Google Maps to get augmented reality, 'VPS' & other improvements

Google on Tuesday teased upcoming changes to Google Maps, among them augmented reality support and a concept called "VPS," short for "visual positioning system."

With AR on, a future version of the Maps app will merge its traditional interface with a live camera view. When doing navigation, superimposed arrows will appear at each turn, making it harder to misinterpret directions. The company is even experimenting with inserting animated characters such as a fox, which would remove any doubt and make the app more entertaining.

AR technology may also make its way into the rest of the app, for example popping up an information card when looking at a storefront.

VPS is a related feature, combining the live camera view with Google's data trove to get a better sense of position than possible with just GPS. The technology could be especially useful in dense urban areas where GPS is often blocked by skyscrapers.

A less radical additional in the works is a "For You" tab that will show nearby points of interest, with a "Your Match" feature attempting to custom-tailor recommendations. One intended use of this is sharing lists with friends instead of having to rattle off names from memory.

Google VP Aparna Chennapragada didn't say when these features might come to Maps, or if they'll be available on iOS as well as Android.

Apple has expressed its own deep interest in AR, engineering newer iPhone camers with it in mind, and providing ARKit to developers wanting to build apps. The company is rumored to be working on a standalone headset with features like 8K eyepieces and its own operating system, currently dubbed "rOS."

21 Comments

wood1208 2932 comments · 10 Years

About 6 years ago

What I care for any GPS map app or gadget is when I look for say pizza places while driving than it should bring up map with my moving location and all pizza places with name and dotted direction to these places with distance.So, I know where and which, select one and follow the direction. Remove other unnecessary things from the map

CantRememberUsername 37 comments · 8 Years

AR is the new 3DTV.
All fluff and no real use aside from some niche tools.

Take a look at that first image above and consider how you would have to hold your phone while walking or driving to make the AR pictured work.
Absolutely NO ONE will ever hold their phones that way.

Francules 122 comments · 6 Years

A peaceful coexistance.

ihatescreennames 1971 comments · 19 Years

CantRememberUsername said:

AR is the new 3DTV.
All fluff and no real use aside from some niche tools.

Take a look at that first image above and consider how you would have to hold your phone while walking or driving to make the AR pictured work.
Absolutely NO ONE will ever hold their phones that way.

It’s interesting that you mention that. When Apple Watch first came out my wife and I brought them on a trip to San Francisco, a city we were both unfamiliar with. We used Maps for directions a few times and it was very handy to just glance at the watch when it was telling us to turn or how far we had to go. While out in public we wanted to keep a relatively low profile so looking at the phone and obviously getting directions from it would have screamed tourist and could have made us a target.

While we were there we stopped in at an Apple Store and the Specialist we worked with mentioned to try not having our phones out while on the sidewalk as it wasn’t uncommon for a theif to run by and grab someone’s phone and just keep running. I don’t know how true that was but it seemed possible and all the more reason to use our watches for directions rather than our phones.

Maybe we’re just too paranoid but I agree, I probably wouldn’t be using that feature very often while walking. Perhaps it would be handy mounted to the dashboard in my car but it would have to be high enough for the camera to display a view unobstructed by the interior to really be useful.

Roger_Fingas 148 comments · 8 Years

CantRememberUsername said:

AR is the new 3DTV.
All fluff and no real use aside from some niche tools.

Take a look at that first image above and consider how you would have to hold your phone while walking or driving to make the AR pictured work.
Absolutely NO ONE will ever hold their phones that way.

Arguably, this is companies like Google (and Apple) laying the groundwork for future headsets.