Android Auto finally gets a CarPlay feature for Google Maps that could save you from a speeding fine
It's taken an age for this Android Auto navigation feature to get here – maybe it got lost on the way?
Quick Summary
Google Maps could be about to get a live speedometer in Android Auto, only two years after it landed on Apple CarPlay.
The missing feature appeared for some beta users recently.
Google could be about to roll-out a speedometer feature in Google Maps on Android Auto, letting you see the speed limit at a glance. The feature has been available in CarPlay for a couple of years, while it's also available in Google Maps on Android phones.
Sometimes, the disparity between Android Auto's offering and the native Android offering is remarkable. There are a number of apps that have great features on the phone, that aren't supported through the projected version on Android Auto.
For example, Waze on the phone supports ETA sharing, but the Android Auto version does not. It's almost as though the developers forget that you're going to be using the app in a car.
That's how it's felt with Google Maps for some time, with the phone app offering a speedometer when driving, but Android Auto missing out.
Sure, if you're in a car then there's a speedometer in the dash, but sometimes you just want that information centralised – especially if you regularly drive between countries that use imperial and metric systems.
Well, it appears that the Android Auto system might finally be catching up with Apple CarPlay (which got it in 2024). Drivers on Reddit (via 9to5Google) are reporting that the speedo has appeared.
That speedo also appears to be linked to national signage, with a rectangular design in Canada and a round design in Europe. That will help glanceability.
The bad news is that this only seems to appear when navigating: if you're one of the many drivers who likes to keep the map open in Android Auto when just driving around, then you won't get the full experience. Hopefully, Google will offer it as a toggle option like it does with traffic.
The other bit of bad news is that currently this appears to be in the beta release, so there's no telling when it's actually going to roll-out to drivers. Google doesn't have a great history with bringing timely updates to Android Auto, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it takes some time to actually land in your region.
Google Maps seems to be adopting features from Waze. Seeing as both are owned by Google, it's sometimes hard to see why both still exist, instead of having one unified experience.
