New feature Google is testing will show the entrances to a building in Google Maps

Google Maps not only helps you get from point "A" to point "B" quickly and safely, the app will also show you where you can grab a good meal, find a room to spend the night, catch a movie or some live entertainment, and visit the local landmarks once you arrive at "B." Google Maps still feels the competition from the sometimes superior Apple Maps which excels at telling a driver exactly when to turn (for example, "turn left at the next stop sign" rather than Google Map's "turn left in 3/4 of a mile").

And of course, Google Maps still has to deal with competition from the crowdsourced navigation app Waze, which is also owned by Google. Waze is all about the journey helping you evade construction, traffic, bad weather, and the smokey hiding in the woods near the interstate exit. Those with an Android phone are most likely going to use Google Maps, but I would suggest that iPhone users give Apple Maps a tryout because you might be pleasantly surprised.

Having said that, Google is testing a feature that will show entrances on a building when that building is selected on a map and you zoom in on the building. The entrances are marked by a round white circle with an arrow pointing at half a rectangle indicating an open door. Android Police looked for the entrances on Google Maps in certain cities such as New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Berlin. Looking at supermarkets, office buildings, cafes, and restaurants it found the entrances marked for some locations and not for others.

This would suggest that Google is still working on this new feature. With some buildings, the entrances are marked with a green arrow inside a white circle. Hopefully, this feature will soon be available to all Android users because getting the directions to a building is one thing. Finding out where to go to enter that building is another. Knowing where the entrance to a building is might help you find a parking spot near the entrance.

Android Police spotted the entrances on Google Maps for Android version 11.17.0101 on a Pixel 7a. So far it has not appeared on the Google Maps app version 11.115.0100 running on my Pixel 6 Pro running the latest Android 14 QPR beta release.