Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
If you're a long-time Google user, you probably know already that the Mountain View-based search giant is no stranger to controversial and debatable decisions.
Google Maps is the best example of questionable updates. In 2023, Google rolled out a new color palette for Google Maps on all platforms. The company was only trying to make its apps feel fresh and modern, but instead, it made the app harder to use due to the new colors. Users found the new theme confusing, as it was harder to distinguish the road from the background.
Everybody eventually got used to the new visual style, but Google is now reportedly making another controversial change in Google Maps.
Starting in May, users no longer see the total distance for multi-stop routes configured in Google Maps. The only thing they see is the total time for the route.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that not seeing the total distance to the last destination is a major inconvenience. Most people believed it was a bug, but a Google product expert in charge of offering support on the company's forums claims it's the intended behavior.
"Google Maps has recently updated its features, and some of the old features have been removed or changed," they claim. The way Google Maps displays information for multi-stop routes has also been updated, and the ability to see the total distance for multiple points is one of the options that got purged.
Oddly, the change doesn't seem to affect all users. As you can see in the screenshots, I still see the total distance to the destination in Google Maps on my iPhone (I run the latest app version on an iPhone 15 Pro). Users who complained that the feature was removed were running Android, so maybe Google Maps killed off this feature on its platform exclusively.
However, I still believe it could all be just a bug that the search giant would eventually resolve. It wouldn't be the first time people offering support on the official forums spread inaccurate information, mainly because they rarely get access to first-hand news, so you'll have to wait and see if the total distance information returns in a future update.
That's why the best thing you can do is to keep Google Maps up to date. Make sure you are running the latest version of the app. Updates on Android land regularly, and if you enabled automatic updates on the Google Play Store, you should always be on the latest build. Otherwise, install new releases manually when they go live.
I've also contacted Google to ask for more specifics on this mysterious change and will update the article when and if I hear back from the company.
Everybody eventually got used to the new visual style, but Google is now reportedly making another controversial change in Google Maps.
Starting in May, users no longer see the total distance for multi-stop routes configured in Google Maps. The only thing they see is the total time for the route.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that not seeing the total distance to the last destination is a major inconvenience. Most people believed it was a bug, but a Google product expert in charge of offering support on the company's forums claims it's the intended behavior.
"Google Maps has recently updated its features, and some of the old features have been removed or changed," they claim. The way Google Maps displays information for multi-stop routes has also been updated, and the ability to see the total distance for multiple points is one of the options that got purged.
Oddly, the change doesn't seem to affect all users. As you can see in the screenshots, I still see the total distance to the destination in Google Maps on my iPhone (I run the latest app version on an iPhone 15 Pro). Users who complained that the feature was removed were running Android, so maybe Google Maps killed off this feature on its platform exclusively.
However, I still believe it could all be just a bug that the search giant would eventually resolve. It wouldn't be the first time people offering support on the official forums spread inaccurate information, mainly because they rarely get access to first-hand news, so you'll have to wait and see if the total distance information returns in a future update.
That's why the best thing you can do is to keep Google Maps up to date. Make sure you are running the latest version of the app. Updates on Android land regularly, and if you enabled automatic updates on the Google Play Store, you should always be on the latest build. Otherwise, install new releases manually when they go live.
I've also contacted Google to ask for more specifics on this mysterious change and will update the article when and if I hear back from the company.
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