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This Is the New Google Maps Car Icon, and You Can Use It on Android and iPhone

Google has released a major Google Maps update this week as its celebrates the 15th anniversary of the service, and one of the new goodies coming to users is a special anniversary car icon.
The new Google Maps anniversary car icon 4 photos
Photo: autoevolution
Google Maps anniversary car icon on AndroidGoogle Maps anniversary car icon on iPhoneGoogle Maps anniversary car icon on Android
Custom car icons in Google Maps have long been a highly requested feature, but for some reason, replacing the arrow with a vehicle in the app is only possible on iPhone and not on Android.

But this week, the new Google Maps update brings a new anniversary Google car icon decorated with colorful balloons and which you can enable on both Android and iOS.

Google says this is “available for a limited time when you navigate with Google Maps,” so presumably the search giant would remove it at some point in the near future.

The good news is that you can activate this car icon on Android and iOS right now.

To do this, launch Google Maps, search for directions from your current location to a specific destination, select the car option, and then you should see the new car icon in the lower part of the screen. Tapping this icon allows you to enable the anniversary car icon, but you can also ignore it and continue using the classic arrow (on Android) or the current settings on iPhone (either the arrow or a different car).

The bad news is that the anniversary car icon can’t be used in Android Auto and CarPlay, so as long as you use the smartphone for navigation when getting behind the wheel you’re good to go.

Google hasn’t yet announced whether it plans to bring more custom car icons to Google Maps, but it goes without saying users would really love such an update. For the time being, this option coming with limited options is only offered to those who use an iPhone for navigation.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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