Google Maps might predict more than just the traffic for you soon

What you need to know

• Google Maps could get more user-friendly in the coming months, giving you more information just at a glance.
• Complications like parking availability, fuel efficiency, and ETA will all be displayed in the first window of the app after users enter their destination.
• This feature is being tested on a small scale and will likely show up in the upcoming app updates.

Google Maps has been getting all kinds of fun abilities in the recent past— be it the ability to report weather-related disruptions or Live Updates of your trip via Android 16 Beta 2, Google is trying to make Maps more informative and user-friendly.

However, it falls short of providing all the information that the user needs at one glance. As of now, Google Maps on Android shows only three complications: traffic, distance to the destination, and time taken to travel. However, Android Police tipster Moshe spotted that Google Maps will soon be able to show you additional information on whether or not you'd have parking spots at the destination— indicated by the "P" icon, a fuel-efficient route, and also the exact time users would reach their destination.

All these details will show up within the first Google Map Overviews window, giving the users a better sense of what the situation at their destination looks like, and helping them plan their trips accordingly— as seen in the screenshots below.

As of now, to view fuel-efficient routes on Google Maps, users have to swipe up on the panel at the bottom to see route options, including those marked with a "leaf" icon for fuel efficiency. When a fuel-efficient route is available, Google Maps will display it alongside the fastest route, giving the option for users to pick between the two. It holds the same for information on parking and ETA (estimated time of arrival) as well.

While we aren't sure when this feature will roll out to people at large, the publication added that the tipster likely "got early access due to his high-tier Local Guide status on Google Maps." It seems like this feature is currently being tested on a small scale and will likely show up in the upcoming app updates.

Android Central has reached out to Google for a rollout timeline about the same and we will update this article once we have more information.

In other news, earlier this month Google Maps users ran into an issue where their entire Timeline history disappeared on the web version. Even though their Timeline is enabled, Google Maps is showing a "No visits for this day," pop-up on their screens. This could have something to do with Google’s recent move to store location history directly on devices instead of in the cloud. This could also mean that Google is steering away from the web version and keeping fresh updates exclusive to the app.