Google made lots of widgets for their stock apps with Android 12 such as Gmail, Clock, Keep Notes app and now a new widget will be released for the Google Maps app. Luke Wroblewski made a blog post on the Android blog page of Google’s own website and informed about the new widgets.
New map widget on Google Maps will show nearby traffic status in real time
It’s unknown if the widget is resizable or not but as we have seen from the screenshots it’s a square widget in the all screenshots given on the blog page. This widget will show where you are with a blue dot and roads will be colorized with various colors such as green, yellow and red.
Current Maps widget
The current Google Maps widget don’t include a map on the widget and all the buttons on the widget redirecting to the Google Maps app. It has a search box and all the other buttons are there to open the Maps app. With the new widget it’s getting more interactive and you won’t even need to open the app itself.
What have changed in the Google Maps app?
With this widget you don’t have to open the app itself to see nearby traffic. The widget will be ready to track your location and update it constantly and inform about the traffic with various colors indicating it’s heavy or not.
In the past you had to open the Maps app to see the traffic.
Currently Google Maps show the traffic status in the app. With this new widget it will be on the homescreen and you’re ready to go.
The new map widget will allow you to zoom the map without opening the actual Google Maps app. It’s uncertain when this update will be released but as Luke Wroblewski stated new map widget might arrive in a couple weeks for the Android version of Google Maps app. Do you use Google Maps on your phone? Get the Google Maps app here.
