Google Maps now alerts you if your destination is about to close

By Trevor Mogg June 16, 2015

google maps now alerts you if your destination is about to close closed sign — SpeedKingz / Shutterstock

Intent on making its Maps app ever more useful in a bid to stay ahead of the competition, Google has just rolled out an update that includes a feature which’ll alert you if you’re heading to a place that’s closed, or will be closed by the time you get there.

Currently for Android only, the warning pops up on the display as soon as the location you’re navigating to has been input. Of course, you can still access the directions by simply skipping the warning, but we’re betting this is a feature lots of people are going to find useful.

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Google Maps already pulls up a range of information for businesses, including opening hours in most cases, though it’s possible you might miss such information in your eagerness to grab the directions and start your journey.

The neat part is that the new feature considers how long it’ll take you to get to the cafe, store, or wherever, so you’ll know before you set off if you’re likely to make it in time.

Monday’s update also means any car rental reservations you’ve made will now start showing in “my events,” in the same way as flight and hotel reservations already do.

Google’s ongoing tweaks to its already comprehensive Maps offering come as Apple continues with efforts to bring its equivalent app up to speed. The software has come on leaps and bounds since its difficult start back in 2012, with users looking forward to additional improvements with the launch of iOS 9 in the fall.

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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