Google Maps is the go-to app for all your navigation needs, as has been the case for several years now. Like with any modern-day app, changes are inevitable, but not all changes are good. We were reminded of this in April following the removal of Assistant Driving Mode from the navigation experience.
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This also meant that Driving Mode’s support for music apps was gone, with the feature replaced by a floating action button (FAB) activated by the “Show media playback controls” toggle from Settings. It now looks like the Google Maps team is having second thoughts about this, too.
A report by 9to5Google shines light on the removal of this toggle from Settings > Navigate in Google Maps for Android. A quick look on my aging Pixel 6a (running Maps version 25.29 beta) confirmed the toggle’s removal.
The toggle is gone from the stable version of Maps for Android (version 25.28) as well, as per 9to5. Additionally, the “Default media app” option that lets users choose between YouTube Music or Spotify as the default music app has also disappeared from navigation settings.
Deliberate removal or a temporary bug?
The now removed media controls in Google Maps for Android (via 9to5Google)
The toggle continues to be available and functional in the iOS version of Google Maps (for now), so it’s difficult to ascertain if this is part of a bug in the Android version of Maps or a planned removal by Google. With there being no alternative for media playback controls during navigation, we sincerely hope it’s the former.
Media playback controls on Google Maps for iOS
For now, this means Google Maps users on Android will have to stick to standard app controls for music, which isn’t ideal if you rely on smartphone-based navigation. You can also use Maps on an iPhone to get back the media controls, though Maps on iOS lacks support for YouTube Music, with only Apple Music and Spotify supported.
We’re hoping to hear more about this omission from Google over the coming days, especially considering the potential outrage this could cause among frequent users of Maps. Google ditched Assistant Driving Mode as part of its efforts to replace Assistant with Gemini across Android. However, it’s unclear what a Gemini-based Driving Mode will look like when (and if) it rolls out to users.
