Google Maps now supports NFC Android Beam feature

Google Maps now supports NFC Android Beam feature

The Google Maps app has been updated to support the NFC Android Beam feature that was announced at this week’s Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus event. This was spotted by androidcentral and where as you won’t see the new feature listed in the change log, new permissions requested are for NFC. When you put the pieces together, it’s safe to assume that Beam support has been added to Google Maps.

NFC in Google Maps uses

We expect the NFC features in Google Maps will lead to tourism brochures containing NFC tags that will allow you to find your way around a strange city, and even NFC tags in smart posters that will allow users to find the nearest cinema playing an advertised movie. Linking events and places via NFC to maps and directions is due to explode this next year. It seems Google will be more than ready for that to detonate with the eventual explosion of Ice Cream Sandwich Android NFC phones that are due to hit the market within the next few months.

Android Beam is what Google is calling its onboard NFC services that are baked straight into Android Ice Cream Sandwich. We expect to see NFC increasingly integrated into Android 4.0 beyond Google Maps and the other applications mentioned during the announcement, as NFC matures and more consumer NFC smartphones become available.