Stay safer: Google Maps will now alert and notify Indians travelling in taxis and auto-rickshaws when their vehicle goes off-route

Google Maps will alert Indians travelling in taxis and auto-rickshaws when their vehicle deviates from their route. Google Maps has introduced a new safety feature to alert users travelling in taxis and auto-rickshaws when their vehicle goes off-route. The feature is called 'Stay Safer' and it will also allow users to share the live status of their trips with family and friends, Google said in a statement. 'Stay Safer' feature is limited to Google Maps users in India. All you need to do is update your Google Maps to its latest version on your Android phone.

"Through our extensive research across India, we found that a lot of people limit their mobility due to safety-related concerns. To address this, we are launching another India-first feature that will deliver a more relevant and reliable experience to our users," Google Maps Product Manager Amanda Bishop said in her official blog post.

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Bishop also added that Google is committed to bringing more experiences like this to India and beyond. She also explained why Google announced this safety feature starting in India.

"At Google Maps, we have focused on building India-first features to deliver a more relevant and reliable experience for our users. Through our extensive research across India, we found that a lot of people limit their mobility due to safety-related concerns."

How Google Maps' new safety feature works

Once you search for a destination and get directions, you can enable the 'Stay Safer' feature by selecting the 'get off-route alerts' option at the bottom. Furthermore, it provides users with two options: Share live trip and Get off-route alerts. Once you enable the option, Google Maps will indicate if you are on route.

If the driver deviates more than 500 metres from the Google Maps suggested route, your phone will buzz with a prominent notification and you can tap it to see where they are compared to the original route. You can also choose to share the live trip with friends and family directly so that they can keep track of your journey.