Google Maps Adds a New 3D Driving Navigation Mode (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Google Maps is announcing one of the biggest updates in the past decade to the driving navigation experience. The team is gonna show us firsthand what's new and I'll also show you how you could turn it on. Let's dive in. Hey, Giles, thanks so much for taking us along on this trip to show us what's new in Google Maps.

[00:00:16] Speaker 2: It's gonna be a good drive.

[00:00:17] Speaker 1: Seattle has some pretty confusing roads, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this can help us navigate these streets. We were able to check the box of every challenging maneuver type as we weave through the city. Even though navigation apps are good today, there's still a big problem when you actually get to intersections. When I get to the intersection, what I see out the window sometimes doesn't match exactly what I feel like I'm seeing on the phone.

[00:00:40] Speaker 2: How do you deliver a view that is very relatable, but not in any way overwhelming? It needs to simplify, it needs to reduce information.

[00:00:48] Speaker 1: Google's solution is a completely new 3D driving experience designed to match what you actually see on the road.

[00:00:55] Speaker 2: And now being able to really differentiate this intersection that I'm approaching is not one where I would need to be concerned with making a right or a left because I'm really just going underneath an overpass.

[00:01:08] Speaker 1: This is one of the biggest improvements. Instead of looking at a flat map with overlapping roads, the map now shows you the actual layers of the road system.

[00:01:17] Speaker 3: Fremont Brewing's Urban Beer Garden. Turn left onto Woodland Park Avenue North.

[00:01:21] Speaker 1: So in that case, you're using the landmarks in the environment to know when to turn. We pick that which is most visible to like reference. Instead of saying something vague like turn left soon, maps can reference things you actually see like businesses or landmarks.

[00:01:37] Speaker 2: So on the right here, you're gonna see a bunch of steep terrain. And this 3D experience is now giving you that sense of orientation confidence relative to the terrain.

[00:01:47] Speaker 1: Terrain and elevation are also now part of the navigation experience. This helps orient you faster in places with hills or complex layouts.

[00:01:55] Speaker 2: And most importantly, we've pulled the tunnel road network in. So now that is what is really highlighted.

[00:02:01] Speaker 1: No, it feels like the tunnel is kind of the first class citizen in the experience. Instead of slicing through buildings like older maps, the system highlights the actual road network inside the tunnel.

[00:02:11] Speaker 2: And this one's notorious because even folks that are very familiar with the area frequently get this exit wrong.

[00:02:17] Speaker 1: The most frustrating thing in the world is when you take the wrong lane and all of a sudden you see the estimated time go up by 10 minutes. Google says this new view is helping drivers make fewer mistakes and complete trips faster.

[00:02:29] Speaker 2: We're seeing that we miss fewer turns and satisfaction is going up at the end of the journey. So it's a win, win, win. We put more effort these days into removing information than surfacing information.

[00:02:40] Speaker 1: Instead of showing everything at once, the map now focuses on the information you need at that moment.

[00:02:46] Speaker 2: Gemini. So it definitely does help us make sense of our imagery, place data, data sets, and make sure that we're identifying the right signals to help drivers in the moment.

[00:03:00] Speaker 1: AI helps analyze satellite imagery, street view, and road data to build these more detailed maps. The good news is you can actually try this today. Open Google Maps and in the top right-hand corner, tap on your profile picture. Then go to settings, then navigation settings, and switch to the 3D driving experience.

[00:03:21] Speaker 2: If you are on an iPhone 13 Pro or newer and you're in eligible metro areas, you'll be able to go in and turn this on and get access to it.

[00:03:31] Speaker 1: After driving around Seattle today, the biggest difference is how closely the map now matches what you actually see on the road. Thanks for watching. I'll see you in the next video.