Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL;DR

• An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google Maps could get a “prefer shade” toggle for walking navigation.
• This toggle could help you stay in the shade when walking to a destination.
• This wouldn’t be the first app to offer routing based on shade, though.

Google Maps is the go-to navigation app for Android phones globally, and it has a number of handy features to help you get from A to B. Now, the app could get a (literally) cool feature for walking navigation.

We dug into the latest version of the Google Maps app for Android (version 25.45.02.826664481) and discovered a Prefer shade feature. Check out the strings below to get a better idea.

Code

<string name="WALKING_ROAD_TYPE_SHADE">Shade</string>
<string name="WALKING_ROAD_TYPE_SUN">Sun</string>
<string name="WALKING_X_MINUTES_IN_SUN">%s in sun</string>

The strings confirm that this feature is tied to walking navigation and categorizes paths based on whether they are in sun or shade. The third string seems to display your minutes of walking in the sun. We’re guessing this estimate will be shown when getting walking directions for a desired destination.

We were also able to surface the Prefer shade toggle in Google Maps via the Trip Options menu. However, the option doesn’t actually work for us right now. You can nevertheless check out the screenshots below.

It’s not immediately clear how Google would distinguish between shady and sunny paths. The independent Parasol app offered routing based on shade back in 2018. This project used LiDAR to create a “high-resolution elevation model”, while also harnessing the sun’s location for a given date and time. The Cool Walks app for Barcelona also uses LiDAR to map shaded paths. For what it’s worth, Google Street View cars are indeed equipped with LiDAR for scanning their surroundings. This suggests that Google Maps could take a similar approach for its own Prefer shade toggle.

In any event, this is a great idea, and it could literally be a lifesaver in extremely hot climates or during heatwaves. It could also be a welcome addition if you’re prone to sunburn or simply don’t want to be drenched in sweat.

⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

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