Since Google announced the partnership with Samsung and Fitbit to write the future of Wear OS together, many had sensed that Google’s operating system for wearable devices would soon change profoundly. Google Maps is one of the applications that most of all inherits the important innovations given by the arrival of Wear OS 3, the version of the OS that finds its place within the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 family.
The biggest news about the new version of Google Maps for Wear OS 3 is obviously at the level of the graphical interface, now finally with full support for dark mode. Users equipped with the new smartwatches with the latest version of Wear OS can start navigation with GPS directly from their wrist, without using their smartphone, via text search, or with their voice.
When the destination is selected, it is possible to choose whether to reach it on foot, by bike or by car, complete with the estimated arrival time in relation to the selected vehicle. During the journey, moreover, the new navigation interface always highlights the estimated arrival time and the various indications about directions.
The colleagues of 9to5google speak of consumption of about 5-10% of autonomy with 30 minutes of navigation on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, which is not a negative figure. Unfortunately, the new version of Google Maps will not be available for all users with smartwatches with Wear OS 2, not even via the application’s sideload.
