An important job for drivers is lost

Starting in February, Google Maps will look different. The company is removing several functions from the application. Drivers must adapt.

Psyche – If you don't know exactly how to get to your destination, you should probably first take out your cell phone and enter the address into Google Maps. This applies to pedestrians as well as drivers. An online mapping service determines the best route and also provides information about traffic jams, construction sites or closures.

Thanks to the integrated voice control, this information can be obtained without hesitation even while driving and an alternative can be searched. Drivers can ask questions to the software built into Google Maps without distraction because they don't need to type. But the function is now deleted.

Google Assistant is removed from Google Maps – Driving mode is deleted

The in-house voice assistant Google Assistant was introduced seven years ago. However, since the beginning of 2024, many Assistant features have been removed. Google explained that the company wants to focus on basic features. On the other hand, if incorrect place or street names appear in the mapping system, this is done intentionally.

Google said in its justification for this step: “We are removing some unused features in Google Assistant to focus on providing the best possible user experience.” So Google announced that Google Assistant's driving mode will finally be phased out starting February 2024.

The message on the Google Maps home screen also said: “This offer will no longer be offered in February.” Driving mode, introduced in 2019, gives drivers an improved user interface in Google Maps. These include functions such as voice control, playing audio content, and answering or making calls while driving. The maps remain unchanged – if you download some add-ons, you will also see secret “missing places” on the maps.

Google Assistant removes many functions from the program

If you plan to travel by car in the near future, it is likely that the function will still work for some users. Such as technology portal androidpolice.com He explained that the Google Maps feature was discontinued on all devices on February 1. However, the driving mode is expected to disappear over the course of the month. Although it is still available, it can be activated in Google Maps by clicking on the four square button located in the lower right corner.

The removal of Google Assistant's driving mode is just one of many changes in the Android world. Google has already disabled Android Auto for phones and also removed the driving assistant dashboard soon after. Many users expressed their dissatisfaction with these changes on social media: “It's driving me crazy. I thought maybe the update broke this. For example, one Reddit user complains: 'I can no longer even write to Assistant or have a message read to me.'”

However, looking at your cell phone while driving, speeding, or doing anything else can be punished with serious consequences in the future. Following the EU change, traffic offenders will now lose their driving license abroad – previously only the country of origin could revoke a driving licence.

The editorial team wrote this article and then used the AI ​​language model to improve at its own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.