Why it matters to you
If you live in a big city and frequently use Google Maps’ transit services, you’ll now receive more helpful information about subway stations.
Using Google Maps to get around by subway is about to become a bit easier, based on findings from users on Reddit. Google has begun to add subway station layouts to its maps in certain cities, such as New York and Tokyo.
Many stations are still missing this feature, but the ones that have received it — like several in midtown Manhattan and Shinjuku, Yokohama, and Osaka in Japan — show outlines for platforms as well as entrances. Users must be in transit view to see the additions, though it appears the results differ depending on whether you’re on mobile or desktop web.
Apple Maps has had station layouts for some time now, making it one of a few features that Google has lagged behind in. Zooming into the stations reveals some fine details, like the locations of stairs and escalators — though payment terminals are not currently visible.
Reddit
Station layouts are one of a number of new features that have landed on Google Maps in recent months. Just this week, Google announced it had begun collecting pollution data via its Street View vehicles in a partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund. And in May, the Android app received an update combining Street View imagery with navigation to give drivers a physical representation of where they’ll need to make their next turn.
Meanwhile, the company has cracked down on fake and inaccurate location listings. Google says the number has been reduced by 70 percent since the summer of 2015. In many cases, these were extortionists posing as plumbers, locksmiths, and the like, while a tenth of them were actually real businesses that scammers were imitating.
Google has not yet made an official announcement regarding the station maps feature, so at this time it is unclear how many locations will ultimately be represented, and when users might expect to see them. We will update this article as we hear more.