Skip to content
General

New patch for Google Maps on CarPlay addresses annoying issue

By Sarah Chen
1 min read
wireless carplay harman.0
wireless carplay harman.0
In this article (5)

If you own an iOS device and use any Google apps on it, you are probably no stranger to them being less optimized and maintained than their Android counterparts. One of the more recent cases was a particular bug in the Google Maps app where your chosen route would not show up on the screen when using CarPlay.

The issue was first spotted during February this year in Google Maps for Android Auto. Many users reported that the blue line highlighting their chosen route had disappeared. The only indicators that remained were the guiding white arrows and the audio.

Thankfully, the search giant acted somewhat quickly, and after a few weeks, the issue was resolved for Android Auto users. However, almost as an infectious disease in the code, the problem migrated to the CarPlay app for iPhone.

In the middle of June, Google released patch 5.71 for Maps on CarPlay, partially taking care of the missing blue line issue. Now with patch 5.72, the problem seems to have disappeared entirely. This statement comes purely from users’ feedback, as Google has made no official comment on it.

Apart from the missing blue line, some had also been reporting inconsistency in the GPS tracking of the app. Simply put, Maps would randomly stop following your location, almost as if it gave up. With the latest update, this issue looks to have gotten resolved, and the app no longer loses the person’s location.

For those of you out there who are not sure which version of Google Maps you have, here’s how you can find out:

  1. Open Google Maps
  2. Tap on your profile at the top right
  3. Select Settings
  4. Tap on About, terms and privacy
If you don’t yet have the latest update, just tap on the option in the App Store to manually search for it.

Questions & Answers

Q.

What specific problem did the Google Maps app experience when used with CarPlay on iOS devices?

A.

Users reported that the blue line highlighting their chosen route disappeared, leaving only guiding white arrows and audio. Some also experienced inconsistent GPS tracking, where the app would randomly stop following their location.

Q.

When was the route display problem first identified in Google Maps for Android Auto users?

A.

The issue was first spotted during February this year in Google Maps for Android Auto. The problem was resolved for Android Auto users after a few weeks.

Q.

Which specific patch numbers were released to address the issues in Google Maps for CarPlay?

A.

Google released patch 5.71 for Maps on CarPlay in the middle of June, which partially addressed the missing blue line. Patch 5.72 then seems to have made the problem disappear entirely.

Q.

Has Google officially confirmed that the recent updates have completely resolved the reported issues?

A.

Google has made no official comment on the resolution of the issues. The statement that the problem has disappeared entirely comes purely from users' feedback regarding patch 5.72.

Reader pulse

Does reliable navigation impact your store visits?

18,306 votes so far

Weekly Briefing

Asia's retail intelligence, in your inbox

Monday, Wednesday and a Friday Weekly Wrap: the retail stories, numbers and moves that mattered across Asia. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

  • Top industry moves and market shifts
  • Weekly data-driven analysis from across Asia
  • Monday, Wednesday and the Friday Weekly Wrap

Read by retail operators, investors and brand teams across Asia.

Protected by a quick human check. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe in one click.

SecureGDPR ready