After rolling out an annoying change last month, Google Maps is already going back on centering its UI on Android Auto.
In late January 2025, an update to Google Maps – not to Android Auto – saw the app tweak its UI on Android Auto displays to center the user’s location to the display, not to the app as a whole. As we reported, this only happened when the driver wasn’t using turn-by-turn navigation. Still, on the smaller displays that are so prevalent in vehicles, this was an annoying change to the Android Auto experience.
Now, Google is rolling it back.
Through what appears to be a server-side tweak, Google Maps on Android Auto once again adjusts the driver’s location to be “centered” to match the UI rather than the display. It’s a minor visual tweak, but one that looks considerably nicer, especially on smaller displays.
We’ve confirmed the change as seen in the screenshot below, and other users have also noticed it this week. However, Google appears to still be rolling out the tweak, as not all users have it just yet.
When the change first rolled out, it was met with wide complaints from users.
More on Android Auto:
- Report: Android Auto is being used by fewer drivers, but YouTube Music is a hit in the car
- Gemini inches forward on Android Auto as UI surfaces in place of Assistant [Video]
- Android Auto 13.5 debuts with improved support for non-cars, Lucid EV prep
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