Photo: Google forums
Google Maps might be the world's number one mobile navigation app, but it's also the solution often encountering bugs and various performance issues.
The whole thing makes sense, as the bigger the number of users running it, the bigger number of devices and various hardware configurations where it's installed. This increases the likelihood of problems, so Google is always busy keeping Google Maps in tip-top shape in the Android world.
Xiaomi phone owners are the latest to complain about Google Maps problems on their devices, as the application reportedly fails to determine their location and follow them on the map. The behavior happens only sporadically and occasionally, with users claiming that Google Maps sometimes work exactly as expected.
A faulty update likely causes the broken location system, as users explain that Google Maps started malfunctioning on their devices after installing MIUI 14. This is the latest OS version released by Xiaomi and available on the company's latest-generation phones.
In almost every case, a Xiaomi phone struggling with Google Maps behaves like it lost location calibration in Google Maps. Sometimes it determines the location correctly, but occasionally, it loses tracking, breaking down navigation guidance too.
Users who turned to Google's forums to report the problem believe the MIUI 14 update shipped with a compatibility error, making Google Maps impossible to track the location for as long as it runs. The generic fixes, which include everything from downgrading Google Maps to an earlier release to clearing the cache and the data, don’t improve. Users who downgraded to an earlier OS version (by flashing their phones) claim Google Maps works correctly on the previous builds.
Several Xiaomi phone owners have already confirmed the error, but an investigation is yet to start. Neither Google nor Xiaomi confirmed they are looking into the bug.
In the meantime, other navigation apps seem to work correctly, as Waze determines the user's location and then follows it on the map to offer turn-by-turn guidance. Of course, Waze becomes extremely tempting for these users, especially if they use Google Maps behind the wheel. Compared to Google Maps, Waze does not support offline navigation, as its primary goal is to find a faster route to a user-defined destination using traffic reports submitted by other users.
Other advanced navigation apps available on Android that could replace Google Maps until a solution to this problem gets the go-ahead include Sygic's GPS Navigation and TomTom's software. If you want a freeware solution, OsmAnd is an advanced choice. Huawei has also improved Petal Maps significantly, so it now includes alternatives to most features bundled with Google Maps (as replacing Google's app was the main purpose of the application after Huawei's sanctions in the United States).
Xiaomi phone owners are the latest to complain about Google Maps problems on their devices, as the application reportedly fails to determine their location and follow them on the map. The behavior happens only sporadically and occasionally, with users claiming that Google Maps sometimes work exactly as expected.
A faulty update likely causes the broken location system, as users explain that Google Maps started malfunctioning on their devices after installing MIUI 14. This is the latest OS version released by Xiaomi and available on the company's latest-generation phones.
In almost every case, a Xiaomi phone struggling with Google Maps behaves like it lost location calibration in Google Maps. Sometimes it determines the location correctly, but occasionally, it loses tracking, breaking down navigation guidance too.
Users who turned to Google's forums to report the problem believe the MIUI 14 update shipped with a compatibility error, making Google Maps impossible to track the location for as long as it runs. The generic fixes, which include everything from downgrading Google Maps to an earlier release to clearing the cache and the data, don’t improve. Users who downgraded to an earlier OS version (by flashing their phones) claim Google Maps works correctly on the previous builds.
Several Xiaomi phone owners have already confirmed the error, but an investigation is yet to start. Neither Google nor Xiaomi confirmed they are looking into the bug.
In the meantime, other navigation apps seem to work correctly, as Waze determines the user's location and then follows it on the map to offer turn-by-turn guidance. Of course, Waze becomes extremely tempting for these users, especially if they use Google Maps behind the wheel. Compared to Google Maps, Waze does not support offline navigation, as its primary goal is to find a faster route to a user-defined destination using traffic reports submitted by other users.
Other advanced navigation apps available on Android that could replace Google Maps until a solution to this problem gets the go-ahead include Sygic's GPS Navigation and TomTom's software. If you want a freeware solution, OsmAnd is an advanced choice. Huawei has also improved Petal Maps significantly, so it now includes alternatives to most features bundled with Google Maps (as replacing Google's app was the main purpose of the application after Huawei's sanctions in the United States).
Google News