From Google Pay to Google Go apps: Key takeaways from Google for India 2018

Search engine and technology giant Google on August 28 announced new tools and features specifically designed for Indian users at the Google for India 2018 event. These tools and features include the addition of more languages support in existing apps, a new platform to bring offline publishers to online platform, redesigned Google Go apps with more functionalities, redesigned digital payment app and more language support to communicate with technology via voice. While some of these tools and features are now available to experience, rest of them would begin to roll out in coming months.

Here are the key takeaways from Google for India 2018:

Google Pay
Last year in September, Google introduced a unified payments interface (UPI) based digital payments app Tez. Now, the company has renamed the app to Google Pay, and promised to make it accessible at more platforms -- in-stores and online, while also expanding its services for merchants, and inclusion of financial institutions such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, etc. for instant loans without paperwork hassles.

Google Maps
Google Maps will soon be able to provide better public transport guidance, which will inform riders of upcoming stops and alerts on when to get off. The company also partnered with RedBus to provide more than 20,000 routes and 1,500 cities for intercity bus journey routes.

The company also announced turn-by-turn navigation functionality, along with a new home screen with convenient shortcuts new for Google Maps Go app.

Google Assistant
The Google Assistant will soon be integrated with local apps such as Where Is My Train, Airtel, and Hello English to provide added functionality such as providing train schedules, plan expiry data, mobile data balance, etc. The digital personal assistant now also supports Marathi language, along with English and Hindi, and support for around seven new languages will be added shortly.

Google Maps eases transit of wheelchair-bound, introduces accessible routes

To make public transit work for the differently abled, Google on Friday introduced "wheelchair accessible" routes in Maps at major metropolitan transit centres around the world.

The feature is rolling out in London, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston and Sydney.

In city centres, buses and trains, often the best way to get around presents a challenge for people who use wheelchairs or with other mobility needs.

"We're looking forward to working with additional transit agencies in the coming months to bring more wheelchair accessible routes to Google Maps," Rio Akasaka, Product Manager, Google Maps, said in a blog post on Friday.

To access the "wheelchair accessible" routes, type your desired destination into Google Maps.

Tap "Directions" then select the public transportation icon.