Google has made a small change to the Maps app on Android and iOS. Users of the mapping application will have to change their habits.
Over time, using Google Maps has become a reflex for millions of smartphone owners. The mapping service is indeed used by a billion Internet users each month. Knowing this, we can imagine that the slightest interface modification is well evaluated by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, before being actually implemented.
To read – Google Maps: features to know (itinerary, GPS, Street view)
The latest update to the mobile version of Google Maps, however, incorporates a change which, although discreet, risks destabilizing the majority of users. Indeed, it is now no longer possible to hide the search bar by tapping on the map, a gesture that has become instinctive for most of us. From now on, to view the map without any menu item, you will have to swipe the search bar upwards. For make the search bar appear againjust tap anywhere on the map.
Google Maps imposes a new gesture that will change user habits
Unfortunately, this also has irritating consequences on the ergonomics of the application. Tapping on the map now places a pin in the targeted location, a gesture that users are likely to perform for a long time to come, even if Google explains the new procedure, on some versions of the app at least, through a message specifying that to see the complete map, one must swipe the search bar up.
To read – Google Maps offers a very discreet, but totally essential new feature
Google Maps is one of the company’s flagship applications. Its hegemony is such that Microsoft, Amazon and TomTom have joined forces to dethrone it. To remain popular, the Alphabet service therefore integrates the latest company innovations, and therefore enjoys many updates on all platforms. Google’s Android and iOS versions, for example, now feature AI-powered navigation.
Source: 9TB 5 Google