Android Auto's most requested Google Maps feature arrived then disappeared again – what's going on?

Google Maps offers a speedometer in the app on your phone and it also shows it during navigation on Apple CarPlay, but until very recently it has been missing on Android Auto.

We first caught wind of Google's plans in July, when a speedometer appeared in Google Maps, along with speed restriction information. That arrived for some drivers using Android Auto and was limited to select beta users, it seems. However, rather than rolling out to the wider public, it seems to have vanished again.

That's the story coming from Reddit, where users are reporting a fickle experience: some see it, some don't. Some are on the beta release and some aren't.

I tested Google Maps on Android Auto in the UK and found that I had the speedometer and the speed limits showing up. I'm not on the Google Maps beta, but I am on the Android Auto beta.

So it looks like we're in a position of flux for the feature, with many users not running the beta having access to the feature and those on the beta somewhere in between. It's likely that this position will straighten itself out over the coming weeks.

Some users have also reported traffic dropping off, while others are suggesting that you try Waze. However, I've found recently that my Waze speedometer has disappeared behind other in-screen furniture and become obscured.

There's a chance that such mapping systems are struggling for space, wanting to show you the base map and turn instructions, the ETA and other road information, and app controls – and unless you've got a huge screen like a Tesla, it might not all fit.

But ultimately, the speedometer is shown in the car somewhere else. Most cars still have a driver display and some have a heads-up display, so it's not hard to see how fast you are travelling – and for the majority of drivers, glancing at the central display is more of a distraction that just using the car's existing speedometer.

Then we come to the actual speed that in-app speedometers show. These lag behind the speed shown by the car, because they are calculated from satellite movement whereas the car's speedometer calculates it from the speed of the wheels. That's why Google Maps or Waze is often different and lags behind the speed changes your car shows you.

That being said, the inclusion of speed limits is much more useful: although many modern cars show these, they are usually based on a static database, so recent or temporary changes won't show. Older cars – or low spec cars – might not have this feature at all, so speed limits in Google Maps can be really helpful.

Let's hope all this irons itself out soon.