Google Highlighting New Google Maps Features Coming Soon To iOS

Google maps users will be very happy to hear the following news… It looks like that Google is rolling a new upcoming major update for its Google Maps that was first showcased at Google I/O 2013 in May. The company has issued a promotional clip to detail some of the new features, now available to Android 4.0.3+ users as a free download on the Play store. Although the new build hasn’t hit the App Store yet, Google said it will be soon available for iOS 6+ devices.

According to a new announcement on Google’s official blog, Among the upcoming new features is enhanced navigation with real-time incident reports (courtesy of Waze) and alerts when a better route becomes available. Other improvements include a revamped appearance across platforms, enhancements to reviews, Zagat and Offers and a new Explore feature where you get cards showing places to eat, drink, sleep and shop just by tapping the search box.

Check out this promo video: 

Explore: Explore is a fast and easy way to visually browse and discover new places without even typing. Simply tap the search box and you’ll see cards showing great places to eat, drink, sleep and shop.

Enhanced navigation: In addition to current traffic conditions, we’ve added two new features to help you navigate around traffic. You can now see reports of problems on the road that you can tap to see incident details. While on the road, Google Maps will also alert you if a better route becomes available and reroute you to your destination faster. This feature is available only on Android and is coming soon to iOS.

“People who want to create powerful custom maps can still do so with Maps Engine Lite on desktop,” Google explains. Last but not the least, Google tweaked how offline maps for Android work: oddly, you must now type ‘OK Maps’ into the search box when viewing the area you want to access offline for later.

Reviews, Zagat and Offers: There’s a new 5.0 star rating system that gives you a quick read on how your friends and others rate places like restaurants, bars and cafes. For an expert’s opinion, the Zagat badge of excellence and curated lists are integrated into search results so you can quickly spot the very best places. From “Best Restaurants to meet for a drink in NYC” to “Best Restaurants in the Mission” in San Francisco, Zagat’s there to help you uncover the local gems.

The new Google Maps can be downloaded to Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean Android devices via Google’s Play store. It “will be available soon in the App Store”, Google promised. It’s a staggered release so expect to see it rolling out gradually over the next few weeks.