New features are being added by Google to its Maps, Search, and Shopping services

The introduction of numerous new Maps, Search, and Shopping features was announced by Google today. The majority of the new features were first unveiled by the company at its Search On event in September, and they are now beginning to be made available to users.

Search
Users will now be able to use Search to locate their preferred dish at a nearby restaurant as of today. For instance, you can look up local restaurants that serve truffle mac and cheese by typing in “truffle mac and cheese near me.” Once you’ve located the dish you’re looking for, you can learn more about it, including its cost, ingredients, and other details.

You can use Google’s multisearch function to locate specific foods close to you thanks to yet another new Search feature. Let’s say you find something appetizing online, but you have no idea what it is or where to find it. You can now take a screenshot or take a picture of a dish in the Google app for Android or iOS and add the words “near me” to find a place that sells it close by using Lens.

Google will release an update to its Lens AR Translate capabilities later this year to allow users to more easily translate text on complex backgrounds. In contrast to how it currently works, Google will remove the original text, recreate the pixels beneath it using an AI-generated background, and then add the translated text on top of the image.

Maps
Google is introducing Live View, a new visual search platform, in London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo in addition to the new Maps features.

Google writes in a blog post, “Say you’re visiting New York with plans to finish your holiday shopping and catch up with friends.” To view nearby stores and other locations like coffee shops, banks, and ATMs, lift your phone and tap the camera icon in the search bar. You can see what direction they’re facing and how far away they are with AR-powered directions and arrows, and you can even spot locations that aren’t in your line of sight (like a clothing store around the corner) to get a true sense of the neighborhood at a glance.

You can tap on categories to discover nearby parks, restaurants, bars, dessert shops, and transit stations if you’re looking for other locations. Users will be able to see important details about each location, such as whether it’s busy, open, what the price range is, etc., overlaid on top of the location information.

EV owners can now find the best charging station for their vehicle with the help of a new Maps feature. With the “fast charge” filter selected, you can now search for “EV charging stations.” Additionally, you can search for stations that provide the plug type for your EV.

The “accessible places” feature, which Google first introduced in 2020 in the U.S., Australia, Japan, and the U.K., is now being expanded globally. The function is intended to make it easier for users to determine whether a location is wheelchair accessible. You can enable the “accessible places” setting in the app to see wheelchair icons on locations that are accessible for wheelchair users. You can check to see if a location has parking, restrooms, and seating that is accessible. According to Google, the feature can also be useful if you want to avoid stairs because you are using a cart or a stroller.

Shopping
Google has unveiled a brand-new augmented reality (AR) shopping feature that should make it simpler to locate the perfect foundation match. According to the company, the 148 models in its new photo library represent a wide range of skin tones, ages, genders, face shapes, ethnicities, and skin types. As a result, it should be simpler for customers to imagine how various products will appear on them.

Google described the process in a blog post, saying, “Here’s how it works: Search for a foundation shade on Google across a range of prices and brands, like “Armani Luminous Silk Foundation.” You can choose the foundation that works best for you by seeing how it looks on models with skin tones similar to your own, including before and after photos. Simply choose a retailer to buy it from once you’ve found one you like.

Now, users can use AR to do their shoe shopping. Starting today, you can start looking into footwear from companies like Saucony, VANS, and Merrell. Google claims that more brands will eventually support the feature. Start by typing in a specific type of sneaker, such as “Shop blue VANS sneakers,” and then selecting “View in my space.” The shoes will then be visible in your area for you to spin, zoom, and see to determine whether you like the color, laces, tread, etc.