These days, Google Maps is a really useful tool for finding your way about and the finest places to dine, get coffee, or see sites. However, it might become challenging to locate the entry for certain larger structures and attractions. This is where a recent experiment that Google seems to be trying with a small number of people and buildings comes in; when an icon is picked, it shows where to enter and depart a location.
We have verified the experiment using a Google Pixel 7a and Google Maps version 11.17.0101. Only when a location is picked on the map and sufficiently zoomed in do entrances appear on our smartphone. They are shown as white, circular circles with an entrance mark inside of them. It seems that this is a fairly restricted test run at the moment since we were unable to get this information to appear on other smartphones running the most recent version of Google Maps across many nations and continents. Additionally, we’ve discovered that, in contrast to other phones, certain establishments or buildings flash red, which makes it simpler to identify them from the surrounding area.
We conducted experiments with many types of structures, including hotels, medical facilities, hardware shops, supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, and cities in Berlin, Germany, Las Vegas, and New York City. For some locations, the entrances were visible, but not for others, suggesting that Google could still be gathering the required data. In some locations, we were also able to verify that the doors aren’t shown correctly; however, the smaller the structure in issue, the less important the precise location appears to be.
Some entries are also shown with a more basic green arrow in a white circle, although we’re not sure which one Maps chooses to display at any given time.
Perhaps the idea came from Google Maps, which just recently included a comparable option for public transportation routing. Google Maps now indicates the precise location of rail and metro stations where you need to enter or depart in a few locations. This is especially useful for intricate stations that span several underground streets.
It seems that Google is still in the early phases of testing the new entry sign, so it may be some time before it becomes more generally available. But once it does, figuring out the most practical approach to enter a structure will be lot simpler.
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