Google updates Photos and Maps with new privacy and navigation features

Google is rolling out several updates across its navigation and photography services. Google Photos is introducing a new tool called ‘Redact’ for Android users worldwide. This feature allows users to pixelate sensitive information in images, such as license plates, credit card numbers, or addresses, before sharing them. The update also includes enhanced ‘Markup’ tools with more precise sliders for line thickness and new fonts.

Additionally, Google Photos is testing an AI-driven ‘Wardrobe’ feature in select markets, including the US, India, and Brazil, which catalogs clothing from photos to create a digital wardrobe.

In navigation, Google Maps is implementing a feature to provide visual indicators for upcoming traffic lights and stop signs at intersections. This update aims to improve driver anticipation in unfamiliar urban environments and will be available on both smartphones and Android Auto.

Separately, MapQuest has added public transit routing to its mobile app, covering nearly 2,000 cities across 70 countries, including real-time arrival data for over 350 cities.