XDA Developers discovered on Monday, June 3, that in India, Google is testing a new feature in Google Maps that would “send an alert to your phone every time you get sidetracked from the intended course by 500 meters.”
Image: narvikk/Istock.com via AFP Relaxnews
This means that when you stray from a route, the path will not be recalculated; it also means that you would know when your taxi, Uber, or Lyft driver is taking you anywhere besides directly to your destination.
Just last week, S.O.S. alerts started rolling out to Google Maps, too, offering users information about where a natural disaster is and its potential movement. Later this summer, Google Maps will also send you an alert if your route could be affected by a crisis and will likewise reroute the path to avoid any dangers.
Adding alerts for route deviations is just another way Google is working to keep users safe. As of today, however, the feature is only available in India. There is no word whether it will roll out globally or not. RGA/JB
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