Google updates Google Maps for Android users

BANGALORE, INDIA: Search engine giant Google has announced the availability of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, which is bundled with new features for in-house navigation .

With the latest update, Android users can now locate themselves in a shopping mall, a departmental store or at an airport and figure out where they are and where they might want to go when they are indoors.

This feature is available only at selected places, who have partnered with Google and shared their floor plans.

"With the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, we aim to bring the directory to the palm of Android user hands and help them to determine where they are, what floor they are in, and where to go indoors," wrote Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps in a blog post.

According to Google, detailed floor plans automatically appear when users view the updated map and zoomed in on a building where indoor map data is available.

"The familiar "blue dot" icon indicates user location within several meters, and when they move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the interface will automatically update to display which floor they are on," said McClendon.

He further added that all this can be achieved by using an approach similar to that of 'My Location' for outdoor spaces, but fine tuned for indoors.

Google said they have initially partnered with some of the largest retailers, airports and transit stations in the U.S. and Japan.