Google Maps has updated two key buttons for location and directions that people interact with constantly throughout the day.
The directions FAB at the bottom-right corner of the main screen is now smaller (depending on your system settings).
Meanwhile, the button to pinpoint your location is also now housed in a rounded square, but the big change there is the actual icon. Instead of a blue, filled-in arrow when you’re viewing your current location, it’s now a compass icon.
When not viewing your live position (like if the map is panned away), it goes from an empty arrow to the blue dot that’s already used to indicate where you are on the map layer. It’s more intuitive and consistent in that regard, but that compass arrow was pretty iconic.
The layers icon further up the screen that lets you switch to the satellite map type, public transit, traffic, 3D, air quality, and more adds a ‘plus’ to the existing design, but remains a circle.
Elsewhere, when viewing a listing, the two buttons go from circles to the rounded squares.
We’re seeing these button changes widely rolled out in Google Maps for Android (version 25.39) today. It’s not yet on iOS.
More on Google Maps:
- Google Maps for Android getting Material 3 Expressive tweaks
- Google Maps maimed Timelines for privacy, but that’s worse than abandoning it
- Google Maps for Wear OS now auto-launches when you need it most, and it’s a delight [Video]
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