Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Google Maps is the world's number one navigation app for a very good reason: it's free, available on most platforms, and extremely easy to use.
One of the main features that make the experience with Google Maps so straightforward is the voice command integration. On Android Auto, users can dictate the Google Maps address to start navigation, so they don't have to rely on touch input or look at the screen (and, therefore, take their eyes off the road).
A recent change in Google Maps makes using the voice command support a bit more confusing for some users, though Google's reasoning makes perfect sense.
Until recently, if you wanted to configure Google Maps navigation to a specific destination, you only had to say something like "gas stations." The navigation app then conducted a search and displayed the nearby gas stations on the screen. You could also configure navigation to a specific gas station by simply adding the street name to the command, with Google Maps searching for the location and beginning turn-by-turn guidance without further input.
A recent change introduced by Google silently changes this behavior. Beginning last week, if you want to configure Google Maps to a specific address using voice commands, you must use complete requests like "directions to [location]" or "navigate to [location]." Simply saying the name of the point of interest no longer works.
Starting with this update, whenever the voice command only includes the location's name, Google Maps displays the address information on Android Auto without directly setting up navigation. Kicking off turn-by-turn guidance requires one extra step.
I noticed the change last week, but it's still unclear if this is the new intended behavior or if Google is still experimenting with the idea before beginning the public rollout. Users on reddit claim the feature isn't always working in the same way, so maybe Google still tests this new approach before releasing it widely to all users.
The confusion created by this change certainly doesn't make Google Maps easier to use, but Google's new idea makes perfect sense considering how voice commands work in the first place. Directly asking Google Maps to set the navigation to a specific point is a straightforward way of using voice commands, and simply speaking the location should provide additional information before beginning turn-by-turn guidance.
The change is live on Android Auto – I'm running version 10.2, but I don't think it's tied to a specific release. Google Maps is already up-to-date on my Android device, but the rollout might be powered by a server-controller switch that Google pulls when it believes more devices are ready. The company has so far remained tight-lipped on this updated behavior of voice commands in Google Maps on Android Auto.
A recent change in Google Maps makes using the voice command support a bit more confusing for some users, though Google's reasoning makes perfect sense.
Until recently, if you wanted to configure Google Maps navigation to a specific destination, you only had to say something like "gas stations." The navigation app then conducted a search and displayed the nearby gas stations on the screen. You could also configure navigation to a specific gas station by simply adding the street name to the command, with Google Maps searching for the location and beginning turn-by-turn guidance without further input.
A recent change introduced by Google silently changes this behavior. Beginning last week, if you want to configure Google Maps to a specific address using voice commands, you must use complete requests like "directions to [location]" or "navigate to [location]." Simply saying the name of the point of interest no longer works.
Starting with this update, whenever the voice command only includes the location's name, Google Maps displays the address information on Android Auto without directly setting up navigation. Kicking off turn-by-turn guidance requires one extra step.
I noticed the change last week, but it's still unclear if this is the new intended behavior or if Google is still experimenting with the idea before beginning the public rollout. Users on reddit claim the feature isn't always working in the same way, so maybe Google still tests this new approach before releasing it widely to all users.
The confusion created by this change certainly doesn't make Google Maps easier to use, but Google's new idea makes perfect sense considering how voice commands work in the first place. Directly asking Google Maps to set the navigation to a specific point is a straightforward way of using voice commands, and simply speaking the location should provide additional information before beginning turn-by-turn guidance.
The change is live on Android Auto – I'm running version 10.2, but I don't think it's tied to a specific release. Google Maps is already up-to-date on my Android device, but the rollout might be powered by a server-controller switch that Google pulls when it believes more devices are ready. The company has so far remained tight-lipped on this updated behavior of voice commands in Google Maps on Android Auto.
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