Google Maps add new descriptive audio directions to help visually impaired people

Feature will advise people about where they are walking and when they should be especially alert

This picture taken on November 5, 2018 shows a woman passing a booth of Google at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

Google has added new voice directions that will make the app easier to use for people with visual impairments.

The app will now give people more information about where they are, and when they should be using extra caution, as they move around places.

It is intended to make it easier for people to walk around with more confidence while travelling in unknown and unfamiliar places.

For now, the feature is only available in the US and Japan, but is likely to roll out across more areas with time.

People with visual impairments worked with the tech giant to build the new option, providing more thorough verbal guidance, such as the distance until their next turn and the direction they are walking.

When coming up to a large intersection, users receive a warning to cross with extra caution, while a spoken notification will let them know they are being rerouted if they have accidentally gone in the wrong direction.

"With detailed voice guidance in Google Maps, my journey fades into the background and I can focus more on what I'll do at my final destination," said Wakana Sugiyama, a business analyst at Google, who is blind and helped develop the solution.

"This may not sound extraordinary to those with sight, but for people who are blind or have low vision, this can help us explore new and unfamiliar places."

It is also being pitched to those without visual impairments who want a more screen-free experience on their next walking trip.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 2.2 billion people across the world have a vision impairment or blindness, of which at least one billion could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.

Additional reporting by agencies