Google has launched a new service to help Muslims with their prayers during the holy month of Ramazan. The popular search engine will now let users locate the accurate direction of the Holy Kaaba using its Qibla Finder service.
The web-based service can be used on most smartphones after users have enabled it to identify their location. What’s more interesting is Android users will also get an augmented reality experience that uses the phone camera to draw a clear blue line pointing towards the direction of the Qibla.
iOS users however won’t get the augmented reality feature and will only show a blue line to mark the correct direction.
Users can avail the service simply by searching ‘qibla finder’ on Google and clicking on the featured link at the top or visit the service directly using the qiblafinder.withgoogle.com link.
It is however the worth mentioning that the service uses a smartphone’s built in compass to function and therefore won’t work with devices that lack the feature.
The new service follows a series of updates to Google applications to help users mark the month of Ramazan. The updates featured on Google’s Ramazan hub include Ramazan-specific notifications on Google Maps as well as a collection of the month’s most critically acclaimed Ramazan TV series on YouTube, Mosalsalat.
