Google is doing it again, making cosmetic changes to Google Maps, at least the Android variant of the app. One of the most used apps in the world with an estimated 154 million daily active users, it's believed that U.S. Google Maps users spend an average of 23 minutes a day on the app. That's because Google Maps is extremely useful and does much more than provide users with turn-by-turn directions.
Google Maps recommends places to eat, suggests where you should stay, tells you where you can find historical landmarks, and much more. And since it is developed by Google, there are often small changes made to the app's UI. I often wonder whether Google locks a number of app developers in a room and leaves them in there until they come up with a couple of design changes. That would explain some of the small changes that are made to the search giant's apps including Maps.
Here are the latest changes being made to the Android version of Google Maps
Google Maps for Android has two buttons being updated. One of the buttons is the Floating Action Button (FAB) at the bottom right-corner of the main Google Maps display. This button is now smaller. The FAB button is teal with a diamond-shaped icon inside that shows a teal arrow pointing to the right. Pressing on this button after you type in your destination takes you to the screen that allows you to plan your journey. You can add stops along the way by tapping the three-dot icon to the right of the "Your location" box and selecting Edit stops.
Do you use Google Maps more than 23 minutes a day?
Yes. I rely on the app more than the average driver.
50%
No. I don't use the app that much.
50%
Tapping that three-dot icon and pressing on Options will allow you to change the avatar representing your vehicle, select fuel-efficient routes, choose routes that avoid tolls, highways, and ferries, and see estimates of toll-road prices.
The other button sporting a change, found just above the FAB, is the one that shows you your current location on the map. Previously a blue arrow inside a circle when viewing your current location, the location button has a new look. First, like the FAB button, the location button is now squircle shaped. Inside that design is an icon that resembles a compass. If the map is not showing your current position, the icon turns into the blue dot that is used to indicate your position on the map.
Which version of Google Maps for Android features the new look for these buttons?
Moving up the display, the layers button on the right side of the app also has a new look as a small dot has been added to the icon inside the button. Tapping that button allows you to choose which type of map you want to view, the default look, a satellite look, or one that shows the terrain of the road along your journey. It also allows you to see details relating to public transit, color-coded traffic indicators, infrastructure and paths meant for bicyclists, and the view of your travels from the street.
Updated version of Google Maps for Android with the changes made to certain buttons. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Google is rolling out these changes right now to Android users with version 25.39 of Google Maps. I do have the new look on the Google Maps app running on my Pixel 6 Pro which has Google Maps version 25.40 installed. If you don't have Google Maps running on your Android device, it can be downloaded from the Google Play Store by tapping on this link.
What makes these changes so interesting is that Google does put great thought behind them. The research it conducted must have shown that Android users would more closely connect the blue dot icon used on the location button with the blue dot that Google uses to show your current location when you press the button. In other words, nothing about these changes is random.
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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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