Introduction
As India’s most popular navigation app, Google Maps has a lot of things right. But it also misses some key aspects that would make it even better. Let’s have a look at what Google Maps gets right and what can be improved upon.
Lane guidance
Lane guidance is a feature that tells you which lane to be on. It’s especially useful in India because of the high number of vehicles on the road and the fact that traffic jams are common. Lane guidance is available in Google Maps Navigation for US and European users, but not for Indian ones due to reasons beyond our control.
Wrong turn alerts
One of the most important things in Google Maps Navigation is a warning before you take a wrong turn. If you are about to take a wrong turn, Google Maps should alert you by vibrating and showing an arrow indicating that there is an upcoming turn. It should also tell you which direction to go and how far away it is from your current location. After all, it’s easy to make mistakes when following directions on your phone while driving!
There’s nothing more frustrating than taking a wrong turn and having no warning at all; so let’s all improve this feature together!
Map updates
- Google Maps should update its maps more frequently.
- Users should be able to download maps for offline use, which would allow them to avoid using up their data plan while driving through an area with poor network coverage.
Road closures/diversions
- Road closures/diversions
Google Maps is great at alerting you of traffic, but it can only do so if the roads are actually open. In India, unfortunately, this is not always the case. When you get a notification from Google Maps that says your route has been changed to avoid road construction or flagging trains, it would be nice if the app actually told you about these closures beforehand as well. Like many other navigation apps out there, Google should also send alerts after roads have reopened or when construction and flagging operations are over.
Traffic information
One of the most important aspects of routing is traffic information. Unfortunately, it’s not available for all cities in India. Traffic information is also not available for all roads, all times of day, or all days of the week.
Additionally, some areas are prone to heavy rainfall during certain months that can make getting from point A to B very difficult—and Google Maps doesn’t provide any details about this issue yet.
POIs on the map
- POIs should be shown on the map
- POIs should be shown in the correct location
- POIs should be shown on the correct side of the road
- POIs should be shown in the correct direction (if applicable)
- The size of each point of interest is proportional to its real-life size.
POIs and voice guidance when offline
POI search
POI search is a common feature in navigation apps but it has been missing from Google Maps for too long. It would be great if the app could allow users to search for locations like restaurants, malls, hotels and hospitals even when they are offline. This can also be helpful as GPS is not always reliable in India due to signal issues, especially in densely populated areas with narrow roads and tall buildings blocking signals.
Google Maps already has a database of places all over India; adding offline functionality will only increase its utility.
Navigation in rural areas of India
You might be surprised to see this section in a review of Google Maps Navigation. You’d be right to be surprised, because navigation in rural areas of India is not as good as it is in urban areas or other countries. It isn’t even close!
We have tested navigation apps from countries all around the world, from America to Canada and from Australia to New Zealand. They all have one thing in common: their navigation system works better than Google Maps Navigation in India.
Google Maps is the best navigation app in India. However, there’s a lot it can improve on.
Google Maps is the best navigation app in India. It’s a free, reliable and accurate navigation app that can do more for you than any other app out there.
However, Google Maps has some features that need improvement to be truly great.
Conclusion
Google Maps is the best navigation app in India. However, there’s a lot it can improve on. It’s not just Google Maps that needs to improve traffic information. The government should release real-time data on road closures and diversions so that all companies have access to this information and use it for their apps. This will help commuters as well as businesses who rely heavily on delivery vehicles for their operations.