Google is tracking your every move, even when you’re not using the app, you can turn it off. Go to Settings> Personal Content> Location History and turn the switch to Off. You can also temporarily turn off the Timeline feature by going to Timeline> Settings> Pause Location History. If you really want to be doubly sure about the information that Google Maps has access to, you can go to Settings> Privacy> Location Services> Google Maps and make sure it is set to When Using applications ”rather than“ Always ”.
Google Maps (Free) | ITunes App Store