Weather used to appear over the map layer. Now, it’s moved the weather widget to the “Latest in the area” tab, which is named after the current city, neighborhood, or attraction. This sheet slides up from the bottom when you need it.
When you expand the sheet fully, the weather appears in the top-right corner. Otherwise, it remains in the bottom right.
This change makes the map layer so slightly less cluttered and slightly more easy to digest. Google has also previously simplified the bottom bar and now instead of five tabs on it, you get just three.
Well, although the change makes the app simpler, it’s a bit bothersome if you’re used to quickly glancing at the temperature and condition of the weather from the map.
This change is currently live in the beta channel with Google Maps version 11.151.x, and it is not yet available to the public.
I am usually a fan of simplified designs, and I generally find Google Maps a little bit too cluttered for my taste. I tend to favor other navigation apps such as Waze and Apple Maps mainly due to this issue: there is a thing like “too much info that could be helpful at some point”. So, I’m likely to find such changes beneficial.
Previously, Google Maps got incident reporting to Android Auto, a very useful feature, and back in August, got redesigned pins in another effort for a more simple-looking and neat design. I like the trajectory that Google Maps is going and I’m pleased to see these changes being worked on in beta.
