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It wasn’t that long ago that Google teased us with a new design for Google Maps that it was testing. However, that design vanished after a few weeks of testing and never got a public release. But there’s good news! According to 9to5Google, the Google Maps UI redesign is coming back to Android.
Small but important changes
Google Maps first started testing its new UI design back in February, when it was rolled out to some users. After a few days of testing, the redesign was pulled back, leaving everyone thinking it was just another change that wouldn’t make it to the final version. But, Google is back with its new UI design for Google Maps, and this time with some extra changes.
Google has changed the full-screen panels to make it easier for you to see parts of the map in the background. This will give you context while you check out other details in the info cards.
Google has also made the corners of the panels more rounded. You’ll see a close icon that you can tap to close the info card. There’s also a new share icon that you can use to share the card via various platforms. These are small changes, but you will easily notice them once you get access to this Google Maps design.
One of the biggest changes the Google Maps redesign brings is that the starting and ending point fields will now float at the top. Additionally, the different travel modes will appear at the bottom. This change will help you easily switch your mode of transport.
If you had access to the Google Maps redesign released in February, you would have noticed a stacked approach to the panels. This was introduced to create a depth effect. However, the new redesign has gotten rid of that, and now it looks much clearer and offers a little bit more detail in comparison.
When will the Google Maps redesign roll out publicly?
The Google Maps redesign is still under testing, and Google hasn’t commented on its release date yet. It’s currently available as a server-side update, so only a very few people have access to it.
However, considering the interest in this new design for some time now, Google likely won’t wait much longer to release it publicly. Also, the redesign has only been spotted on Android so far. So, it might come to Google Maps for iOS a few days after the Android release.