Google Maps

Google Maps for Android now supports Bluetooth beacons for tunnel navigation

Ben Schoon | Jan 15 2024 - 7:28 am PT

GPS makes it possible to navigate the globe with relative ease, but tunnels have long been a sore spot for apps like Google Maps. But, widely available now, Google Maps now supports Bluetooth beacons to fill in the gap left by tunnels.

Bluetooth beacons are not really a new idea. Google-owned Waze has supported the technology in tunnels across the globe including major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Paris, Brussels, and many more for quite a while now. However, those beacons have only ever worked in the Waze app.

Google explains on a support page:

The Waze Beacons program provides seamless navigation to drivers underground where GPS signals don’t reach, ensuring location services, increased driver safety, and better visibility into real-time events inside the tunnel.

Now, it appears that Google Maps is finally adding support for Bluetooth beacons as a new tunnel navigation setting has become widely available.

As highlighted by SmartDroid, the feature appears under Settings > Navigation Settings and under the “Driving Options” section towards the bottom. The feature is disabled by default, but is described saying:

Scan for Bluetooth tunnel beacons to improve location accuracy in tunnels.

The feature appears to have first shown up for some users around October 2023, but is widely available as of this month. When enabling the feature, Maps for Android will request permission to scan for nearby devices. The feature is not available on Google Maps for iOS.