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Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Google Maps Rolls Out COVID-19 Transit and Driving Route Alerts

Google has rolled out several new transit features to Google Maps on iOS and Android that aim to help users travel safely as lockdown measures gradually ease in some countries following the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest version of Google Maps alerts users whose travel will be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, including requirements like wearing a mask on public transport and whether a chosen route has checkpoints. The update was detailed in a Google blog post:

Getting from A to B can be more complicated these days. Because of COVID-19, it’s increasingly important to know how crowded a train station might be at a particular time or whether the bus is running on a limited schedule. Having this information before and during your trip is critical for both essential workers who need to safely navigate to work and will become more important for everyone as countries around the world begin to reopen.

While users of public transport will get crowd-sourced information on how busy services are, drivers will receive alerts about checkpoints and restrictions on their route, such as when crossing national borders, on the directions screen and after starting navigation if a route is affected by restrictions.

Google says the transit alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the U.S. where it has information from local transit agencies, with more coming soon.

In addition, users navigating to medical facilities or COVID-19 testing centers will get alerts reminding them to verify eligibility and facility guidelines to avoid being turned away or causing additional strain on the local healthcare system.

Starting this week, alerts for medical facilities will be available in Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, South Korea, and the U.S., while testing center alerts will also be available in the U.S. Alerts are based on authoritative data from local, state, and federal governments or from their websites.

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google Maps, COVID-19 Coronavirus

This article, "Google Maps Rolls Out COVID-19 Transit and Driving Route Alerts" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Webpage Promotes Unique Benefits of iPhone and Apple Watch Integration

Apple has launched a new webpage showcasing the tight integration between iPhone and Apple Watch. "Add them together. Multiply their power," reads the minisite, which highlights the benefits that come with using the two devices in tandem.

Get directions on ‌iPhone‌ and a tap on your wrist when you need to turn. Check your heart rate on Apple Watch and track it over the last hour, day, month, or year on ‌iPhone‌. When you put the two of them together, they add up to so much more.

Scrolling down the vector image-based page brings some of the more basic features into view first, like the ability to answer or decline a phone call or FaceTime call on ‌Apple Watch‌, and then transfer it to your ‌iPhone‌.

Messages are next, with ‌Apple Watch‌ features like quick replies, Tapback, emoji support and Scribbles covered, as well as the ability to ask Siri to compose or reply to an incoming message using your voice.

The site goes on to highlight the two devices' deep Camera app integration and the way you can use ‌Apple Watch‌ to remotely set up a shot on ‌iPhone‌, including the ability to frame and shoot, zoom in and out, switch between the ‌iPhone‌'s front and back cameras, and switch between camera modes.

Elsewhere, Apple shines a light on the music capabilities of ‌Apple Watch‌, such as Apple Music streaming, playlist support, and remote ‌iPhone‌ playback controls. There's also a section on ‌Apple Watch‌ health functions with iOS Health and Activity app integration, as well as mentions for handoff support in Maps, Find My, and Apple Pay.

Without disclosing anything new about ‌iPhone‌ and ‌Apple Watch‌, the site does a good job of surfacing some lesser known features available to prospective customers who might be thinking about pairing the two devices.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 6

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

This article, "Apple Webpage Promotes Unique Benefits of iPhone and Apple Watch Integration" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Monday, 8 June 2020

Facebook Mods Sign Letter Protesting Zuckerberg's Stance on Trump Threats, Conspiracy Theories

A group of Facebook moderators has joined many of the firm’s staff in calling out CEO Mark Zuckerberg over his bullshit refusal to take actions against posts by Donald Trump that clearly violate its rules, the Guardian reported on Monday.

Cox Might Slow Down a Whole Neighborhood's Internet If One Person Is Using Too Much Data

If there is anything as quite as infuriating as internet data caps, having your internet speed throttled is up there—especially if you pay extra to have ultra-fast, uncapped internet. According to Ars Technica, Cox Communications not only wants certain customers to stop using so much data, it’s also reportedly…

A Key Piece of The Last of Us TV Adaptation Has Been Revealed

The new game is out Friday and the TV show has a pilot director. It’s a big week for post-apocalyptic tale The Last of Us.