Petal Maps, the popular mapping and navigational tool have today announced several new features and updates to its app. With a particular focus on privacy protection, there’s a host of new enhanced features to bring Petal Maps’ users a better, differentiated and localised experience.

Exciting new features

Petal Maps continues to reinforce its position as a leading navigation app, bringing features to users that guarantee an optimised and secure experience. The latest version, Petal Maps V1.11, illustrates the app’s robust dedication to user privacy with the launch of an all-new Incognito Mode, offering unparalleled peace of mind to users. Alongside this new privacy feature, the app now also offers functions that provide an even more seamless user experience, from smooth route switching to smart weather notifications.

Anson Zhang, CEO Huawei CBG UK said: “We are thrilled to announce a range of new supportive features for Petal Maps, particularly Incognito mode, which demonstrates our utmost commitment to our users’ privacy. At Huawei, we are always innovating to create better apps that support our consumers no matter where they are, and Petal Maps V1.11 helps to provide users with a seamless, efficient and reliable navigation system.”

Incognito Mode

Petal Maps prioritises user privacy above all else while remaining committed to crafting the best possible user experience. In previous versions, Petal Maps was already equipped with strong privacy functions such as Fuzz words, which means the terms that are sent to Petal Maps are blurred after they go through the search, as well as End-to-end Encryption, protecting saved address and travel records from being interpreted by the app.

There’s also the Random Identifier feature which only allows the search and navigation data to be captured after it is associated with a random identifier, which is reset each time the application is restarted. In Petal Maps V1.11, privacy protection is taken to the next level with the introduction of Incognito Mode. This mode permits users to freely set their own privacy and personal data settings, ensuring privacy is entirely respected.

Users can now prevent search locations, histories, and other data from being saved, without comprising on service. Even with Incognito Mode enabled, consumers, can still use the GPS positioning, route planning, navigation and nearby search features as normal (so long as they haven’t been disabled). Users can easily set up their settings via the Privacy management screen, meaning consumers can manage all of their privacy settings from the convenience of a single screen.

Super Navigation

Petal Maps now features a continually optimised navigation experience via ‘Super Navigation’. The app has expanded to provide users with additional routes to choose from, as well as showcasing dynamic time and distance popup windows, making time, distance, and traffic comparisons between routes easier than ever. One tap on the map is all it takes to switch to a new route. Users can also start a route without any data through the addition of ‘offline navigation’ meaning they will never be stuck for directions.

User-Friendly Travel Experience

Gifting users a unique app experience, Petal Map’s search page has been completely redesigned and optimised for general browsing habits, and to provide better visual interactions. For example, when conducting a place search, users can click on the dot icon to view the service card for a location and slide left or right to view the cards of other places close by. Selecting a place’s card displays key information such as the address, phone number or business hours, presenting relevant information in a succinct format.

Search results are also presented with greater clarity in this version due to a more streamlined layout. Intuitive slide and touch operations provide users with a seamless navigation experience within the app. For place search results, a wide range of Nearby Information is now also shown so that when a user touches a searched for a place, surrounding location services and amenities are revealed in the form of enriching pictures and icons – providing a clear sense of what to do and where to stay, without having to lift a finger.

Smart Travel Assistant

Petal Maps V1.11 exhibits its dedication to smarter travel through the addition of Smart Travel Assistant. Featuring dynamic weather notifications, the app now warns users if inclement weather such as thunderstorms is to be expected on a journey, and in the case of extreme weather conditions near a consumer’s home or on their commute, the app will send a notification to the user’s phone so they can plan their journey accordingly.

Petal Maps is available in more than 140 countries with 26 navigation languages. With a staggering 2.7 million users in Europe, Petal Maps is available for all Android smartphones and can be downloaded from both Huawei AppGallery and Google Play.