Google Maps dark theme officially coming to iPhone this month

Abner Li | Aug 3 2021 - 9:00 am PT

Google officially announced the Maps for Android dark mode in February and widely rolled it out a month later. The Google Maps dark theme is now officially set to arrive on iPhone and iPad in the coming weeks.

This darker look is pitched as giving “your eyes a break” from the blindingly light Maps interface, especially at night.

The search field, carousel of place/category suggestions, and bottom bar, as well as other buttons, switch to light gray. A baby blue hue marks your current tab and the FAB for getting directions. The darkest shade of gray is reserved for the underlying map layer when zoomed in, while streets and names are slightly lighter. All pins and icons have been similarly hued to fit.

Google also says this night-friendly look will help you “save on battery life.” You’ll see a prompt when it launches with manual controls in Settings. On Android, you can have it match your system or set an independent theme. The Google Maps dark theme is officially “rolling out in the coming weeks” to iPhone and iPad owners. A full iOS launch will take place by the end of August.

Next up is a rather rare update to the Google Maps iMessage app. Besides just quickly sending your current address, you now have the ability to “share your real-time location.” By default, this will be active for one hour, but can be extended to three days and be stopped at any time.

Lastly, Google today highlighted the pair of Maps widgets for traffic conditions and shortcuts/search that rolled out last week. Of today’s three features, this homescreen one is currently widely available with version 5.74. The others will be available this month.