Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android Auto customers within the US can now report accidents, site visitors, and different highway hazards straight by way of their automobile screens.
- This extremely requested characteristic was beforehand solely accessible by way of the Google Maps cell app.
After years of requests, Google Maps on Android Auto has lastly added a much-anticipated characteristic: the power to report highway incidents like accidents, site visitors jams, and velocity traps in actual time. Till now, Android Auto customers within the US had been left with out this operate regardless of it being accessible on Waze (additionally owned by Google). Though you possibly can report incidents on the Google Maps cellphone app, doing that whereas driving was clearly unsafe, which meant most drivers didn’t hassle.
Incident reporting was first launched in Google Maps for cell gadgets just a few years in the past, but it surely remained unique to telephones. Oddly, whereas Google Maps on Apple CarPlay obtained this characteristic earlier this 12 months, Android Auto customers had been unnoticed. This modified briefly in July when Google rolled out the characteristic to Android Auto as properly — however solely in India.
In current days, stories from customers, together with a Reddit thread, confirmed that incident reporting is now dwell on Android Auto’s Google Maps app within the US. 9to5Google has additionally reported that the characteristic is certainly rolling out extra extensively.
There ought to now be a brand new triangle-shaped hazard button that sits proper under the compass in Google Maps in your automobile’s show. Tapping it would allow you to report varied points, reminiscent of site visitors jams, lane closures, crashes, and even velocity traps. You can too obtain prompts alongside your route, asking you to substantiate if these reported points are nonetheless there.
Nevertheless, there’s a catch. This new button won’t present up in case your Android Auto structure doesn’t give Google Maps sufficient display screen area. 9to5Google famous that the hazard button was seen with a 105 DPI show utilizing AAWireless however disappeared when the DPI was bumped as much as 110, suggesting that structure settings or display screen measurement would possibly have an effect on its availability.
However, for Android Auto customers who’ve been ready for this characteristic, it’s a giant step ahead. So, verify your automobile’s display screen to see in case you can see the brand new button, and tell us within the feedback under.