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The new Google Maps design just got one final tweak

Published Nov 28th, 2018 6:41PM EST
Google Maps Update
Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock

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Google has just made a small but significant change to one of its best mobile apps, Google Maps. The company has been tweaking the design of Google Maps for a few months now, making various changes that would bring the popular navigation app in line with its newest Material Design guidelines. What Google didn’t change until now, however, was the side menu in the app. But you’ll soon see an updated menu inside the Google Maps app, because Google has now updated it to fit with the rest of the app’s design.

Spotted by Android Police the new design brings over a new font, Product Sans, as well as hollow icons.

Image source: Android Police

The menu, which slides over the maps screen from the side when you touch that hamburger icon in the top left corner, also includes a new Messages tab that lets you interact with businesses. You’ll find it tucked between Your Contributions and Location Sharing (see it in the screenshot on the right above).

One other notable change concerns the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy items that should be found at the bottom of the menu, allowing quick access to these particular sections of the app.

The new menu design should be rolling out to everyone right now, Android Police says, including stable and beta Google Maps users. If you can’t see it yet, it just means it hasn’t rolled out in your market, but you can expect it to drop soon. Also, the update should hit Android before iOS, though iPhone users will also get the updated design in the near future.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.