Google Maps updated for CarPlay, revived on Apple Watch

Posted:
in Apple Watch
Google has made some changes to how Google Maps works on Apple devices, with updates made to the interface when used in CarPlay, as well as a new Google Maps app for Apple Watch providing navigation on the wrist.

Google Maps CarPlay


Drivers using Google Maps for navigation in CarPlay will now be able to view the map in a new split screen view, after Google added support for CarPlay's Dashboard. The main map view is placed on one side of the screen, while the other half is split to show the next navigational step along with other items a driver may be using.

Google bills this as a way to manage other bits of information without needing to leave the turn-by-turn navigation of Google Maps, and for drivers to quickly get the information they need while keeping focus on the road.

Google Maps has been enabled in CarPlay since 2018, after Apple allowed third-party navigation apps to be usable via the platform alongside Apple Maps. In March, Apple enabled third-party navigation apps to function directly on the CarPlay Dashboard as part of iOS 13.4, but it has taken five months for Google to update the app to support the feature.

The Google Maps for Apple Watch app is a refreshed version of Google's original, which will provide navigational guidance to places the user has already saved within the iPhone app. Users can check estimated arrival times and select from a variety of different transportation types, which will adjust the route Google Maps offers.

Google did previously have a Google Maps app for the Apple Watch, but ended support for watchOS in 2017.

The updated Google Maps support for CarPlay Dashboard is available now, while Google Maps for Apple Watch will roll out globally in the coming weeks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    I switched to exclusively Apple maps while in the car a long time ago, just because of how trash Google Maps is with Carplay. Glad they finally improved it, but way too damn late for me. Fact that they were ok providing such a shitty experience, for so long, doesn't sit well. 
    BeatsStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 14
    clexmanclexman Posts: 208member
    This is great, but I can’t figure out how to set Google Maps as the default on the dashboard. I found 30 websites with this announcement, but not one says how to make it happen. 
    chemengin1
  • Reply 3 of 14
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Get that spyware outta my car!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 14
    bulk001bulk001 Posts: 764member
    Cool! Really prefer Google Maps over Apple Maps but now people have more options, not less. 
  • Reply 5 of 14
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 403member
    I prefer to keep Mr Google and Mr Softy out of my home and out of my car. 
    edited August 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 14
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    I actually preferred to use Waze due to the traffic/police alerts, but I decided to give Apple Maps another shot over the past few weeks. I love it, and don't think I'll be going back now. I never really liked Google Maps in CarPlay, but I may try it out to see what all the fuss is about.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    For a long time, I used to use Google Map but switched to using Apple Map. Amaze to see Apple Map is now better than Google Map or at least I like it. Wish I can set Apple Map as a default Map irrespective from which browser the link for Direction is clicked. Come on Apple, can you not let us make your own Apple Map as default on your iPhone ? It can't be anti-trust or anti-competitive issue.
    edited August 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 14
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    Switched to Apple Maps years ago. It’s even better via CarPlay.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 14
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    I use Apple Maps even when I know where I’m going, so I don’t get caught in traffic jams. 

    “If you turn left, right, left again, make a hard right then drive ten miles through Middle Earth, you can shave two minutes off your journey to Ipswich.”

    Took a while (supposedly), but Apple’s got a great service here. Easy to follow, and nice touches like pinning the location of your car when you park it, and sending ETA updates to folk you’re visiting

    Oh wait, this is about Google Maps isn’t it?

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 14
    For local commutes, I still prefer Waze.  I've used all three and Waze has, in my estimation, the better alternative route selection due to construction, accidents, etc, than either Google or Apple Maps.  Waze also seems more accurate, i.e. finding an exact address.  For instance, I used all three last night to find a destination in Ohio, and both Apple and Google maps placed it 20 miles away from its actual location, while Waze was spot on.  

    Google maps if I'm on a trip with planned stops.  Not sure why Apple hasn't yet implemented the type of robust trip planning google maps has.

    Apple maps if I'm on an express trip of over about 1,000 miles.  Apple maps is far faster at recovering than either of the other two if I happen to take a wrong turn, or miss a turn.
    edited August 2020
  • Reply 11 of 14
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Tough to go back to anything else after using Apple Maps with Carplay. It's the cleanest, smoothest, and sounds the best. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 14
    As much as I loathe Google’s map app, there are parts of Scotland that Apple’s service simply hasn’t mapped properly, especially in the Highlands and Islands where the road network becomes... interesting. 

    Google isn’t perfect in that region either, but the accuracy of its map is far better there than Apple’s. Carrier signal is also often non-existent in the mountains making Apple Maps a non starter. Google’s on the other hands lets me download a map area for offline use before setting off. 

    Having the Google option for CarPlay is therefore welcomed. 
    edited August 2020
  • Reply 13 of 14
    So how do you get the Google Maps app onto the Watch?  Not finding it in the apps-available picker on the iPhone Watch app, and not finding it in the Watch's native App Store.
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