Google takes a page out of General Motor’s OnStar playbook.
Google Maps has launched Send to Mobile, a new feature that better integrates Google Maps on the PC with Google Maps on your smartphone or tablet.
Almost a decade ago, General Motors was one of the first to implement such a feature. Using Mapquest on your desktop, you could locate a destination in Mapquest, and with one click, transfer the destination to a vehicle with GM’s OnStar turn-by-turn GPS and cellular service. The next time the car is started, the vehicle then downloads the directions from the cloud.
Now, years later, Google seems to think this was a neat idea. When logged in to your Google Account, Google Maps will now offer you the option of sending a destination to Google Maps for Android and iOS. The next time you launch Google Maps on your phone or tablet, Google Maps will offer to begin turn-by-turn navigation on your phone.
This can ease one of the pain points of mobile – typing in long addresses with a small touch screen. It also makes it easier to search on a PC, with a full keyboard and mouse, and then simply use the phone for the actual navigation.
To use the new functionality, you need to update Google Maps on either iOS or Android. The feature will run on any Android phone with Jelly Bean or later and Google Play installed.
