Use Google Maps to reach your destination without asking for directions

Google Maps might know the local traffic better than us, but for short trips around town, you can’t be bothered to turn it on. Now thanks to the latest update to Maps on Android, you don’t have to.

Among a few other updates in Maps v9.19, Google has introduced a new ‘Driving Mode’. While you’re driving around town without a destination dialled in, Google will use your frequent locations and search history to come up with a predicted destination, and then push traffic information or news about road closures as you’re driving, so you can adjust the route as you see fit.



(Image: Google Maps)

It’s a neat feature that should make driving around town a little more efficient. Of course, if it makes more users open Maps when they’re driving around, it means that Google gets more data to plug into its traffic algorithms (among other things).