So what is this new dock for Google Maps and what, exactly, does it do?
Of course, since the newly-spotted dock in Google Maps is still under testing, it isn’t rolling out to everybody. At least not yet. And it’s only available in the web version of Maps too, for the time being. With no indication as to whether it will arrive anywhere else, such as in the app or in Android Auto. So it isn’t immediately apparent what Google’s intended purpose is. In terms of functionality and aesthetics, however, the images associated with the new feature are clear. With the feature in place, searching for a location in Google Maps reveals a new, pill-shaped blue button. That reads “Dock to bottom.” As the button text betrays, tapping or clicking on “Dock to bottom” sends a small dark-shaded card to a newly-implemented bottom-bar UI. Not too dissimilarly to how Chrome groups tabs. The card features the business name that was sent to the dock. As well as what type of business it is. Docking multiple locations results in a tab-like UI, with an individual card for each business. Each card, when clicked or tapped, returns users to the associated business page in Maps, as shown in the images below. That means that users who are, for example, researching a specific type of business, can open up multiple businesses. Then they can cycle through those businesses, looking at any available details for comparison’s sake. All without opening more than one instance of Google Maps. Conversely, the same tool may be useful when it comes to plotting out a trip, making it easier to look for locations that are along a route before hitting the road. Or for any number of other reasons, varying from user to user. Pages that have been docked can be closed via a click or tap on the ‘x’ icon found on each card individually. The ‘x’ appears on a hover over the cards.
