New Google Maps update is all about helping you save money

Don’t let long journeys take their toll

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Nobody likes unexpected travel charges and just about everyone likes to save money.Googleis trying to cover both fronts by rolling out a newGoogle Mapsfeature that helps combat the anxiety of unexpectedly journeying through expensive toll roads.

As part of the navigation platform’slatest software update– which focuses on offering users more helpful information prior to and during travel – Google Maps on iOS and Android will now include toll prices for around 2,000 toll roads in the US, India, Japan, and Indonesia, with more countries set to receive the feature soon.

According to a recent Googleblog post, you’ll be able to see the estimated toll price to your destination before you start navigating (courtesy of “trusted information from local tolling authorities”), with Maps taking into account the date and time when calculating a figure.

Google will likewise show the potential discounts available by having a relevant toll pass, as well as the price variations between different payment methods.

You will, of course, still have the option of entirely avoiding routes that cross toll roads – simply hit the “Avoid tolls” slider in the app’s settings – but it’s pleasing to know that surprise monetary roadblocks could be a thing of the past during long journeys. Couple this with the app’slatest trick to save money on gas, and Google Maps in 2022 has become a surprisingly helpful cost-cutter.

A digital face-lift

Elsewhere in the latest Google Maps update, Google has added a host of new details to the digital map – including icons for upcoming traffic lights, stop signs and notable buildings – which should make you feel more comfortable navigating unfamiliar locations.

Google Maps users oniPhone, specifically, can also now benefit from widgets offering quick access to the most important details of an upcoming trip, whileApple Watch-wearers can enjoy a neat “Take me home” function without needing to pull out their phone at all.

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Those sporting Google Maps onApplehardware will soon be able to ask Siri (using their voice, obviously) for Google-delivered directions, too, while the app is likewise set to become integrated with the Spotlight and Shortcuts apps.

For more Google Maps-related content, check out our guides onhow to download Google Maps for offline useand thefive things you didn’t know Google Maps could do.

Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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