Why doesn't my Work commute ever show up in Google Now?

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 07:23 AM

One of the big selling points of Google Now was the ability for it to detect when there was heavy traffic on your commute so you could leave early. Very nice, except I have never seen a work commute card come up. I first noticed this with my Nexus 7, but it didn't matter because I didn't use it as a navigation device. I've got my Work address set in Maps and I've even used now to "navigate to work" but in NEVER adds a work card. However it ALWAYS seems to have a card for going home. I've Googled around and seen a lot of others with the same question, but no one who's ever claimed having it work. What gives?

**flipflopp** · 12-04-2012, 07:37 AM

Mine detects work and home when I pull it up and the time with traffic. I don't remember having to do anything besides input the address for both.

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**ecpolo521** · 12-04-2012, 07:42 AM

Mine shows up. Make sure you go to the settings in Google Now under Traffic and see if its turned on. Also, your locations should show up there. If not, add them.

**woodierock54** · 12-04-2012, 07:51 AM

Does this kill the battery? I recently turned it off in my Google Now because I just assumed it was always calculating and probably draining my battery quicker.

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 07:53 AM

As always, the Traffic card is on and every single checkbox for when it appears is ticked and work and home locations are set and it NEVER has shown work once. While it's only been 6 days with the N4, I've been to work 4 times since then and the GPS is on and it never puts 1 and 1 together, much less 2 and 2. It knows where I am because a couple of nearby restaurants are showing.

**ecpolo521** · 12-04-2012, 07:54 AM

And I haven't seen anything that indicates it does.

**ecpolo521** · 12-04-2012, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

As always, the Traffic card is on and every single checkbox for when it appears is ticked and work and home locations are set and it NEVER has shown work once. While it's only been 6 days with the N4, I've been to work 4 times since then and the GPS is on and it never puts 1 and 1 together, much less 2 and 2. It knows where I am because a couple of nearby restaurants are showing.

I did receive a traffic card when I woke up this morning. I'll get back to you and see if there's a pattern. I normally ignore the card since I take the train.

**gone down south** · 12-04-2012, 09:44 AM

I think it's going to take Now more than 4 days to figure out your patterns.

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 09:50 AM

I forgot to mention in my OP, but I've had my Nexus 7 since July, I carry it back and forth with me to work every day, I have location services turned on, and Now NEVER pops a work card. NEVER. If it doesn't show after 4-1/2 MONTHS, just how useful is it?

The first time I was in Grosse Pointe Village, it popped up cards for nearby restaurants, but after 4 days of being in the immediate vicinity of what is hard-coded into my Maps as my work location and being told explicitly to navigate me to work twice, it apparently needs another year to catch on that this is someplace I frequently go? Really?

**ragnarokx** · 12-04-2012, 09:55 AM

Check your settings in Google Now. It sounds like you have navigate when going home enabled, but make sure navigate when leaving home also enabled.

Sent from my Nexus 4

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 10:33 AM

What am I missing here then?

**gone down south** · 12-04-2012, 11:00 AM

Do you have both Unusually Heavy and Regular traffic set to Standard Notification?

**rclifton** · 12-04-2012, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by gone down south

I think it's going to take Now more than 4 days to figure out your patterns.

Honestly, I don't think it takes more than a few days if you are consistent. Case in point, I'm retired and do not work but my wife does. I take her to work every morning and pick her up in the afternoon, after about the third day Google Now was showing me a traffic card to "work" with my wife's place of employment. This was without me setting a "work address", what is most odd to me is, I do not stay at that address I just drop my wife off every day at the same time and pick her up everyday at the same time. Some how it was able to figure it out on it's own that it's a "work address" that is important to me even if it isn't mine lol.

OP, sorry I can't help. Looks like you have everything set right. Do you work a routine schedule? Or do your work hours vary?

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 11:05 AM

Unusually heavy = Standard
Regular = Low

Don't see how that goes would prevent Work when the Home card shows.

**gone down south** · 12-04-2012, 11:12 AM

OK, I'm out of ideas

**bilago** · 12-04-2012, 11:41 AM

I had a hacked version of Google Now on my old phone and it showed the commute both ways. So perhaps the 4.2.1 version has a bug?

**ragnarokx** · 12-04-2012, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

What am I missing here then?

Looks good to me

Sent from my Nexus 4

**jgreeson25** · 12-04-2012, 12:05 PM

When my "Time to Work Card" doesn't appear when I launch Google Now, I hit the "Show more cards" button at the bottom of the screen and it usually pops up the time to work work card. Have you tried that option?

**bens42608** · 12-04-2012, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

I forgot to mention in my OP, but I've had my Nexus 7 since July, I carry it back and forth with me to work every day, I have location services turned on, and Now NEVER pops a work card. NEVER. If it doesn't show after 4-1/2 MONTHS, just how useful is it?

The first time I was in Grosse Pointe Village, it popped up cards for nearby restaurants, but after 4 days of being in the immediate vicinity of what is hard-coded into my Maps as my work location and being told explicitly to navigate me to work twice, it apparently needs another year to catch on that this is someplace I frequently go? Really?

I graduated from Grosse Pointe North

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**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 12:34 PM

Well, wottayaknow, the card just showed up! (Snoopy dance) Now there are two cards showing commute times. So weird. Google must have noticed we were talking about it.

**DirkBelig** · 12-04-2012, 12:39 PM

Whoops! Spoke too soon. Just got in the car (was in the office before) and swiped up and only the Home card is there. I didn't swipe away the Work card. Hmmm.

**gone down south** · 12-05-2012, 03:43 PM

Google Now hates me, I spend all day driving around California and only go to my Work location a couple times a week. It never quite catches up to where I'm actually going

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**DirkBelig** · 12-05-2012, 10:20 PM

I've found that if I call up more cards, the work one more frequently pops up.

**6tr6tr** · 12-05-2012, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

One of the big selling points of Google Now was the ability for it to detect when there was heavy traffic on your commute so you could leave early. Very nice, except I have never seen a work commute card come up. I first noticed this with my Nexus 7, but it didn't matter because I didn't use it as a navigation device. I've got my Work address set in Maps and I've even used now to "navigate to work" but in NEVER adds a work card. However it ALWAYS seems to have a card for going home. I've Googled around and seen a lot of others with the same question, but no one who's ever claimed having it work. What gives?

Two things you need to check:

1. Location history needs too be on
2. Web history (I believe) needs to be on

**N4Newbie** · 12-06-2012, 01:51 AM

Don't know if anyone has tried the obvious, but...

In Google Now screen, scroll to the bottom and tap "Show sample cards".

Tap on Traffic, Settings

In the Locations section at the bottom of the screen, make sure both Home and Work addresses have been set. If not, tap and manually edit the addresses.