APP: Google Maps provide Turn by Turn Directions to Lock Screen & More.

I will always cover updates to Google products, as their suite of Apps are the best “all rounder” range for any type of traveller.

There are only ever slight differences in their Apps when used on different devices, and this weeks updates bring some goodness to those on Apple iOS devices.

By now iOS users should see the App Store wanting to update their device to version 4.30.0.

Turn by Turn Widget

This inclusion is one that has been asked for before by the Apple community.  Although with the new motoring laws just enforced in the UK, could this update be a reaction to the new stricter rules on motorist?

If, whilst you are using the app, and your phone locks, you can swipe right to activate your “Today View”, but now Maps will show your turn by turn directions in a new widget.  The above image shows how the same directions look whilst in the app or from the widget.

This will also appear when you swipe right on the home screen or from the Notification Centre.

You do need to activate this widget before it will show.  To do this, navigate to your lock screen on your iOS device and scroll to the bottom where you will find an edit button.  From the list scroll down until you find Google Maps Directions, click add, then click done.

Then, the next time your phone locks whilst being used for directions, a simple right swipe will present you with the information you need.

iMessage Current Location

A smaller update, but one that still may help other travellers, is the ability to now add your current location into an iMessage chat.  This is hardly new as you have been able to share this information into other apps (WhatsApp etc).   What makes this different is that you can share your location from within iMessage without leaving the app.  Others you need to be in Google Maps then share to 3rd party apps.

This is only a static view though.  So, it will not continually update your location in the iMessage post, as you continue to move.