Google Maps will let you follow Local Guides to discover hidden gems

Who else knows more about a city than its inhabitants? At least that is what Google Maps hopes to offer you with a new feature it is testing out. You will soon be able to follow Local Guides to find where the best places to eat are in the city you're visiting. Their recommendations will show up on the map as well as in your For You tab. The test will launch in nine cities first: Bangkok, Delhi, London, Mexico City, New York City, Osaka, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo. It might be worth checking out if you find yourself in these areas in the future.

Source: Engadget

Google Maps starts Incognito Mode rollout

If you have been waiting for Google to bring its Incognito Mode to Maps, well, we have good news for you. The company has started rolling out the feature. You can check if it's made its way to you by heading to the account switcher. There should be a "Turn on Incognito Mode" option there. The update is coming to iOS soon, but Google hasn't given any specific date yet. 

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Google Maps' Voice Guidance feature helps people with impaired vision

Just in time for World Sight Day, Google introduces more detailed spoken directions into Google Maps. The feature was developed to help people with visual impairments by providing them with alerts as they navigate their route to their destination. The app now has more detailed voice guidance and new kinds of verbal announcements for walking trips. So Google Maps can inform users when they need to turn or let them know when a big intersection is coming up. When they move away from their route, they will be notified by the app, and it'll re-route them.

The feature is rolling out first to the United States (in English) and to Japan (in Japanese), but according to Google, it'll support additional languages and countries soon. To access the feature, head to Google Maps' settings and select Navigation. From there, scroll to the bottom of the list and locate Walking options. You will see the Detailed voice guidance option there.

Siri on iOS 13 now works natively with Google Maps and Waze

With the release of iOS 13 comes some useful features; one of them is allowing third-party developers to release or update apps to access Siri without any configuration from the users' end. Before iOS 13, trying to set up a non-Apple app with Siri required setting up a Siri shortcut—and that didn't guarantee that it would work. 

But as The Verge discovers two apps can now interface with Siri, somehow. And it'll help when it comes to driving. Siri now works with Google Maps and Waze, but some features still need to be worked on.

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