Google adds 3D Touch, mid-trip detours to Maps for iOS

Google on Monday released an important update to the iOS edition of Maps, bringing 3D Touch to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and mid-route detours to both iPhones and iPads.

The new 3D Touch commands are limited to quick actions from the iOS homescreen. Pressing and holding on the app's icon will bring up options to navigate home or to work, as long as those addresses are already configured within the app.

Detour options can be invoked by tapping a magnifying glass icon while navigating. This offers up a set of four pre-defined search categories — gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and coffee shops — plus a custom search option. Results along a user's current route are highlighted on the map, and can added to a route without canceling the current one.

Each result includes ratings or gas prices, where applicable, along with the estimated delay selecting one will create.

Detours were originally added to the Android version of Maps in October, and it's not clear why today's iOS update took so long to roll out. Google does, however, frequently keep its best features exclusive to its own platforms for a period.

Google Maps is a free download, and runs on any device with iOS 7 or later.

13 Comments

king editor the grate 662 comments · 15 Years

About 8 years ago

Hey! Work and home! Just the two places I'm always having trouble finding!

nolamacguy 4750 comments · 10 Years

king editor the grate said:

Hey! Work and home! Just the two places I'm always having trouble finding!

on the contrary, their frequency is why it makes sense to have short cuts for them. Maps does to, and i use them often. i may be in some random place and want the best route back home.

nolamacguy said:

king editor the grate said:

Hey! Work and home! Just the two places I'm always having trouble finding!

on the contrary, their frequency is why it makes sense to have short cuts for them. Maps does to, and i use them often. i may be in some random place and want the best route back home.

Ah. Makes sense. I live less than a mile from work and any road gets me there.

boopthesnoot 73 comments · 8 Years

king editor the grate said:

Hey! Work and home! Just the two places I'm always having trouble finding!

Those are the two places I travel to most often and Google Maps accounts for current traffic conditions as well as alternate route suggestions based on that traffic data. It can be a real lifesaver in major metropolitan areas.