New Google Maps design in Android Auto: The map is now in the centre of the screen

A new update for Android Auto, which is currently rolling out, changes the location of the map in Google Maps, moving it to the centre of the screen.

Here's What We Know

If you've recently used Android Auto in your car, you may have noticed that the map now occupies the centre of the display, causing UI elements to overlap with the map.

The map is now displayed in the centre of the display, which results in some UI elements overlapping part of the map.

This update, which appeared a few days ago and is now available to most users, affects Google Maps only. As you can see on the image, the driver's location is now in the centre of the screen, whereas previously it was located on the side.

This change does not depend on the version of Android Auto, although users with larger screens may hardly notice it because it does not overlap important information. On wider displays, this effect has virtually no impact.

Importantly, this update does not affect navigation. When you start navigation, the map returns to its usual appearance. The update also does not change the functionality, in particular, it does not affect navigation functions.

Why did Google make these changes? There is no exact answer yet. There is speculation that it makes it easier to use on square-shaped screens, which are increasingly common in cars. However, for most users, this is only a minor aesthetic improvement that does not affect functionality.

The Android Auto update to version 13.6 does not affect these settings, and the changes become available after the Google Maps update.

Source: 9to5Google