Luke Judge

The Navigation feature of Google Maps on Android enables a fully-featured satellite navigation system for drivers.

Google has given UK Android users a pleasant surprise by enabling the turn-by-turn Navigation function in Google Maps.

While US users have been enjoying sat-nav style turn-by-turn directions – complete with a forwards-facing ’3D’ perspective and voice directions – for quite some time, it has previously not been available outside the US. This latest update – which is server-side, so doesn’t require a new version of the client to be loaded onto handsets – finally brings the function to the UK, albeit in beta form.

While it’s now enabled across the UK. the feature isn’t yet live for the rest of Europe – although that will surely follow soon. Strangely for Google, the extension of the Navigation beta to cover the UK was carried out with little fanfare, with eagle-eyed HTC Desire users on the XDA Developer

europe Maps europe, fanfare, handsets, perspective, voice directions, xda developer