Neowin News Feed for: Navigation

Microsoft has made a "crucial" accessibility improvement to Word for Windows

Usama Jawad — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:10:01 +0000

Microsoft has made an accessibility update described as "crucial for improving the Word experience" for a select set of users. Read more...

Google's Waze gets The Wizard of Oz driving experience

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:16:01 +0000

Google has introduced a new driving experience for its other navigation app Waze. It's available for users globally. Read more...

Google is killing another Google Maps feature later this year

David Uzondu — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 02:42:02 +0000

Another Google Maps feature is being phased out this year, years after it first rolled out on Android and iOS. Read more...

Google Maps now powers Rivian's new navigation system for its EVs

Aditya Tiwari — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:06:01 +0000

Google and Rivian have teamed up to launch a new navigation experience for Rivian's electric vehicles. Read more...

Google Maps expands cycling routes and alerts for low-emission zones in Europe

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:30:01 +0000

Google announced some new updates for Maps in Europe, including improved cycling routes and alerts for low-emission zones. Read more...

Google Maps gets Gemini-powered search and expansion to Immersive View

Aditya Tiwari — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:40:01 +0000

Google has announced some new features for Google Maps, including updates to the Immersive View and navigation interface and the addition of Gemini features that let you search in natural language. Read more...

Google Maps reportedly testing pop-ups that want you to visit sponsored locations

Aditya Tiwari — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 18:32:01 +0000

Google may have found a new place to show ads on Google Maps. The search giant was found to be testing a new ad format that asks users whether they want a quick detour to a sponsored location nearby. Read more...

Google's Waze adds a new Minion-themed driving experience

Aditya Tiwari — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 01:30:01 +0000

You can try out the new Minion-themed special driving experience in Google's Waze navigation app. It's available to users across the globe with support for voice directions in multiple languages. Read more...

Google Maps beta hints an old feature might get purged

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:06:01 +0000

A Google Maps feature that lets you follow businesses may not have much time left. An APK teardown of Google Maps beta suggests the feature will be removed from the navigation app, starting next year. Read more...

Google's Waze onboards Dashie to voice your daily commute

Aditya Tiwari — Fri, 17 May 2024 20:38:01 +0000

Google-owned Waze has added a new special experience to its navigation app. It features YouTube's popular gaming commenter Dashie, who gives voice directions in the app in a humorous tone. Read more...

Google Maps gets trending lists, customization options, and AI summaries for places

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:24:01 +0000

Announcing new features for Maps, Google said it will show curated lists from publishers and community when looking for select cities. It will also add new customization options for the lists. Read more...

Waze adds new Ghostbusters navigation experience to its app

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:12:01 +0000

Waze has added a new special driving experience featuring the Ghostbusters. The feature is available globally and includes the guest navigation voice of the paranormal expert Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd). Read more...

Google's Waze makes it easier to navigate roundabouts, warns in advance about speed limits

Aditya Tiwari — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 18:32:01 +0000

Google-owned Waze has announced some new features, including better navigation when going through roundabouts. The app will also provide detailed information about 30,000 parking garages. Read more...

Waze brings two new driving experiences for the holiday season

Aditya Tiwari — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:18:01 +0000

Waze has added two new special driving experiences to its navigation app for the holidays. One of them is Spicy Gingerbread Man which comprises a custom Slay Ride car icon and Snappy Mood. Read more...

Google Maps is getting collaborative lists, better transit navigation, emoji reactions

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:34:01 +0000

Google is bringing some new features to Google Maps. Users will be able to react to media and reviews using emojis, get better transit navigation, and create lists that multiple users can edit. Read more...

Waze gets crash history alerts for accident-prone roads

Aditya Tiwari — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:28:01 +0000

Waze is launching a new security feature for its users called crash history alerts. The community-driven navigation app will warn users when they're about to enter an accident-prone stretch of road. Read more...

Apple is finally bringing offline navigation to iPhone after a decade

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 19:42:02 +0000

Apple Maps is now getting one step closer to Google Maps. Apple said it's bringing offline navigation to Maps later this year, allowing people to use turn-by-turn navigation without the internet. Read more...

Waze adds tennis star Roger Federer's voice to its navigation app

Aditya Tiwari — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 07:32:01 +0000

Waze said it has teamed up with the former tennis legend Roger Federer. His voice is now used to power the app's navigation feature while driving. The feature is available on Android and iOS globally. Read more...

Citymapper acquired by transit tech company Via

Paul Hill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:16:02 +0000

The popular navigation app, Citymapper, has been acquired by NYC-based Via for an undisclosed sum. Citymapper said all of its employees will be retained to continue working on their improvements. Read more...

See landmarks in 3D as Apple launches a revamped Maps in Finland, Sweden, and Norway

Anushe Fawaz — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:16:01 +0000

Apple has introduced a revamped version of Apple Maps in Finland, Norway, and Sweden that offers better navigation with natural language guidance and displays landmarks in 3D to help plan trips. Read more...

Google Maps AR feature Live View is going live next week in London, New York and more cities

Hemant Saxena — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 11:34:01 +0000

Trying to explore new places with friends or traveling to see family? Don't worry, Google Maps' new AR feature - Live View, will help you navigate this busy season with a little less stress. See how! Read more...

YouTube rolling out separate tabs for Shorts, live streams, and long-form videos

Hemant Saxena — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:24:01 +0000

To remove hassles related to switching to a different category from the Videos tab on YouTube, the video-sharing service is rolling out separate tabs for Shorts, live streams, and long-form videos. Read more...

Apple's rich detailed 3D maps feature is now rolling out to Chicago and Las Vegas

Karthik Mudaliar — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 10:26:01 +0000

Apple's fancy highly-detailed 3D maps are now rolling out to Chicago and Las Vegas in the US. The view was launched back in 2021 for only a few cities with support for more cities coming soon. Read more...

Google Maps update adds 3D immersive view to coordinate travel plans

Anushe Fawaz — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:20:01 +0000

Google Maps has introduced three features for travel buffs including a 3D immersive view of buildings, routing info for cyclists, and a coordination tool for time-friendly gatherings and meetings. Read more...

Chrome 96 is rolling out with faster page navigation cache and PNG metadata in Clipboard

Usama Jawad — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:14:46 +0000

Chrome 96 is rolling out today with some performance improvements in page navigation and retention of PNG metadata in clipboard. It also faces some pushback from the Safari WebKit team. Read more...

Developers can now openly test car apps on Play Store

Paul Hill — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 21:52:01 +0000

Google has announced that Android Auto app developers can now launch their apps to a wider audience by selecting an open testing track in the Play Console. It'll soon open these apps for everyone. Read more...

Waze now streamlines your trip planning experience across the desktop and mobile

Jay Bonggolto — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 19:30:01 +0000

Waze has released a new update that allows you to bring your planned trips on desktop to your mobile device in a single tap, plus more new features that improve your trip planning experience. Read more...

Sony's new receiver LSIs for wearables support both L1 and L5 bands while consuming only 9 mW

Ather Fawaz — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 07:42:01 +0000

Set for release in September 2020, Sony's upcoming LSIs support both L1 and L5 bands, and are set to boast the industry's lowest power consumption for dual-band positioning operation at only 9 mW. Read more...

Google Maps will show docked bikeshare information in directions

Jay Bonggolto — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 17:38:01 +0000

Google Maps is rolling out a new feature that will show you a detailed route to the closest bikesharing location when you search for biking directions. It will be available in 10 cities at first. Read more...

Google Maps tests showing traffic lights on Android

Rajesh Pandey — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 05:34:01 +0000

Google is preparing to add traffic lights support in Google Maps. The addition will come a year after Apple had introduced the feature in Apple Maps in iOS 13. The feature still looks like WIP though. Read more...

Google Maps adds more detailed voice guidance for visually impaired users

Jay Bonggolto — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 19:46:02 +0000

Google is rolling out a new feature for Maps that provides people with visual impairments a more detailed voice guidance and new types of verbal announcements to enhance their walking experience. Read more...

Google Maps' AR-powered Live View feature is now available

Hamza Jawad — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 11:42:01 +0000

Google has expanded the beta program for its new augmented reality walking directions feature for Maps. It will be available for all Android and iOS devices with ARCore and ARKit starting this week. Read more...

Google launches crowdedness predictor and bus delay information on Google Maps

Paul Hill — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 04:30:01 +0000

Google has rolled out two new features to Google Maps which it hopes will make your journeys run according to schedule, and be more comfortable. The two features have already started rolling out. Read more...

Waze for Android receives Google Assistant support in the U.S.

Jay Bonggolto — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 14:50:01 +0000

Google has launched support for Assistant on Waze for Android devices to let users get traffic reports, for example, using their voice. The feature is available in the U.S. only for now. Read more...

Apple Maps announces plans to start surveying Canada for image and data collection

Namerah Saud Fatmi — Mon, 27 May 2019 17:06:01 +0000

Earlier today, Apple released a statement online and in Canadian newspapers disclosing plans to improve its navigational application, Apple Maps. Apple will start mapping Canada by road this month. Read more...

Google Maps now shows available EV charging ports in real time in the US and UK

Jay Bonggolto — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 13:36:01 +0000

Starting today, Google Maps will provide real-time information about the availability of charging stations for electric vehicles in the U.S. and UK six months after announcing the feature. Read more...

Google Maps' AR-powered navigation for pedestrians now available to more Local Guides

Jay Bonggolto — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 08:58:01 +0000

After having been spotted live in action earlier last month, Google Maps' augmented reality walking navigation is now rolling out to Local Guides in the Level 5 status and up for testing. Read more...

Apple is building Apple Maps from scratch to improve accuracy and performance

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 18:52:01 +0000

Apple's foray into the navigation and mapping scene was met with disaster and its first-party offering is, to this day, seen as inferior to the competition. Apple is looking to change that. Read more...

Indian government denies permission for Google's Street View service in the country

Sharath Ravishankar — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 22:02:01 +0000

Google has been denied permission to expand its Street View service in India by the government, which, in the past, has cited security concerns that come with making its topographical data public. Read more...

Ford SYNC to gain Waze integration in latest update

Boyd Chan — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 09:24:01 +0000

Popular community-based navigation app, Waze, will feature AppLink integration with SYNC 3 equipped 2018 model year vehicles from Ford and will be enabled via an update for other compatible cars. Read more...