Google Maps released an update on Thursday that allows users in India to save and share their home addresses using Plus Codes. Users will be able to acquire precise digital addresses for their homes, which they may utilize for faster food, medicine, and parcel deliveries without having to share any landmarks or spoken instructions. Plus Coded addresses can also be shared with others for simple navigation. Plus Codes are open-source, free digital addresses that are intended to provide precise geographical information.
You may now generate a Plus Code for your home address using Google Maps, thanks to the most recent update. When you save a Home location, the app will provide you a new Use your current location option that will produce a Plus Code based on your phone’s location. The saved home location, together with the created Plus Code, can be shared directly from Google Maps’ Saved tab.
If you already have a location marked as your Home on Google Maps, you’ll notice a Plus Code next to it with more information.
To offer accurate geographical details of your home location to anyone you choose, simply copy the Plus Code and put it in your chat. Your personal information, such as your name and email address, will not be included in the alphanumeric code. The address of your home is likewise recorded in your private Google Maps profile and is not visible to the public as a nearby location on the app. You may also use Plus Code to change or remove your home address directly from Google Maps.
The new Google Maps experience was first made available to Android users. However, it will be made available to iOS users in the coming days.
Google said in a blog post announcing the update that the India-first feature is designed to provide accurate home addresses via Google Maps.
The feature was first tested in India a month ago, according to Google. According to the firm, over 300,000 people in the country have already signed up to use it for their home addresses.
“We’re excited to extend to more sorts of destinations and are actively searching for ways to collaborate with e-commerce, logistics, and delivery firms to scale out the experience to more people across the world,” Amanda Bishop, Google Maps’ Product Manager, said in a prepared statement.
Google created Plus Codes in 2015 as a way to find ‘hard to find’ locations all over the world. In March of this year, the technology was introduced in India. By tapping the blue dot on Google Maps in the year 2020, users will be able to communicate their present position using Plus Codes.