Google Maps is perhaps one of the most used apps on the planet and, as such, even minor changes to its design are extremely important. But on Apple’s CarPlay, Google Maps needs a major overhaul, as it’s a bit of a dumpster fire.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are extremely useful platforms for safely using your smartphone’s apps and services on your car’s screen while behind the wheel. For many, support can be a key point in purchasing a vehicle for them.
One of the key use cases is, of course, navigation.
Built-in navigation systems in cars have gotten better over the years, but they’re often less reliable than what we have on our phones, and they often come at a price. As such, the ability to put Google Maps on your car’s screen is a big selling point for many users.
On Android Auto, it’s a pretty solid experience. Maps will show several recommended destinations based on your habits, search history, calendar events, etc., as well as offer a sidebar of settings to customize your ride. It works pretty well, with users able to do almost anything they should, including sending their ETA to another person accessible from the car’s screen and more.
On Apple CarPlay, however, the Google Maps app acts as a shell unto itself.
The Google Maps experience for CarPlay is barebones, to say the least. Opening the app just throws you on the map. No nav targets or anything in sight. The search bar at the top – which is hidden – opens up access to saved places, recent searches, etc. It’s usable, but not as convenient or nearly as functional as the phone app or Android Auto experience.
It only gets worse when you jump into settings. The options are minimal at best and lack many of the newer additions.
For example, Google Maps introduced 3D buildings to Android Auto and CarPlay earlier this year. Android Auto users can change this setting directly on their car screens, while CarPlay users have to frustratingly disconnect from the car and change the setting in the application on their iPhones.
What about the navigation itself? There, the experience is at least comparable to Android Auto. Google Maps on CarPlay displays the most important information such as turn-by-turn directions, a visual overview of the street you are on, and ETA. But there is no way to share your arrival time with someone else. The UI design as a whole also looks very dated compared to the app on phones.
It’s frustrating that I can’t even simply change the position of the map because (at least in my vehicle) I have to use the direction arrow in the lower right corner of the screen.
The whole experience leaves a bad taste. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of CarPlay, but the Google Maps experience only makes it worse. Apple Maps is really far ahead of CarPlay and it’s nonsense that Google has ignored it for so long (basically unchanged since launch in 2018), especially when it’s not like Apple is forcing Google to this outdated and limited format. There are plenty of other navigation apps on CarPlay that work great.
Then again, it’s not like Google covers all its bases with in-car Maps features, not even on Android Auto.
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