Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android Auto customers within the US can now report accidents, visitors, and different street hazards straight by way of their automobile screens.
- This extremely requested function was beforehand solely out there by way of the Google Maps cellular app.
After years of requests, Google Maps on Android Auto has lastly added a much-anticipated function: the flexibility to report street incidents like accidents, visitors jams, and velocity traps in actual time. Till now, Android Auto customers within the US had been left with out this perform regardless of it being out there on Waze (additionally owned by Google). Although you might report incidents on the Google Maps cellphone app, doing that whereas driving was clearly unsafe, which meant most drivers didn’t trouble.
Incident reporting was first launched in Google Maps for cellular units a couple of years in the past, but it surely remained unique to telephones. Oddly, whereas Google Maps on Apple CarPlay obtained this function earlier this yr, Android Auto customers had been ignored. This modified briefly in July when Google rolled out the function to Android Auto as properly — however solely in India.
In current days, experiences from customers, together with a Reddit thread, confirmed that incident reporting is now reside on Android Auto’s Google Maps app within the US. 9to5Google has additionally reported that the function is certainly rolling out extra extensively.
There ought to now be a brand new triangle-shaped hazard button that sits proper under the compass in Google Maps in your automobile’s show. Tapping it would allow you to report numerous points, equivalent to visitors jams, lane closures, crashes, and even velocity traps. You can too obtain prompts alongside your route, asking you to verify if these reported points are nonetheless there.
Nonetheless, there’s a catch. This new button may not present up in case your Android Auto structure doesn’t give Google Maps sufficient display house. 9to5Google famous that the hazard button was seen with a 105 DPI show utilizing AAWireless however disappeared when the DPI was bumped as much as 110, suggesting that structure settings or display dimension may have an effect on its availability.
Nonetheless, for Android Auto customers who’ve been ready for this function, it’s a giant step ahead. So, verify your automobile’s display to see when you can see the brand new button, and tell us within the feedback under.