Updating Google Maps for iPhone with faster local search, new ways to find friends, and more countries

Updating Google Maps for iPhone with faster local search, new ways to find friends, and more countries

Today, we’re releasing an update for Google Maps for iPhone with new search icons that make finding local places faster and easier, and with integration of your Google Contacts to make it simple to find your friends.

This update is part of our goal to make Google Maps comprehensive, accurate and useful – wherever you may be in the world. To that end, we’re rolling out the English version of the app in seven new countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. You can also choose between kilometers and miles in the settings menu, depending on your preferences.

For faster local search, you can tap one of the new icons for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other types of places to quickly see nearby haunts. So if you’re in a rush and need a quick coffee, just tap the search box, then the coffee cup icon, to see the cafes closest to you.  

Your Google Contacts are now integrated into Google Maps for iPhone – meaning that when you’re signed-in and search for a friend’s name, their address will appear as a suggestion (if you have their address saved). Simply tap their name to see the address, which will be visible only to you, on the map. To learn an easy way to keep your Google Contacts synced with your iPhone, click here. We hope you enjoy these updates! Visit the App Store today to download the latest Google Maps for iPhone app. Please note some of the features mentioned in this post aren’t available in all countries.