Google keeps refining Google Maps, but the changes that it rolls out aren’t always as prominent as users expect. The company is also working on more subtle refinements whose role is to improve the experience with the app, and even if they’re harder to spot, they are critical to how you use Google Maps.
If you think something has changed when you explore a certain region in Google Maps, you are not wrong. Google has updated the pin icon design on the map, so instead of the sharper points, you are now getting a cute, rounded, and more modern pin look.
The new pins also come with updated colors, which make sense after Google Maps itself received a major (and rather controversial) color update last year. Google updated the colors of certain pins to tell them apart from the rest of the pins – for example, museums highlighted on Google Maps now use a purple pin instead of the original teal, so it’s easier to spot them on the map.
All pins have a white background but use different icons and colors, and once you get used to them, you should be able to observe them on the map much easier.
Google has already released this change everywhere in Google Maps, so you should be able to see the new pin icon design on computers and mobile devices.
Google has released plenty of Google Maps updates lately, some of which included big feature updates that users have been requesting for years.
For example, Google Maps now has a speedometer on CarPlay, though this feature’s rollout is still underway and not everybody got it. The speedometer lets users see how fast they are going when running Google Maps on CarPlay. Previously, the application only displayed the speed limit for the current road.
Additionally, Google Maps has also expanded incident reporting to more platforms, including Android Auto. With this update, Google Maps is expanding into Waze’s territory, allowing users to pin the location of certain hazards, including speed traps and accidents, on the map. Google plans to begin importing more traffic reports from Waze, as the Google Maps community isn’t currently very active, so you should soon see more real-time traffic data when driving with the app on the screen.
All these updates contribute to a more refined and modern experience with Google Maps, regardless of where and how you use the app. The search giant keeps releasing such refinements to users worldwide regularly, so drop us a comment in the box after the jump whenever you notice something new in Google Maps.