Google Maps now on Apple Watch

At Google’s press event yesterday, the company announced Google Maps’ support to the Apple, Inc.’s Watch. Google subtly rolled out the Apple Watch version of its mapping application while making an update to the Google Maps iOS app on the iTunes App Store.

With the Google Maps now on Apple’s smartwatch, users can get turn-by-turn directions to reach a destination. The app supports all modes of transportation that the user will opt to take. It offers driving, walking, biking, and transit directions. However, the app is limited to offering directions.

The Google Maps 4.11.0 does not show an actual, full-color map unlike the Apple Maps. However, it has the ability to let users call businesses or get directions right from its “list of places,” The Verge reports.

Engadget notes that a force press on the smartwatch’s screen will let the user swap between walking, driving and transit routes. In addition, an expected time of the user’s arrival to a chosen destination is shown. Meanwhile, Apple Maps notifies the user through vibration to signal the user for a right or left turn on the next intersection.

Google Maps for iOS is the second app that the giant tech firm has designed for Apple, Inc. The first was “Google News & Weather,” which TechCrunch says to be Google’s run of the mill experiment with the Apple Watch. Nevertheless, users have the option to customise the news app by choosing which sections they want to appear on their feed. The users may also access local news and the weather in their area.

Previously, Google Maps was the default mapping application in the iOS before Apple, Inc. replaced it with its own version in 2012. The change caused Google’s software to disappear from the App Store for three months while the company worked on a new version. The new version of Google Maps earned more than 10 million downloads two days after release on the iOS smartphones.