Google Maps gets a new icon, transit features, and more for 15th birthday

It might be hard to believe, but Google Maps is 15 years old as of this week. While most 15-year-olds are probably procrastinating on homework and not listening to their parents, one of the biggest names in online mapping is getting a mild redesign and some swanky new features.

First and foremost, the app is getting a bit of an immediate refresh. A new update will expand the bottom of the home screen from three tabs into five: Explore, Commute, Saved, Contribute, and Updates. You can see what each looks like below:

Credit: google

Explore still works much like it always has, highlighting things you should check out in the area. Commute is, well, a tab for your various commutes. There's some cool new stuff in there, but we'll get to that in a bit. Saved is a place where you can create and curate lists of whatever you want, from restaurants you've been meaning to try to your favorite shopping destinations. Contribute lets you share whatever knowledge you have of local institutions to make their Maps pages better, and Updates is basically a trending page for "must-see spots" nearby.

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Remember when I said commuters would get some sweet new features? Google is heavily expanding on the feature it launched last year that reported crowd levels in public transit based on user data. Now, Google Maps can tell you a bus or train's temperature, wheelchair accessibility, security levels, and more. These new trip attributes could give Maps an edge over the competition.

Oh, and before I forget, Google Maps is getting a new icon. It looks like a pin from the app.

Credit: google

Also of note is Live View, the AR-based walking assistant Google put in Maps last year. Google said it'll get some enhancements "in the coming months," like the ability to look in the direction of your destination and see exactly how far away it is. That should help in those situations where you have no idea which direction to go in.

It's not a total reinvention, but Google Maps did refresh itself for its 15th birthday. Provided the information is correct, those new transit attributes (especially wheelchair accessibility) could be a huge boon to riders everywhere. Google Maps seems to have its life together better at 15 than most humans do.