Google Maps has updated how you report new and missing roads on desktop, allowing you to draw them directly onto the map. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view there are some safeguards preventing you from just adding a giant penis-shaped “road” in the Australian outback.
Previously when you added a missing road to Google Maps, you could only drop a pin, type a road name, and write a note. Details such as exactly which way the road went, how long it was, and the nature of its curve were all up to your ability to or patience for rendering them in prose.
Now you can simply paint your highways, phallic or otherwise, like the artists of old.
Google is also launching a new feature that allows you to upload photos of an establishment in Maps in the coming weeks. It’ll enable you to leave photos of a place with a short text description say, to show other people that a restaurant has outside sitting or that a place has altered its facade without having to leave reviews or star ratings. You can see photos in the Updates tab when you look up a place in Maps. To contribute, tap the “upload a photo update” button in the same tab.
Finally, Google has rolled out the ability to report map changes with a desktop editing tool. You’ll be able to add missing roads in Maps by choosing “Edit” on the side menu and drawing lines. The tool will also let you change a road’s direction, realign and delete incorrect roads, as well as rename them if the info in Maps is no longer accurate. Allowing anyone edit Maps can be risky, though, so Google will vet contributed road updates before publishing them to prevent people from adding false information. The tech giant will make this feature available in 80 countries over the coming months.
Google Maps’ photo updates will roll out in the coming weeks, and there is currently no limit to the number of photos you can choose to upload. But I’m sure you’ll all be perfectly sensible with this responsibility.
