Google Maps is a great tool for navigation, and millions of drivers use it to reach their destination easier day and night.
And the voice guidance that Google Maps has is certainly helpful, as it helps users figure out which way to go without looking at the screen. And yet, this voice guidance has become rather creepy for some users lately, as it adds an unexpected “huh” at the end of many commands.
Users who turned to Google’s forums describe the sound as if someone’s breathing in the speakers, and some say that driving during the night and hearing the whole thing super-loud in their car’s speakers was rather creepy.
“I have heard this multiple times on my GPS all within the past month or so. It gives me a very uneasy feeling each time… it is creepy. I do not know what is causing it. Would love to have a reasonable explanation as to what that is,” someone says on the forums.
There’s no explanation as to what exactly happens, but others find the whole thing rather hilarious, like the Google Maps voice “was getting an attitude.”
At this point, the “huh” sound happens mostly on Android, and people report it on Google Pixel and a series of other phones. On the other hand, it’s not there for everyone – I actually used Google Maps with voice navigation only a few hours ago and everything was working exactly as expected.
But some of those who get the sound aren’t pleased with it.
“Mine is doing the same thing. I had just played Simulacra the night before and today we have a hurricane, lose power, I have no cell service trying to gps in offline mode to find a store with power in an area I’ve never been and my phone starts 'breathing at me'... Ew. Needless to say it freaked me out,” a Google Maps user explains.
At this point, it’s not known if resetting voice navigation or re-installing Google Maps helps with this.
Users who turned to Google’s forums describe the sound as if someone’s breathing in the speakers, and some say that driving during the night and hearing the whole thing super-loud in their car’s speakers was rather creepy.
“I have heard this multiple times on my GPS all within the past month or so. It gives me a very uneasy feeling each time… it is creepy. I do not know what is causing it. Would love to have a reasonable explanation as to what that is,” someone says on the forums.
There’s no explanation as to what exactly happens, but others find the whole thing rather hilarious, like the Google Maps voice “was getting an attitude.”
At this point, the “huh” sound happens mostly on Android, and people report it on Google Pixel and a series of other phones. On the other hand, it’s not there for everyone – I actually used Google Maps with voice navigation only a few hours ago and everything was working exactly as expected.
But some of those who get the sound aren’t pleased with it.
“Mine is doing the same thing. I had just played Simulacra the night before and today we have a hurricane, lose power, I have no cell service trying to gps in offline mode to find a store with power in an area I’ve never been and my phone starts 'breathing at me'... Ew. Needless to say it freaked me out,” a Google Maps user explains.
At this point, it’s not known if resetting voice navigation or re-installing Google Maps helps with this.