As a devoted user of Google Maps, I am even aware of its challenges, especially when it comes to navigating through tunnels where GPS signals struggle to reach. Although this has been a common pain point for many navigation services, Google Maps has made a significant stride in addressing this persistent challenge. Recently, it introduced the innovative Bluetooth tunnel beacons feature. The new enhancement aims to provide us with improved visibility into real-time events within the tunnel, making the navigation experience even smoother and looks to fix the Google Maps not working inside tunnels issue permanently.
How to fix Google Maps not working inside Tunnels issue?
The Bluetooth tunnel beacons as the name suggests allows my Android Smartphone to connect to beacons (Bluetooth-enabled Low Energy devices that broadcast their identifier to nearby portable electronic devices and use it primarily for proximity awareness and location tracking) fixated inside major city tunnels. As such, I can see crucial information related to my journey like in-tunnel exits or receive any accident alerts. The option is however disabled by default. To enable it, follow these instructions.
- Launch the Google Maps app on your Android Smartphone.
- Tap the Profile picture visible in the upper-right-hand corner of the app screen.
- Scroll down to the Settings option.
- Look for the Navigation Settings section.
- When directed to a new screen, go to the Driving Options section.
- Toggle on the switch next to the ‘Bluetooth tunnel beacons’ option.
- When prompted by Maps to allow to determine the relative position of nearby devices, hit the Allow button.
It’s crucial to note that the effectiveness of this feature relies on the presence of Bluetooth beacons, which may not be available in many tunnels worldwide. In such cases, the feature might not provide real-time visibility into events inside the tunnel.
In terms of privacy, as the information flows unidirectionally from beacons to your Android smartphone, there shouldn’t be any privacy concerns. Interestingly, the Bluetooth Tunnel Beacons option is currently unavailable in the Google Maps app for iOS, indicating it’s exclusively accessible on the Android platform. Hopefully, it will be extended to iPhone users shortly.
There are other cool features as well in Google Maps. Checkout our guide on how to use Google Maps to avoid tools and calculate distance between 2 points.
