Google ends support for Keep, Maps on Wear OS 2

Google has unceremoniously ended support for Keep and Maps on Wear OS 2 smartwatches. That means, if you reset your older wearable, you won't get to access these apps again. The most recent version of Keep on the Google Pixel Watch is 5.22.452.00.97, and it only supports Android 11 or higher. (Wear OS 2 is based on Android 9, which falls behind the latest version of Keep.) Maps also seems to limit its requirements to the latest version of Wear OS. The change might seem premature as most Wear OS smartwatches are still on Wear OS 2, but it seems Google wants to move to Wear OS 3 as soon as possible.

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Google Maps' Live View AR feature launches in select cities

Source: Google

While there isn't a Canadian city yet, this new Google Maps feature might come in handy if you find yourself in London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tokyo soon. The Android and iOS versions of the app are getting the Live View augmented reality feature, which can show you things like coffee shops and ATMs when you hold up your phone and point it at what's around you. 

If you're in one of these cities, you just need to tap the camera button in Google Maps search bar. And then you just need to point your phone's camera at buildings and places nearby. The GIF above shows this feature in action.

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Google Maps now shows toll prices on mobile

Google Maps doesn't just help you avoid toll roads. The app can now let you know how much you need to pay. At least if you drive in the US, India, Indonesia, and Japan. Google has enabled toll pricing in these countries for around 2,000 toll roads. It works on both Android and iOS. To see the prices, check your route options before you navigate. It'll show you an estimated cost based on when you're travelling. You can also tweak the settings to display prices with or without toll passes. And yes, you can still use it to avoid toll roads when possible. Google promises to bring the feature to more countries soon. It's a handy option, so we hope it makes its way here as quickly as possible.

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You can take more fuel-efficient routes with this Google Maps feature

Source: Google

With high gas prices, you'd want to save fuel. Google launched its "eco-friendly" routing late last month in Canada. It's designed to get you to your destination quickly while optimizing fuel consumption. So, when you search for directions in the app, it'll give you fuel-efficient route options. These will have a leaf symbol beside them.

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