Those red lines don’t bode well for your morning commute
Google has spent the last year pretending it never gave up on Android widgets. Whether it’s some fancy redesigns for the classic analog clock, or brand new tools for tracking everything from restaurants in your area to your current battery status, it’s clear home screen tools are bigger than ever. Google is continuing its trend of highlighting some excellent widget options worth checking out, all while quietly announcing a new way of interacting with Maps.
Today’s blog post isn’t the first time we’ve seen the company tease a new widget alongside some older options. While many of the tools Google includes are worth checking out — especially the Keep widget, which I use every day —the local traffic widget is all new. Unlike previous home screen shortcuts for Maps, which primarily focused on quick ways to load up your favorite locations, this one is a map, constantly updating to display the local traffic conditions in your area. It even allows you to zoom in and out with a single tap of a button.
It’s surprising that Google has taken this long to bring live maps to the home screen — the ability to see current road conditions before heading out on the road seems like an obvious one. Considering how large and sharp modern phone screens are, it seems like an obvious addition to Android.
Google says it’s rolling out to phones in the coming weeks, so, unfortunately, it won’t benefit students until the start of a new school year in the fall. For everyone else, though, keep an eye on that widget picker — you never know when a server-side update might bless you.
