Google Maps has updated the tab design on Android
During 2024, Google Maps for Android tested an updated design that replaced most full-screen user interfaces with more compact tabs.
These tabs with rounded corners show the background map more often, making the interface lighter and providing more context while navigating. You can close them by pressing the “x” button in the upper right corner or by swiping back from the left/right edge of the screen. With this update, the ability to swipe up on the search bar to just see the map has disappeared.
Another significant change concerns route search. The initial interface with fields for entering a destination, selecting a mode of transportation, and a list of recent locations has not changed and still occupies the entire screen. However, after entering the destination, only the start and end locations appear at the top of the screen, and the transportation mode switch has been moved down for better accessibility.
Google started testing the new design in February, but later suspended it. After making some changes, the testing resumed in May. Over the past few days, the updated design has become available for Android users of the stable version (11.136.x) of Google Maps. The update is currently not available for iOS.
It is expected that in the future, Google Maps will simplify the bottom navigation bar, leaving only three tabs.
