Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Google Maps might be the world's number one mobile navigation app, but this isn't a guarantee it'll always provide a flawless experience.
A bug first reported in May is still around today, surviving all the generic workarounds and an official update released earlier this fall.
The glitch causes Google Maps to ignore the device's compass, failing to calibrate the sensors and offering inaccurate location information. The application can't tell where users are, eventually breaking down the navigation.
Without location information, Google Maps is useless. The application can't determine the user's location in real-time, offering navigation guidance and following them on the map. Eventually, Google Maps can only be used for world exploration, as its navigation component would be completely inaccurate.
Users who reported this behavior to Google's forums claimed manual calibration didn't work either. Most people who signaled the error owned Xiaomi devices, though I'm also seeing people who bought Google's Pixel smartphone reporting the same behavior.
An update shipped in September corrected the problem for most users, but the number of reports complaining of a broken compass and incorrect location data is again increasing. The update seemingly failed to resolve the glitch for everybody, so Google must once again investigate reports and check if one of the latest Google Maps updates reintroduced the bug.
Xiaomi phone owners appear to be primarily hit by the same error, but Google Pixel owners report similar problems. Someone who owns a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra claims that Google Maps suffers from the same issue on their smartphone.
Users couldn't find a workaround to restore Google Maps, but sticking with the application doesn't make sense without location data. As a result, alternative products have become very intriguing and often the only option to get turn-by-turn directions on an Android device.
Waze is typically the next destination for Google Maps users disappointed with the application. Also owned by Google, Waze offers a similar feature package, but it lacks offline navigation support. Waze's top feature is a crowdsourcing engine that allows users to send traffic reports, helping the application generate alerts for other motorists, including for speed traps, traffic jams, and broken traffic lights.
It's unclear if Google will continue the investigation and whether it plans to ship another update, but nothing seems to bring the application back to a working condition for now. Users who installed Android 14 claim the bug survived the operating system update, too, so all signs suggest the problem resides in Google Maps and isn't tied to the OS.
Google has remained tight-lipped on the return of this frustrating glitch, so if you experience the problem, head over to the discussion thread and detail the app's behavior on your device to help the company figure out what goes wrong.
The glitch causes Google Maps to ignore the device's compass, failing to calibrate the sensors and offering inaccurate location information. The application can't tell where users are, eventually breaking down the navigation.
Without location information, Google Maps is useless. The application can't determine the user's location in real-time, offering navigation guidance and following them on the map. Eventually, Google Maps can only be used for world exploration, as its navigation component would be completely inaccurate.
Users who reported this behavior to Google's forums claimed manual calibration didn't work either. Most people who signaled the error owned Xiaomi devices, though I'm also seeing people who bought Google's Pixel smartphone reporting the same behavior.
An update shipped in September corrected the problem for most users, but the number of reports complaining of a broken compass and incorrect location data is again increasing. The update seemingly failed to resolve the glitch for everybody, so Google must once again investigate reports and check if one of the latest Google Maps updates reintroduced the bug.
Xiaomi phone owners appear to be primarily hit by the same error, but Google Pixel owners report similar problems. Someone who owns a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra claims that Google Maps suffers from the same issue on their smartphone.
Users couldn't find a workaround to restore Google Maps, but sticking with the application doesn't make sense without location data. As a result, alternative products have become very intriguing and often the only option to get turn-by-turn directions on an Android device.
Waze is typically the next destination for Google Maps users disappointed with the application. Also owned by Google, Waze offers a similar feature package, but it lacks offline navigation support. Waze's top feature is a crowdsourcing engine that allows users to send traffic reports, helping the application generate alerts for other motorists, including for speed traps, traffic jams, and broken traffic lights.
It's unclear if Google will continue the investigation and whether it plans to ship another update, but nothing seems to bring the application back to a working condition for now. Users who installed Android 14 claim the bug survived the operating system update, too, so all signs suggest the problem resides in Google Maps and isn't tied to the OS.
Google has remained tight-lipped on the return of this frustrating glitch, so if you experience the problem, head over to the discussion thread and detail the app's behavior on your device to help the company figure out what goes wrong.
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