Google Maps lets you find Indian addresses in a jiffy

Irritated of not finding the address correctly you searched for on Google Maps? The company has finally got a fix for you. Google Maps has announced few features that would make searching Indian addresses a lot easier. The tech giant has announced ‘Plus Codes’ and added ‘Voice Navigation’ in six additional Indian languages.

Plus Codes are based on a concept where the earth is divided into tiny 'tiled areas', giving a unique code to each one of them.  This code simply comprises a ‘6-character + City’ format that can be generated, shared and searched by anyone -- all that’s needed is Google Maps on a smartphone. Plus Codes can be used for a wide variety of reasons including communicating the venue of a temporary event, guiding emergency services to afflicted locations, and providing an identifiable location for complicated addresses.

To access Plus Code feature, users need to simply enter it into the Search field on Google or Google Maps, mobile or desktop, which will instantly show a location.

Suren Ruhela, Director, Google Maps Next Billion Users, said, “At Google Maps, our objective has always been about organizing all location-related information, and making it more accessible and relevant for Indian users. Address search is critical for delivering on this mission.”

Additionally, Google has introduced ‘Add an Address’ - a feature that enables users to contribute to the Maps experience from the Google Maps app. Similar to adding businesses, users can submit new or missing addresses through this feature, and Google will make sure the address is searchable in due course after verification. Moreover, users will also get Local Guides points for each valid submission.

Google also added voice navigation in six additional Indian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. The company had launched navigation in Hindi three years ago. With the voice command support, the app will be of more use to the Indian audience now than ever.