Google Maps' new 'Driving Mode' can guess where you're going before you set off

The new feature learns your travel habits and provides you with journey information automatically

Driving Mode could help drivers navigate London's busy streets better (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

The latest Android mobile version of Google Maps includes an all-new 'Driving Mode', which can tell where you're going without you having to tell it.

Using data like your location history and past web searches, Google Maps can now make assumptions about where you're going. For example, if it senses you driving away from your house at 8am on a Monday morning, it might assume you're on your way to work. If you drive to the gym every Wednesday at a certain time, it might learn that and provide you with relevant information.

Alternatively, if you've been Googling a certain restaurant throughout the day, the app will notice that and give you the directions when you set off.

Once you're on the road, Driving Mode then gives you live updates about slow traffic or road closures on your route, and also provides an estimated time of arrival for the journey.

It's all a little Minority Report-esque, but it could come in handy as it learns more about your habits.

The feature was spotted by Android Police, who detailed the difficult way to activate it.

Currently, users have to tap around in the 'Navigation Settings' menu and find the 'Add driving shortcut' button, in order to add driving mode to the phone's navigation drawer. However, that's not quite as easy as it sounds, and whether this button even appears seems to vary user by user.

At any rate, Driving Mode is officially launching later this week, so frustrated users could just wait for the final, bug-free release.

Android Police also reported that the new Maps update includes a better toggle for voice navigation, allowing you to easily turn off the spoken directions, and a timeline setting that shows where you've been in the past.