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Google’s new addition to Google Maps designed to keep you safe
Rebecca Appleton • 14 August 2018
For most young people today, travelling alone is often par for the course on a night out or in a new city. With more and more people using location services on their phones, like Google Maps, to guide their way around cities, it’s easy to rely on the device as their only means of getting from A to B, especially in a city that isn’t unfamiliar.
However, people can often be at their most vulnerable when they’re exploring a city alone, and this reliance upon technology can backfire if and when the device runs out of battery. With so much importance being placed on phones and mobile technology to save people from getting lost or being vulnerable, Google has rolled out a new feature for its Google Maps application – a move which could inspire you to add additional functionality to the apps your design after taking up an app development business opportunity and set yourself apart from the competition.
What is Google’s new feature?
First discovered by Android Police, Google Maps will now allow users to send their phone’s battery level when sharing a location with a friend. Sharing the location means that the recipient can see how their contact is progressing on their journey and go and meet the friend or family member if need be.
The ability to share location and remaining battery with a friend or loved one raises an interesting question about how developer can think outside of the pure functional aspect of their app and incorporate additional safety features to aid with usability. IN Google Map’s case, the new ability to share battery and location isn’t perhaps strong enough to encourage an initial download but it could function as a means of making the app more valuable, therefore helping to retain users.
How will this new feature help keep people safe?
Being able to automatically share battery life with a third person can be reassuring for all parties. It means that whoever receives that location can see whether the battery is fully stocked, or whether the phone is about to die.
As a parent or guardian, or even a concerned friend or partner, if you see your loved one’s battery is about to run out long before they reach their destination, you could arrange to pick them up or order them a taxi should they need it. It might also bring you peace of mind knowing that, if they don’t text you immediately as soon as they reach their destination, it’s most likely just because their phone has run out of battery, and not for a more sinister reason.
Why is this move significant?
More research into what can be done to ensure a users’ safety by professional app developers is an important step forward. This move might encourage more industry leaders to think about how they could improve the safety of their users and give people more variety in terms of how they can look after each other.
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