With The New Alert Feature On Google Maps, You Can Avoid Cops And Fines

Dhir Acharya


If you're a driver, there’s good news for you, but if you're a cop, you won't like this. Google will roll it out to Google Maps users in over 40 countries.

If you are a driver, there’s good news for you, but if you work as a cop, you may not like this. As per Google’s confirmation, the company is giving Google Maps users the ability to see mobile, speed cameras, and speed limits. The feature will be available in over 40 countries.

Google is updating its navigation app

Over the past several weeks, there were reports of international releases surfacing on Reddit, and now Google has confirmed this information with TechCrunch. Earlier 2019, in January, Google Maps started showing alerts to a number of users, and in March, more users began receiving the feature. Now, it appears that the tech giant is sticking to its plan to deploy this feature globally.

The features are neat, but the company may face some pushback from regulators. Previously, the New York Police Department (NYPD) sent a cease and desist letter to Google about its navigation app Waze alerting users of DWI checkpoints. The letter claimed that it’s irresponsible to provide users with information of the checkpoints, which only helps impaired and intoxicated drivers to avoid the checkpoints, encouraging reckless driving.

Google Maps now alerts users of speed cameras

According to a Google spokesperson’s statement to Gizmodo, the company sharing this information with drivers would make them more cautious and think more carefully when driving on the roads. It’s now likely that the company is bringing the feature to both Android and iOS Maps users. TechCrunch revealed that besides user reports, Google also uses authoritative feeds for its alerts.

Not just the alert feature, over the past few months, Google Maps has rolled out several features to enhance the user experience when using its navigation app. In October 2018, the giant tech firm introduced new features to help commuters make better plans for their trips with the help of real-time updates for traffic and public transit.

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