Google Maps is one of the most widely used navigation apps in the world, with 60 million active users in India alone by 2023, according to Miriam Daniel, vice president and head of Google Maps. The web mapping platform regularly introduces new features and improvements to existing ones, allowing solo travelers to navigate geographic regions with turn-by-turn directions. According to a recent patent filing, it may also be planning to offer improved functionality for people traveling in groups, via a potential multi-car navigation feature.
Multi-car navigation on Google Maps
According to a patent filed by Google with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (through @xleaks7) On June 25, the search giant is developing plans for a feature that will allow users to navigate to a shared destination from different locations within a set time period.
Google Maps Patent for Multi-Car Navigation
Photo credit: US Patent and Trademark Office/Google
The patent, titled “Providing Navigation Instructions to One Device in View of Another Device,” is for a navigation service that can determine that multiple users are traveling to a common destination from different starting points. It is said to access users’ calendar schedules and messages to determine users’ travel intentions. If multiple users are detected, it is said to coordinate the trip by sending them invitations to participate in the multi-car navigation and providing directions to the same destination within similar time periods.
Users can also choose to explicitly request multi-car navigation when organizing rides.
The navigation service can indicate the locations of all users traveling on the map, routes shared by all parties, identify places where they can wait for each other, and also suggest speed adjustments, according to the patent. It would also transmit traffic and road condition data to all vehicles, with it being determined by the path taken by the leading vehicle in the group. It can also send a notification if a vehicle in the group takes a detour and suggest stops along the way for others to let them pass.
The feature should work not only with standalone smartphones, but also with devices connected to a vehicle’s infotainment system via USB or Bluetooth.
