Google Maps might know the local traffic better than me, but for short trips around town, I can’t be bothered to turn it on. But thanks to the latest update to Maps on Android, I don’t have to.
Among a few other updates in Maps v9.19 spotted by Android Police, Google has introduced a new “Driving Mode.” While you’re driving around town without a destination dialed in, Google will use your frequent locations and search history to come up with a predicted destination, and then push traffic information or news about road closures as you’re driving, so you can adjust the route as you see fit.
It’s a neat (if creepy!) feature that should make driving around town a little more efficient. Of course, if it makes more users open Maps when they’re driving around, it also means that Google gets more data to plug into its traffic algorithms (among other things).