This Is the Most Annoying Feature in Google Maps, and I Need It to Stop

Lately, I’ve noticed that Google sends me traffic incident reports that appear at the bottom of Google Maps while I’m driving. These notifications originally started on Waze (which Google now owns), and are meant to warn you when there’s a cop car hiding up ahead or a car’s stalled in the middle of the freeway.

I personally don’t find these notifications useful though, and I’ll tell you why.

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I live in Los Angeles, and this city is known for its traffic congestion, so of course these incident alerts start to pop up every few minutes in Google Maps as soon as I hop on the freeway. Another stalled car? Another cop car? Another accident?

These reports are distracting, more so than the actual incidents, especially when they constantly appear in Google Maps. 

Every time I receive an incident report, my eyes dart to my phone, but that’s not the end of it. I also have to close out the notification, or else it stays stuck on my phone, blocking my ETA, speed and other useful buttons for something like 30 seconds.

The alerts are also crowd-sourced, so they’re created by other users, and they’re not always correct. Instead of a confirmed traffic alert, the notification says something like “Police nearby,” and then gives me the option to tap Not there or Still there, forcing me to interact with an alert that may not even be useful anymore. 

It’s like I’m being given a quiz while driving.

Also, by the time I’ve been warned about something in the middle of the road, the cars in front of me have already seen it anyway, and then the alert isn’t really helpful to me. I can see all the brake lights by just looking ahead — which is where I should be looking anyway — so I don’t need constant reminders on my phone as well.

I’m a simple person. I want directions to where I’m going, and how long it’ll take to get there. That’s all.

You’d think that these crowd-sourced notifications are optional, but no. Currently, there’s no way to disable these annoying notifications from appearing in Google Maps, and so I’m force-fed these alerts that I don’t want — constantly.

So what’s the fix for these annoying Google Maps alerts?

The only thing you can really do is use another navigation app, like Apple Maps, which can also display similar alerts, but they’re not as intrusive. Instead, they appear as icons on the map that you can choose to interact with or not. You’ll obviously want to stay away from Waze, which is where these incident reports originated from, so you’ll see the exact same alerts when using the app.

There’s also the option of showing Google Maps your displeasure with any existing features — in this case, sending product feedback clearly stating you’d like the ability to turn off these incident reports.

To send product feedback in the Google Maps app, on iOS or Android, launch the app, tap on your profile icon on the top-right corner, hit Help & Feedback and tap Send product feedback. Then write how you really feel about these incident reports. Spill your heart out.

Also, if you’re wondering, I did reach out to Google (in my capacity as a journalist). According to a Google spokesperson, “Drivers tell us that incident reports on Maps help them prepare for hazards on the road so they can adjust their driving appropriately. We designed the experience to minimize distractions by incorporating elements like automatic alert dismissal – and we rigorously test our features for driving attentiveness.”

OK cool. That’s nice and all, but that doesn’t really help me.

Google, if you’re reading this (I know you will), I’m not asking you to get rid of these notifications altogether. They’re obviously useful to many people. I know that. I asked my mom about them and she loves them. Good for her, but they’re still not useful to me, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Just give me the option to turn them off. Please?