Google may allow navigation through illuminated streets at night

Necessary and Obvious: Developers have discovered in Google's source code maps, evidence of a new feature that will allow foot navigation through illuminated streets at night. Google did not respond to Feature, but the evidence found seems to be in fairly advanced stages of development. It is still unclear how Google will verify that the streets are indeed lit.

Google may allow navigation through illuminated streets at night

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How had they not thought about this before? Reports say Google will allow pedestrians to navigate through illuminated streets at night. The feature should allow users to navigate around the world in the late hours safely through the Google Maps app. The report came from developer site "XDA developers", which specializes in Android development, whose surfers discovered the new feature in the Google Maps app source code. According to the explanation they found, the feature should show on the app screen in real-time which streets are more lit by highlighting them in yellow. Google has not yet commented on the new feature publicly, and has therefore not confirmed they are working on it, but according to the code, the feature appears to be in advanced development stages.

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It is important to note that although the feature has not yet been updated in the app, it is not a new idea. A tweet last September that offered this feature to Google has gone viral this past month. "I wish Google Maps had a situation called 'I'm Going Home Alone', which will show you a path with lighted trails and open spaces. Navigation seems to always take me through narrow, dark paths in all cities," the user wrote in a tweet. Its publication has since received nearly 245,000 likes. XDA website users say the feature may appear first in India and then in other countries, in response to the ongoing rise in sexual violence against women, which has been widely reported by the media.

Google Maps (Photo: AP)

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Also, it is still unclear how Google will collect the information about which streets are lit during the night and which are not. However, it is easy to assume that Google will collect this information by recruiting users, as it has been doing so for some time with information about public transportation around the world and recommendations for attractions and restaurants. On the other hand, Google has often become embroiled in credibility scandals, which mainly concern the tagging of certain user-racial nicknames. It remains to be found how Google can verify this information. Last month, we reported that Google updated the popular hidden app navigation app. This function is already available to Android users, and at least for the time being, it is still unclear when it will find its way to iPhones as well.