Google Maps Navigation Now Automatically Re-routes You Around Bad Traffic

There is a minor Google Maps (version 5.2.1) update waiting for you in the market if you didn’t already notice, and we’re thinking it may enable automatic traffic re-routing.  The market description doesn’t say anything about it, but this latest post from the Google Mobile Blog sure does.  As of today, Google Maps Navigation will do its best to take you around bad traffic without asking you to even lift a finger…

You don’t have to do anything to be routed around traffic; just start Navigation like you normally would, either from the Navigation app or from within Google Maps. Before today, Navigation would choose whichever route was fastest, without taking current traffic conditions into account. It would also generate additional alternate directions, such as the shortest route or one that uses highways instead of side roads. Starting today, our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates. That means that Navigation will automatically guide you along the best route given the current traffic conditions.

Gotta love Google.  And is it just me, or does that description bring back the surfing scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall?  “Don’t do anything.”  Classic.

Via:  Google Mobile Blog