Earlier this year, 9to5 Google spotted the first signs and symptoms of a Google Maps makeover, which regarded to prioritize displaying more of the map at all times. Oddly, the partial rollout was once apparently reverted a few weeks later, and it seemed that Google had decided that the ancient UI was optimum after all.
But it looks to have just been a postponement of the rollout. In a new post, 9to5Google describes how the new UI has returned, with some refinements along the way.
As with the original update, the purpose seems to be to ditch full screen overlays, instead offering customers with sheets that appear on pinnacle of the map, maintaining at least some of it visible, as you can see below.
Overlay layers show up to have much greater rounded corners, and they can now be banished with a easy tap of the shut button in the top right-hand corner, subsequent to the ‘share’ icon.
The largest exchange comes when you’re truly searching to plug in instructions — probable the principal time people use the app. As you can see in the screenshot evaluation below, it’s been simplified with a floating island to put in your begin place and destination, with the driving, transit, walking, ride-hailing and cycling selections moved to an island at the bottom.
In all, it appears to be a fairly modest improve on the previous pulled makeover. Indeed, the largest great difference is that the contextual sheets are no longer double-backed:
At the time of writing, the server-side replace — model 11.127.x on Android — hasn’t been widely rolled out, which suggests it might also still be in testing, and should even probably be pulled again.
Nonetheless, it’s clear that this is an update that Google has been experimenting with for at least three months, so it appears likely it will roll out to all customers in some shape or different in the near future.
