This is how the world's most popular map app has come up

Google Maps is commemorating its day: its first version was launched in 2005, exactly 15 years ago today. Google has not yet announced official usage statistics, but statistics rank it the number 1 mapping app.

Today Google Maps is full of features, though not always. To celebrate your anniversary, let's update Google Maps app history and how we evolved years ago.

Time ahead for Android

Google Maps came to mobile in the same year that the web version was launched in 2005. Of course, at that time both Android and iPhone were at the design table, so it was originally developed by devices Java J2ME, BlackBerry, Windows Windows, Windows and Palm OS. These early versions were already a good part of the tasks we have today, such as satellite viewing and location search.

Two years later, version 2.0 arrived, an update that had a special trick My location, – at the time – a novel system to calculate the user's location from the antennas of the mobile phone where the cellphone was connected. This was especially appropriate at that time, since less than 15% of the phones feature a GPS sensor.

Getting started on Android

In 2008 the first Android mobile phone was introduced, T-Mobile G1, which came with Google Maps under the arm. With three years of experience, Google Maps comes to Android with all the advanced features it has today: maps, directions, locations and traffic.

The look was a lot better today, following the time steps, but otherwise I already had all the expectations of the map app, including street views. At first, all Google Maps was a request, though spin-offs They would be coming soon.

With successive versions of Android, Google Maps began to spread into pre-programmed apps. On the other hand it was Google Places -List of places- for one Google Maps Navigation and on other Google Maps. At that time the ICS version of Android was working and the interface was then customized by resetting the buttons on the screen. Traffic details, such as buses and subway trains, are already included.

JellyBean's time as well Google Maps version 7.0, the design was already clean enough, clearing the map and adding an icon known to it to this day. The good news is that destinations and travel categories have been merged back into the application, available in the sidebar. Bicycle lanes were already installed at that time, in some regions.

From JellyBean, in 2012, to Lollipop, in 2014, Google Maps did not change the human face much, even if there was little drama behind the cameras. After someone corrupted Google Maps including the Android logo urinating on Apple's apple, Google was forced to pause the Map Maker program in 2015. After two years, Google closed the Google Map Maker.

The & # 39; look & # 39; Material Design

Lollipop has come up with a new arm design philosophy, Material Design, though Google Maps will be arriving soon. He Renaming of objects, even though it happened six years ago, it left the app with a design very similar to the one we have today, culminating in a floating problem with a transparent navigation panel.

With the Google Map Maker suspended until further notice, Google came up with another way to keep your maps updated: users themselves interact with each other eliminating geographic information. The Google Local Guides program was born in 2015. The idea is simple: write a review and complete the details on Google Maps and get rewarded for it.

The rewards At first it was a last-minute addition to Google, but over time it was transformed into a modern model: the reward would be able to evaluate tasks before anyone else, in addition to the increasing distance at the top.

This year, 2015, is different improved navigation In Google Maps, a mode without an Internet connection, real-time traffic information and traffic alerts are very important.

Google Maps gift

The Google Maps app won't like it new face wash

until last year, when most of the product requests were updated with Material Theming. The change, however, was quite subtle, changing the images, fonts and not much. The ones that were revamped were the maps themselves, which seem to have evolved into a much simpler build in 2016.

That's not to say that from 2016 to 2019 Google Maps has been frozen for Android, far from it. At that point the focus was on integrating more data and monetizing maps. So, the ads and company profiles also arrived in 2016. There was a special emphasis on improvement localization, something that was there from the beginning but has been expanded and developed in recent years.

But the integration, came Uber, charging stations for electric cars, playing music with Sotify, radars, road events or Google Assistant, to name a few. Google Maps is no longer a map app, but a place to find and find restaurants, hotels or attractions.

Over time Google Maps has been a nuisance in the works, and that has made the app very difficult with very limited calls. So, Google was forced to introduce alternatives to light Google Go Go and Navigation Go. Currently, the standard Google Maps app already exceeds 100 MB of storage without counting the data.

It's over 15 years of Google Maps, and it didn't happen in vain. The simple and nasty app we introduced to Android in 2008 has resulted in a complete, sophisticated and updated map, telling you what time to leave home to arrive at the airport during your flight selecting restaurants that might be of interest to you in the area. Now we have to think … what will Google Maps be like in 15 years?