A recent update may give you more heads-up information when using Google Maps navigation right at your steering wheel if you have a digital dashboard that supports Android Auto.
Previously, when using Google Maps in Android Auto, you would only see directional instructions in the main in-car head unit. Voice prompts indicated where to turn or any upcoming hazards. Now, this is all visible from within the main instrument cluster at the wheel of supported cars. We have tested this on the Polestar 2. The car only recently received support for Android Auto despite being an Android Automotive-powered vehicle.
This functionality mimics the controls that were added to Android Automotive last year by giving you an estimated arrival time, distance to the destination, and travel time within the instrument cluster. A recent bug has caused this section to disappear for some Volvo and Polestar owners in recent weeks.
In Android Auto, this section goes a step further by showing Google Maps directions when you have a route set. As you can see in the image below, the current road directions are front-and-center with the following instruction shown beneath, while the other data is found in the black oblong further below.
Lane information will be shown within the pop-up panel to help ensure you don’t need to look at your central in-car console for navigation cues. This could be useful if you choose to have Maps or other Android Auto sounds muted while driving. This change is unrelated to the recently confirmed Google Maps redesign that is coming to Polestar vehicles and confirmed by the Geely-owned carmaker.
One problem with this Maps redesign in Android Auto is that it can obscure some directional information when your vehicle is moving, making it tough to see alternate routes or streets nearby if you are confident enough to route map while behind the wheel. It’s also not clear how widely this will be available. Your vehicle will require a digital instrument cluster or LED head unit for this information to be displayed.
We spotted this change with Google Maps over the past few days with Android Auto 14.3.651844 on a Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s not clear how widespread this is given the limited pool of cars that will be able to show this data on the instrument cluster.
More on Android Auto:
- Google building audio-only mode for driving ahead of video apps on Android Auto
- Spotify will get a new Android Auto app ‘in the coming months’ with Jam support [Gallery]
- Google teases media app updates for Android Auto, and they look good
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