The new design of the Google Maps Android application is in distribution

Google Maps has been working on a new design for the Android application since the beginning of 2024. In this new design, there is a switch from full-screen user interface to page-based layouts. Google is finally opening this new view to more users.

These pages, with more rounded corners, show the map in more places, emphasizing the background layer. In addition to helping maintain context as you navigate the app, Google Maps looks simpler with this new design.

Users can close pages with place lists by tapping the “x” button added to the top right or by swiping backwards from the left and right edges. In the new design, there will no longer be a need to scroll up the search bar just to see the map.

The other big change was made on the page showing directions. The interface for entering the destination is still full page, with the transportation methods switcher and list of recent locations.

However, once entered, only the start/end location is shown at the top of the screen. The tool for changing methods has been moved to the bottom of the screen for better accessibility. This user interface will also use one-page design.

Testing for the new design of the Google Maps Android application started in February

Google started testing the new design in February, but stopped its work a few weeks later. After some fine-tuning, the second round of tests started in May. While the distribution of the new design to Android users began a few days ago, this design has not yet been seen on iOS.