Wear OS gains offline Google Maps, Google Drive adds JPEG saving for scanned documents

Top 3 Key Points:

1. Offline Maps for Wear OS: Google Maps on Wear OS now supports offline maps, syncing automatically from your phone.
2. JPEG Option for Google Drive Scanner: Google Drive’s document scanner on Android can now save scanned documents as JPEGs.
3. Google Sheets ‘Convert to Table’ Feature: Google Sheets introduces an automated suggestion to convert data into well-formatted tables.

Google is rolling out new features for its services, enhancing usability across devices. Two significant updates are now available: offline maps for Wear OS through Google Maps, and a new JPEG saving option for Google Drive’s document scanner on Android.

Offline Google Maps for Wear OS

Following the announcement of the Pixel Watch 3, Google Maps on Wear OS is introducing offline support. Once you update the app, it will automatically download offline maps from your phone to your watch. You can find these under a new “Offline maps” section, just above the Settings option.

This feature is designed to automatically sync your local map data, including any offline areas you’ve saved on your phone, directly to your watch. You can easily manage these offline maps, including viewing how much storage they use and deleting them if needed.

Google also mentions that these maps will automatically sync when your watch is connected to Wi-Fi and charging. When offline, a slashed cloud icon will appear next to the time in the map view, indicating that you’re using the offline mode.

In addition, Wear OS now includes a new “Search & go” Tile, offering quick access to your Home and Work locations, along with a microphone for voice commands. You can also jump straight to the map view by tapping “Map,” skipping the main menu.

This update is available with version 11.140.0701.W of Google Maps for Wear OS, as seen on the Pixel Watch 2. Note that this feature is currently rolling out to users who are part of the public Google Maps beta.

JPEG Saving for Google Drive Document Scanner

Another useful update comes to the document scanner feature in Google Drive on Android. Previously, users could only save scanned documents as PDFs, but now there’s an option to save them as JPEGs.

After capturing an image using the camera function in Google Drive, users can edit the image and choose to save it in either PDF or JPEG format. This new option is available on the “Save to Drive” screen, where you can select the file format before saving. The file name field will update accordingly based on your choice.

This update is gradually rolling out to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. While Android users are already seeing this feature with version 2.24.x of Google Drive, it’s not yet available on iOS.

Google Sheets ‘Convert to Table’ Feature

Google Sheets has also received a new feature this week that will make data management easier. The “Convert to table” suggestion, identified by a small Gemini sparkle icon, offers an automated way to transform your data into well-formatted tables with rich data types.

This feature is turned on by default, but you can disable it if you prefer. To do this, go to Tools > Suggestion controls and uncheck “Enable table suggestions.” You can also manually convert data into a table by selecting the range of data and choosing Format > Convert to the table.

This update is available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

These new features are part of Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance productivity and usability across its ecosystem, ensuring that users have more flexibility and control over how they access and manage their data.