Google Now commute times

Dr. S

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2012
64
0
0
I can't seem to figure out how to get Google Now to show me my estimated commute times before I leave for work / home. I got the JB upgrade over the weekend, so I've had 3.5 days' worth of commuting, but it never shows me my that info. Whenever I look up a place, Google Now immediately shows me how long it will take to get there with current traffic conditions. So the traffic cards seem to work; I'm guessing it hasn't yet figured out where I work/live yet. Does it just take time to learn your routes? It would be nice if there was a way you could just tell it when and where you commute takes place, but that doesn't appear to be an option.
 
I don't have JB yet so I don't know the specifics of how the feature works, but I know you can set your home and work addresses manually in the Maps app under Location History. If you haven't done that yet, try it. It might help.
 
Funny I just saw your post.

Today, drove across town for lunch. When I walked out and got in my car a card popped up with the route home and drive time. Seriously.

It was sweet! Here comes SkyNet!!!
 
Oh, and you can set your home address, I used GMaps Navigation and it let me set my Home as my Home on a GNow card. Pretty slick.
 
I don't remember how long it took mine, but it was definitely a couple of trips. I think I might have searched for my work a couple of times to help it learn.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Nice, that seemed to do it. Thanks everybody. Now to see how accurate it is on my drive home...
 
Just manually set your home and work addresses and it will work perfectly from that point forward.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
I have a side question but it does pertain to google commute. How do you show the commute times from the pulldown? I noticed there were 3 lines simular to the expand button to see additional information. I pressed it and lost the commute info., how do I get it back?
 
Thanks to everybody for the tips, any more specific instruction on where to find the set work address? I only see the set home address within Google Navigation

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums
 
Answered my own question today, I discovered that you can send your home and work addresses if you visit maps.google.com. It prompted me to enter them as I was asking for some directions tonight. And, now tonight I'm seeing traffic information for my commute to work.

Thought I would post this in case it can someone else out!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums
 
I have a side question but it does pertain to google commute. How do you show the commute times from the pulldown? I noticed there were 3 lines simular to the expand button to see additional information. I pressed it and lost the commute info., how do I get it back?

In case this is still an issue, the 3 horizontal bar icon is the "dismiss all notifications" button. If you want to see the commute times again, just open up Gnow again and the card should still be there.
 
When Google Now first established my home and work locations, it told me to take a more direct (surface) route. I take the highway however, as it has less traffic and I don't have to stop for the 15 lights (I've counted, my GPS insists on this way as well) along the surface route into the city.

After a week, Google Now recognized that I take the highway to work and gives me the time to commute that way but still displays traffic and drive time back along the surface streets.

Just thought this was peculiar.
 
Give it time and it'll fix it. Mine took 3 weeks to realize that I usually drop my wife off at work and pick her up on the way back, and has started including that in my commute. It's kind of neat. And stalker-ish.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tcournoy
I just thought it was odd that it changed one direction and not the other.



Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums
 
I usually go to work on the city streets and come home on the freeway. And here I thought I was so smart because what I thought was Google showing me the shortest route was actually just that it had learned the way I go. :( ;)
 
Google Now keeps giving me a really odd path to work. My path to work is direct on the highway since i live and work only 1 block off highway exits. However it has came up with a path of me driving on a different highway, way out of the way to show on my card as the way to get to work.

Somehow the return trip it knows that i should just go straight home on the highway as I normally do. It doesn't make any sense. It has kept this for days and doesn't seem to be changing. If you were to see the path youd see there is no logical reason to do this. It came up with a path that takes 2x longer than what it normally takes and includes driving miles in the wrong direction only to get back onto the same highway I take. Hopefully they fix this as its incredibly stupid. I can't think of a reason it would all of a sudden do this
 
Perhaps it does that to avoid traffic? It is actually not uncommon with many GPS devices. I could never see the logic either.
 
The problem I keep having is similar, but odd. My commute card shows up all the time except right before I leave home for work, or leave work for home. For example, my work commute card is showing right now, and I'm off today. I guarantee that tomorrow morning when I leave for work, the card won't be there.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums
 
In a 5 day week, 4 days I go to one location and 1 day I go to a completely different one. Usually the 1 is on a Wednesday but sometimes it's a different day, GN isn't going to know. But it's already figured out that on Wednesdays I mostly go to the different location and that's the card I get at first. You can always "show more cards" and get a few suggestions.

One other suggestion is to enable Lattitude. I think that might help.