Google Maps new feature will make your commute easier than before

Google Maps has recently got a lot updates in the last couple of months and today the app has got a new feature that will "help you take control of your daily commute — enabling you to plan ahead, prepare for the inevitable disruptions, and possibly avoid them altogether."

Starting this week, Google Maps will now feature a Commute tab that provides one-tap access to live traffic and transit information as per your commute. According to Google, Maps will now take into account heavy traffic and suggest if you need to budget extra time. In that case, it will also recommend alternative routes and additionally for Android users, it will send notifications about delays on your route as they happen, so you can know about an incident before you get caught up in the delay.

Google Maps to offer support for mixed-mode commutes
Not only that, Google Maps will now be able to show estimated time for travel including multiple transportation modes, if that's what you do such as driving and public transit. Also, Google Maps will now be able to see "exactly where their bus or train is in real time on the map" in 80 regions worldwide. It is unclear whether it will be rolled out in India as of now but Google has said that this feature will be coming to more cities around the globe soon.

Music streaming app support in Google Maps
Lastly, Google Maps will now also incorporate music streaming apps including Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music within the Maps app, letting users avoid toggling between apps.

Just last week, Google Maps rolled out a group planning feature for its Maps app, using which users will be able to easily share the links of the restaurants they wish to suggest to their friends. This shared link will show the locations of all the restaurants you have selected and once all your friends have the shortlisted restaurants, they can then vote for them in the form of likes and dislikes to express their preference. Each member of the group also has the option to add and delete places, as per their choice. The shared link redirects all the group members to the Google Maps app, however, if a group member doesn't have the app they can also view it on the web.

Google Maps is streamlining your commute. 
Several new features arrived in the app today that will make it easier to multitask while you're commuting. The updates are all about keeping you in the Google Maps mobile app while getting to work in your car, on the train, bus, or even on foot. Here's a quick rundown of the updates:

Musical Maps
Instead of toggling between Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music to listen to your favorite playlist while you slog through traffic or hang to a strap on a crowded bus, the Google Maps app now integrates with all of those music players.
So your Spotify playlist to pump you up for the workday will now show up on the bottom of the map you've pulled up to get to work.

Live commuting
That music integration is all well and good, but many people might think they don't use the Google Maps app to get to work — you know where you're going; you go there five times a week. But a new commute tab shows live traffic updates.

So if your usual route is backed up, Google Maps can now tell you how much longer it'll take to get to your desk. Or the app can tell you an alternate route to take that might seem counterintuitive but avoids the slow-down.

On Android phones, you can receive notifications about delays as they happen.

Mix it up
You might drive to the train station and then walk to the office so your commute is even more likely to get bogged down by something. Never fear, that's where the mixed-commute info comes in, with each leg of your journey mapped out with delays and possibly shortcuts.
Your route will even let you know when your train is supposed to arrive so your ETA will be more accurate.

Real-time rides
The least favorite part about taking public transit is the guessing game: Will my train be leaving the station just as I walk down the stairs? Will it arrive at 8:25 a.m. like it's supposed to or be 10 minutes late?

So Google Maps is now working with transit systems in 80 cities worldwide (including Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; New York; San Francisco; Orange County; Atlanta; Boise, Sanford, Florida; Indianapolis; Boston; St. Louis; Nashville; Austin; San Antonio; Fresno, California; Lansing, Michigan; and Seattle in the U.S. and Toronto; Moscow; Sydney; Vancouver; São Paulo; Amsterdam; Rotterdam; The Hague; Jakarta; Rio De Janeiro; St Petersburg; and Taipei internationally) to show you where your bus or train is in real time. All on the map.
In Sydney the map will show how crowded the bus or train on Transport New South Wales is in real time, so you will know whether you'll be taking a seat or preparing for a squished ride. The crowd feature is expected to come to more cities soon.

So while Google Maps can't make the bus appear or that traffic jam disappear (yet), at least now you'll know what's going on.