Android Auto's latest update brings an important Google Maps refresh

Android Auto is the subject to almost constant tweaking from Google. Rather than major redesigns or changes, the in-car system seems to be forever subject to small changes – often for the better, but sometimes for the worse too. The latest change definitely seems to be for the better, thankfully.

Over the past week, users have spotted that the "Report" function now appears on smaller displays (via 9to5Google). The option to report incidents on the road is something that migrated from Waze to Google Maps, a process that started in late 2024.

However, the problem was that vehicles with smaller screens couldn't show this button when using Android Auto – it only appeared on larger in-car displays. That's what seems to have changed, with users reporting that they now have the function on smaller screens too.

Incident reports allow drivers to mark a crash, congestion or police presence, for example, something which was the very foundation of Waze's proposition. Waze describes itself as offering crowd-sourced data, harvesting information from users who can report all sorts of occurances on the road.

Rather than just relying on public information, Waze users have long been able to report a flood or bad weather – or a whole range of other things – so that other drivers can benefit. There's verification too, with additional users asked to confirm if something is "still there" when driving through the area that the report was given.

There's long been the question of whether Waze and Google Maps would merge, but that doesn't seem to have happened, despite the migration of elements like reporting into Google Maps. For now, the two services continue to run independently, albeit sharing information.

Google Maps suggested locations remain hidden

Users of Android Auto are also sharing that Google Map's "suggested locations" isn't opening when starting up in the car. This irritating feature dominated the maps display by opening with locations that it thought you might want to drive to. In some instances, this would get stuck open and refuse to close, so it's good news that this isn't now opening by default.

This option doesn't seem to have landed with all users yet and it might just be for those with smaller displays. As is often the case with Android Auto, not all users get the same updates at the same time, so it's often hard to pin down exactly what has changed and who it has changed for.

Other recent changes to Android Auto include the removal of GameSnacks for some drivers, but the big change that we're all still waiting for is Gemini – which could drastically change the in-car voice experience for good.