I just realized how bad Google Maps is on CarPlay — why does it look so terrible?

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So I recently discovered something shocking about Google Maps on iPhone. While the app itself is more or less the same as the Android version, the same is not true for Google Maps on CarPlay. In fact, the whole experience couldn’t be more different from what I’ve always assumed it would be like.

I’m primarily an Android user, and I only really use iPhones for work reasons and don’t even have a SIM set up. So when I jump into my car, I’ve always got my Pixel 10 Pro plugged in with Android Auto up on the main infotainment screen. So imagine my shock when I finally opened up Google Maps on CarPlay and saw just how different it was from the Android version.

It’s like travelling back in time

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Google Maps on Android Auto(Image credit: Future)Google Maps on Apple CarPlay(Image credit: Future)

A brief look at Google Maps on Android Auto and you have all the makings of a modern navigation app. To borrow a phrase from Apple, it just works, and it’s rather hard to describe the experience in any other way. You have a recreation of the standard Google Maps interface, albeit squashed into whatever-sized screen your car offers, alongside various features that operate as pop-ups on the main navigation screen.

Destination search, recent search history, a compass, incident reporting, zoom, quick settings — they’re all usable and accounted for without covering up the entire map.

You can even use the touchscreen to move around the map, with the same gestures that are usable on your phone screen. The touch controls have been a little janky for me, but I’ve always assumed that’s because my car is now 7 years old and never had a particularly good touchscreen to begin with.

Jumping over to CarPlay is almost like going back in time. The different…

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