The announcement of wider availability of public transit directions accompanies a major update of Google Maps towards Wear OS. The company announced this feature in late February at MWC 2024, before rolling it out with the massive Pixel feature drop this month. From now on, it will also be available on Samsung’s wearable platform.
Google Maps for WearOS now includes Transit Directions (observed on Galaxy Watches)
As indicated by 9to5Google, Public transit directions are easily accessible on WearOS watches updated with the latest Google Maps version. First observed on Galaxy wearables, Watch 4, Watch 5, and Galaxy Watch 6, the feature provides a new Transit option among Driving, Walking, and Bicycling directions when searching for a location or choosing one from the main feed. There’s not much to say about this feature. It works well with Galaxy Watch tiles so users can seamlessly navigate between public transit networks.
After displaying all available routes on Maps, the feature will show only the “Recommended routes” as options for you to select from when choosing a particular route. Galaxy Watches make navigation even more convenient since they also work with an always-on display (AOD), thereby allowing users to smoothly scroll through directions.
Furthermore, during navigation, there is a pill-shaped floating action button (FAB) that opens up a live map view and a zoomed-out map view showing all transit stops along the journey named ‘Preview route.’
Google Maps update that features public transit directions on WearOS
A transit icon appears at the bottom of your watch face for easy access back into Google Maps. The company is rolling out the transit directions feature via a server-side update with version 11.119.0702.W of Google Maps for all Wear OS devices.
This improvement enlarges the functions that are already present in Google Maps for Wear OS like the capability to see “Nearby” transit stations straight from the main feed of the application and view departure/arrival times. In addition, with the reintroduction of Transit directions in Pixel Feature Drop and passes integration into the Wallet app, the company has demonstrated its resolve to improve user experience in Wear OS.
