Update to beta version of Google Maps has new features that you are going to use

Google continues to bulk up Google Maps by adding features that appeal to travelers such as locating the places where they should eat, landmarks to visit and things to do while in town. Just the other day, Google announced the new locally sourced community feed which is part of Maps’ Explore tab. The new feed was created to allow local businesses to connect with consumers.

According to AndroidPolice, Google has now released a new beta build of its Maps app and version 10.56.0 delivers some useful features including more accurate estimates for ride shares. If you’re unsure what a ride share is, that is just a fancy term for those companies like Lyft and Uber that arrange for a vehicle owner to pick you up and drive you to a certain location for a fee. So Google Maps now has a new menu listing called ride services with Uber the only partner listed at the moment. When you toggle on Uber, a message pops up that says “Get more accurate fares.” Google will send information pertaining to the route you will be traveling which will-we guess-show you a more accurate estimate of what the ride will cost you. Testing doesn’t reveal any change in pricing using this feature so we might have to wait until the new Maps build is out of beta before we have a handle on this.

The Google Maps beta also included crosswalk markings and building numbers. The former can be seen in cities with major pedestrian traffic like New York after you zoom in on the screen. In other big cities you can also see building numbers, and traffic lights. You can become a beta tester for the app by installing it from the Google Play Store. Just below the What’s New section and above the Additional Information section in Google Maps’ Play Store listing is a link that you can use to sign up to become a beta tester for the app. But even installing the latest beta might not get you the new features because it is possible that these are activated on the beta build with a server-side update. So you still might need to wait for an upcoming update to the stable version of the app. Still, it usually doesn’t hurt to become a beta tester anyway since you do get first crack at new features. This makes you the envy of the neighborhood, your friends and family.