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Change to Google Maps will result in less clutter on the screen

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Feb 08, 2025, 9:45 PM

The iOS version of Google Maps appears on an iPhone display in landscape.

Google is never satisfied with Google Maps and this is a good thing. The latest test being conducted on the Google Maps app will change the look of the pins you place on the app to save the location of a place that you want to remember. Currently, if you zoom out on the Google Maps app, these pins start moving closer to each other until all that's left is one pin. The change being considered by Google would shrink the pins when you zoom out, and remove the icons on the pins leaving just the color surrounded by a white perimeter.

Despite being smaller and losing the icons (such as flags, hearts, and stars) when you zoom out, the pins will still keep their colors which will help the user quickly determine whether a pinned location is a zoo, a museum, a restaurant, a gas station, and more. Note that full pins won't change their look if you zoom in only moderately.

Google first made changes to the pins last August but then went back to the previous design before testing the revamped pins mentioned in this article. The difference from the pins seen last August is that now some of the pins won't change when you zoom out while others become the smaller icon-less pins. These dots are small making them hard to see, but on the other hand, at that size they won't interfere with the map. It also results in a cleaner-looking view for the Google Maps user.

Images of Google Maps showing pins before and after the new changes made by Google.

At left, pins in the current version of Google Maps compared to the smaller icon-less pins being tested by Google in the beta version of the app (R). | Image credit-9to5Google

The new look pins are showing up in Google Maps beta version 25.06.x. Considering that the app reportedly has more than 2 billion active monthly users, Google does like to experiment with it to improve the experience of using the app. In this case, it improves the navigation end of the app not only making it easier to find out more info about a pinned location when zooming out on the screen but also by reducing the clutter that can make it a pain to use the app.

While it's not clear when this new feature for Google Maps will be rolled out to all Android users, one thing you can be sure of is that more changes will be coming to the Google Maps app soon.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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