Google Maps

106 'Google Maps' stories May 2012 - April 2026

Supreme Court considering legality of smartphone location ‘dragnets’

Ben Lovejoy 13 hours ago

Supreme Court (pictured) considering legality of smartphone location 'dragnets'

The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the legality of so-called geofence warrants, sometimes also referred to as “digital dragnets” because they capture the location data of a great many innocent citizens in addition to criminal suspects.

In a practice raising obvious privacy concerns, tech giants are increasingly being asked by law enforcement to identify all of the smartphone users present at a particular location at the time a crime was committed …

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Google Maps parking location now automatically saves on iOS, adds custom icons

from 9to5Google Dec 9 2025 - 7:42 am PT

Google Maps has recently rolled out a change where, at least on iOS, the app will automatically detect that you’ve parked your vehicle and save that location, and it will also now show it with a custom icon.

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It’s not just you: Google Maps is down in major outage [U: Fixed]

from 9to5Google Sep 11 2025 - 1:47 pm PT

In a rare outage, Google Maps is down and will not load as of 1 p.m. PT on Thursday. This is impacting the Android and iOS apps.

Google Maps for iPhone can now scan your screenshots to save places

from 9to5Google May 7 2025 - 5:10 pm PT

After announcing in March, Google Maps has rolled out a feature that can scan screenshots on your iPhone and save any found locations.

Filipe Espósito Mar 28 2025 - 4:54 pm PT

56 Comments

Google on Friday released a major update for Google Maps users on iOS, at least for those in the European Union. With the latest version of the app, iPhone users can now set Google Maps as their default navigation app, completely replacing Apple Maps.

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Google Maps for iPhone gets sheet & directions redesign, improves reachability

from 9to5Google Mar 7 2025 - 1:04 pm PT

Following Android back in July, Google Maps is now rolling out a sheet-based redesign that replaces most fullscreen UIs in the iPhone app.

Ryan Christoffel Nov 4 2024 - 9:23 am PT

5 Comments

Apple continues to go back and forth with the EU about its regulatory compliance. And in a new document recently released by the company, it announced plans to enable setting default apps for navigation and translation soon. That means users will be able to finally make Google Maps default.

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Google Maps is showing Live Activities for more iPhone users, but still not everyone

from 9to5Google Jul 17 2024 - 7:44 am PT

Live Activities are a really cool, but underused feature of iOS. Google Maps first announced that the app would support Live Activities back in 2023, but it’s still not arrived. However, after some tests went live earlier this year, we’re seeing more users reporting the feature is live.

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Google Maps testing Live Activities on iPhone – here’s what it looks like [Gallery]

from 9to5Google Apr 24 2024 - 7:23 am PT

Live Activities are a super useful feature of Apple’s latest iPhones, but also one that goes underused. Google Maps has been overdue to support the feature for years now and while it’s still not live yet, Google is testing Live Activities with some iPhone users.

Google will store Location History, Maps Timeline on your device for privacy

from 9to5Google Dec 12 2023 - 9:10 am PT

Google is making a big change to how it stores Location History data on Android and iOS. Instead of that data being stored in the cloud, Google will be locally saving Location History to your device with end-to-end encrypted cloud backups for “Your Timeline” in Maps also offered.

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Google Maps rolls out new colors on Android, iOS, and web

from 9to5Google Nov 17 2023 - 9:09 am PT

Google has announced a slew of new features for Maps in recent weeks, including Immersive View for routes, more detailed navigation, and transit filters. Google Maps is now rolling out a new color palette.

Michael Potuck Jul 26 2023 - 7:54 am PT

24 Comments

After forming a collaborative mapping effort last year called Overture Maps Foundation, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and TomTom have officially launched their first open map dataset. The new free resource could be a compelling choice for developers who don’t want to rely on Apple or Google Maps.

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Apple Maps versus Google Maps: Tide is turning, say analysts

Ben Lovejoy Jul 18 2023 - 4:18 am PT

101 Comments

Apple Maps versus Google Maps | Apple Maps on a car dash

The battle of Apple Maps versus Google Maps was once a very one-sided one, thanks to the disastrous launch of the Cupertino company’s own map app. But analysts say that is now changing – even though most US iPhone owners have Google Maps installed.

Ironically, one weakness of Apple Maps is considered a strength by some users …

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Google completes iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets rollout with Maps and Search

from 9to5Google Oct 13 2022 - 3:32 pm PT

Google is wrapping up the rollout of its iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets with Maps and Search for a total of six updated iPhone applications.

Google previews iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets for Gmail, Maps, and more

from 9to5Google Sep 12 2022 - 8:08 am PT

With iOS 16 launching for the iPhone today, Google is detailing upcoming Lock Screen widgets across six major apps set to arrive over the coming weeks.

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Google Maps updates location sharing with arrival and departure notifications

from 9to5Google Jul 27 2022 - 12:02 am PT

Google is rolling out a handful of new Maps features for the summer, but the highlight is a significant update to location sharing that lets you receive arrival and departure notifications.

Google Maps Street View gets historical browsing on Android & iOS, Studio tool, compact camera

from 9to5Google May 24 2022 - 7:58 am PT

To mark the 15th anniversary of Street View, Google Maps is rolling out a slew of features including the ability to view historical data on Android and iOS, as well as a new camera system.

Google Maps rolling out toll pricing, more detailed navigation, and new iOS integrations

from 9to5Google Apr 5 2022 - 9:41 am PT

Google Maps is rolling out a trio of big updates over the coming weeks that add toll estimates and improve the navigation experience with a new map, while the iOS app is getting a series of additional integrations.

Ben Lovejoy Nov 2 2018 - 6:39 am PT

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Apple Maps detail now beats Google Maps in many respects, from things like building shapes to vegetation coverage. That’s the conclusion of Justin O’Beirne, who used to work for Apple’s maps division and has now put together an exhaustive comparison …

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How to add Apple Music, Spotify, to Google Maps on iPhone

Ben Schoon Oct 4 2018 - 7:27 am PT

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Google Maps revealed a handy new Commute tab earlier this month, and alongside it, the app also debuted native music controls for a handful of popular services. Here’s how to add Apple Music to Google Maps along with Spotify.

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How to replace Apple Maps with Google Maps on CarPlay

Michael Potuck Sep 18 2018 - 2:11 pm PT

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In the four years since CarPlay debuted, Apple Maps has been the only option for navigation. Today, the long-awaited support for Google Maps has officially arrived. Follow along for how to replace Apple Maps with Google Maps on CarPlay.

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Google Maps for CarPlay in iOS 12 is now available

Zac Hall Sep 18 2018 - 11:13 am PT

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Google Maps for CarPlay in iOS 12 is now available with version 5.0 out now on the App Store. Apple released iOS 12 just yesterday which enables third party maps apps to offer their own mapping data for CarPlay.

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Minor Google Maps update should stop friends & family panicking when tracking your location

Ben Lovejoy Aug 3 2018 - 6:01 am PT

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If you’re in the habit of sharing your location with family or friends through Google Maps, a minor update to both iOS and Android maps should stop them panicking if you suddenly stop broadcasting …

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Google Maps for iOS predicts which restaurants you will like with new ‘match’ feature

Chance Miller Jul 30 2018 - 3:43 pm PT

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Google today has updated its Google Maps application for iOS with a new feature to bring it in line with its Android counterpart. With today’s update, Google Maps now includes a “match” feature that will help suggest new restaurants it thinks you will enjoy…

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