NEW Google Maps features will help users pay for parking and train tickets ahead of time.
The parking ticket feature is launching in a number of US cities initially but will hopefully branch out across the world.
The meter feature is coming to the US firstCredit: Google
The company has partnered with ParkMobile and Passport to let some US users pay at parking meters without even leaving the car.
When a user arrives at a location where payment is required a ‘Pay for Parking’ button with pop up on their Google Maps.
You just need to enter the meter number and your payment information and it’s all done.
Users will also be able to extend the meter time via the Google Maps app.
The train ticket feature should be avaliable in many countries all over the worldCredit: Google
The feature is avaliable right now for Android users in 400 cities in the US cities and should be coming to iOS soon.
Google’s ‘pay for a train ticket’ feature on Maps is said to be a collaboration with “over 80 transit agencies around the world.”
Users should be able to instantly pay for a train ticket with whatever virtual payment method they’ve got set up on their phone.
It will likely come to Android first before an Apple version rolls out.
This feature will be launching in the “coming weeks” but exact locations have not been mentioned.
We’ve reached out to Google for comment.
How to check your Google Location History
Here’s what you need to know…
There are several ways to check your own Google Location History.
The easiest way is to follow the link to the Google Maps Timeline page:
This lets you see exactly where you’ve been on a given day, even tracking your methods of travel and the times you were at certain locations.
Alternatively, if you’ve got the Google Maps app, launch it and press the hamburger icon – three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other.
Then go to the Your Timeline tab, which will show places you’ve previously visited on a given day.
If you’ve had Google Location History turned on for a few years without realising, this might be quite shocking.
Suddenly finding out that Google has an extremely detailed map of years of your real-world movements can seem creepy – so you might want to turn the feature off.
The good news is that it’s possible to immediately turn Google Location History off at any time.
You can turn off Location History here:
However, to truly stop Google from tracking you, you’ll also need to turn off Web & Activity Tracking.
You can see your tracked location markers here:
In other news, ‘spy pixels’ in standard emails many of us receive everyday have been blasted as a “grotesque invasion of privacy”.
Apple is adding brand new emoji to your iPhone – including a bearded woman, a new syringe and an AirPods icon.
And, Amazon is working on a new virtual currency that users could spend on its platforms.
How often do you use Google Maps? Let us know in the comments…
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