AndroidPolice.com reported two new Google Now features last week, a public transportation alarm to alert users when they have reached their stop, and the soon to be released “Nearby” feature that lets users – and devices – know when they are in close proximity to each other.
While the public transportation alarm appears to be live, AndroidPolice.com’s report claims the Nearby feature is still in development, but will be launched soon.
“We’ve received information indicating that Nearby will come with an upcoming Google Play services update,” writes AndroidPolice.com’s Liam Spradlin, “While we still caution readers that anything related to a leak can change, we are not treating this as a rumor.”
According to AndroidPolice.com, the Nearby feature would make it easy to present users with “extremely targeted” Wallet offers, as well as open a multitude of possibilities beyond commercial uses, “…from home automation to everyday user-to-user interaction, to the interaction between your own devices.”
Once it rolls out, the Nearby feature will be enabled from Google Settings under “Location” options:
To clarify how the Nearby app works, AndroidPolice.com offered what it claimed was language from the upcoming feature’s onboarding screen:
When Nearby is turned on for your account, Google can periodically turn on the mic, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and similar features on all your current and future devices. Google+ and other Google services need this access to help you connect, share, and more.
The public transportation alarm already appears to be added within Google Now.
From AndroidPolice.com:
If you open Google Now when you’re using public transportation, it may offer an integrated alarm for saved locations like home and work. The alarm knows where and approximately when you should exit – just tap it, and it will alert you before you get there.
The report included the following image from The Netherlands of the public transportation alert feature:
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