New Augmented Reality Walking Routes From Google Maps Are Pretty Cool
I didn’t expect Google to pop out of the gate soon after the company teased its augmented reality ambitions for Google Maps at yesterday ‘s I / O 2019 , but let’s go. Starting today, an unknown number of Android fans get access to an early preview of Google’s new “augmented reality navigation experience,” as the company calls it.
As far as I can tell, you don’t need to update Google Maps on your Android device to try out the new feature. You do need a Pixel, however (and I’m not sure how old you might be, although I’ve managed to use both the Pixel 3 XL and the recently released Pixel 3a XL).
To see if you are selected for the Google preview, load Maps as usual, enter the address and click the blue Directions icon. Tap the appropriate icon to indicate that you plan to walk to your destination, then look at the bottom of your device. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a new “Start AR” icon to the right of the big blue “Start” icon:
If this is your first time pressing this button, you will need to go through a few tips that explain what this new augmented reality feature is and how to use it. Here’s the short version: Hold your phone while you walk (when you stop) and move it. As long as you have a connection, Google Maps will be able to determine where you are. You can then see the walking routes superimposed on the real view of your camera.
The “while you stopped” part is important because the Google AR feature for Maps gets fiddly if your device detects you are walking when you try to use it:
However, you can get away with walking in AR mode a bit. When activated, you will sometimes see a virtual sign telling you how far you are from the next turn, for example:
As you get closer, you can also see a giant blue arrow in the sky, telling you how important it is not to miss this turn .
The cool thing about AR mode for Maps is that pulling it out is as easy as moving your smartphone to an upright position. To return to the classic Maps view, which you will be using for most of the walk, you just need to return your smartphone to a horizontal position.
The downside to all this is that you have to go through the same “scan your surroundings” part every time you want to use AR mode again. And you must have an active connection, otherwise AR mode won’t work. Scanning usually takes only a few seconds, if not less, but it can be a little annoying if you make repeated transitions between the two modes.