Android Auto users are starting to report the appearance of a refreshed interface in Google Maps. Yes, it is not a huge change, but it is most visible and has an impact on the use of this popular navigation.
Refreshed look of Google Maps in Android Auto
At the beginning of this year, many users received Android Auto with the Coolwalk interface , which introduces, among others, significantly redesigned home screen. Recently, however, we could learn about the refreshed interface of the Google Assistant , and now there are the first information about changes in the Google Maps application.
In the previous design, controls such as map zoom out/zoom, map orientation selection, and voice prompts on/off appeared on the right side when we interacted with the application. However, in the case of the new look, the elements just mentioned are displayed all the time on a semi-transparent bar located on the left edge.
Yes, this is not a change that dramatically changes the way you use Google navigation in Android Auto. However, it can make it easier to access the controls, especially for new users, for whom the previous solution was not necessarily intuitive. On the other hand, the screen has lost a bit of minimalism, but this is unlikely to be a problem for most people.
It is worth noting that the new look is only available when the navigation is displayed in full-screen mode. This means that the control buttons are not always visible on the home screen in Android Auto with the Coolwalk interface. This is understandable, because in the latter mode, the navigation is displayed on a noticeably smaller surface, so taking more “pixels” of it would be a bad idea.
Changes are introduced gradually
As Android Auto users have certainly got used to, changes in appearance are implemented in stages. This means that not everyone can see the new look right away. I will add that my friend, despite installing all available updates, claims that he still sees the older look.
It should be mentioned here that some saw the revised navigation interface in Android Auto in version 10.0, while others already received it in version 9.9. The 9to5Google service adds that the new look has appeared in the Google Maps application in version 11.90.