How Does Google Maps Know About Traffic Conditions?

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Google Traffic crowdsources data from users who have toggled their location to ‘on’ in the Google Maps app. Google collects information about the current traffic conditions on any given road/highway from its users who share their geographic location with the app. This way, Google can provide real-time traffic updates to all its Maps app users by first obtaining their information.

A few weeks ago, I had an important appointment that required me to be on an 8 AM train. Unfortunately, I missed the train due to a traffic jam caused by a toppled truck.

Lesson learned: always check traffic conditions before taking a long or critical journey.

In the past, radio broadcasts were the only way to learn about the traffic conditions on a particular road. However, today, we can access real-time updates through Google Maps and other phone applications that rely on Google’s data.

While finding locations is simple with a map, obtaining information on traffic conditions requires additional assistance. Google Traffic provides this help, but have you ever wondered how they gather and provide this data?

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Google has a special built-in feature called Google Traffic on its Maps app that shows traffic conditions in real-time on major roads in particular geographic locations.

If you have the Google Maps app on your smartphone (or any other electronic device), you can access info on the current traffic conditions on any given road/highway.

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