Photo: reddit user EzePorfiri
Google has just released a new 5.50.0 beta build of Google Maps for iOS, and the biggest change this time is the addition of support for the CarPlay dashboard.
This is without a doubt the most anticipated feature of the year for CarPlay users, as Google Maps can now replace Apple Maps on the multi-view screen.
Apple originally locked the maps card on the CarPlay dashboard to Apple Maps, which means that users weren’t allowed to configure any other application to display real-time information in this panel.
It goes without saying this was quite an issue for many users, especially as Google Maps and the Google-owned Waze are extremely popular choices among CarPlay users. The release of iOS 13.4 in April brought massive changes in this regard, as the maps card was unlocked for third parties, essentially allowing any developer of such an app to add support for the dashboard and thus be able to replace Apple Maps.
Google, however, has never been in a rush to make the whole thing happen, so here we are in early August finally getting support for Google Maps on the dashboard.
What you need to know, however, is that the feature is only available for testers who are part of the beta program, but chances are that support for the multi-view screen on CarPlay will be included in one of the next Google Maps updates rolling out this month for production devices.
In the meantime, Waze is yet to get this feature, as not even the beta builds of the app come with it. However, I’m guessing it’s all now just a matter of time until Waze is being updated with dashboard support on CarPlay, and I’m expecting Google to make this happen in its traffic navigation app rather sooner than later.
On a side note, Google has also released a new Google Maps update for the stable channel on iOS, bringing the app to version 5.49. This one, however, includes only fixes and improvements, so no dashboard support for now on production devices.
Apple originally locked the maps card on the CarPlay dashboard to Apple Maps, which means that users weren’t allowed to configure any other application to display real-time information in this panel.
It goes without saying this was quite an issue for many users, especially as Google Maps and the Google-owned Waze are extremely popular choices among CarPlay users. The release of iOS 13.4 in April brought massive changes in this regard, as the maps card was unlocked for third parties, essentially allowing any developer of such an app to add support for the dashboard and thus be able to replace Apple Maps.
Google, however, has never been in a rush to make the whole thing happen, so here we are in early August finally getting support for Google Maps on the dashboard.
What you need to know, however, is that the feature is only available for testers who are part of the beta program, but chances are that support for the multi-view screen on CarPlay will be included in one of the next Google Maps updates rolling out this month for production devices.
In the meantime, Waze is yet to get this feature, as not even the beta builds of the app come with it. However, I’m guessing it’s all now just a matter of time until Waze is being updated with dashboard support on CarPlay, and I’m expecting Google to make this happen in its traffic navigation app rather sooner than later.
On a side note, Google has also released a new Google Maps update for the stable channel on iOS, bringing the app to version 5.49. This one, however, includes only fixes and improvements, so no dashboard support for now on production devices.
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