With the recent updates to Google Maps and Android Auto, Google has finally lifted an intolerable limitation with its Maps app. As several users testify, it is now possible to launch the Google Maps mobile application on your smartphone and on Android Auto at the same time.
Imprint: Google
There are two camps in the automotive OS market: lovers of Apple’s CarPlay or those of Google’s Android Auto. While each solution has its pros and cons, Android Auto has imposed an intolerable limitation for years with Google Maps.
In fact, when Google Maps runs on Android Auto, it was impossible to launch the service’s mobile application on your smartphone. If you try, all you get is an error message at the bottom of the screen. A really annoying limitation, because the Android Auto version of Google Maps offers significantly fewer functions than the smartphone counterpart.
For example, the application shows a lot of additional data about your destinations, as well as your personalized routes, which the Android Auto version does not allow. However, several users of the Android Auto community on Reddit have noticed a change with the latest version 11.67.02 of the Google Maps APK.
Also read: Android Auto is getting a weather app, but it’s useless for now
Google Maps can finally work on both Android Auto and smartphones
Now, of course, it is possible to launch the full version of Google Maps on your smartphone when the Android Auto application is running. Our colleagues from the 9To5Google page were able to confirm these changes on a Galaxy S23 Ultra after downloading the latest Maps APK. Your co-driver can now help you with the full version of Maps on your smartphone. Useful, for example, to consult turn-by-turn navigation or to find alternative routes while driving.
Beware, however, as users report that the experience is far from perfectly optimized. For some, opening the application on a smartphone is still buggy. For others, the route entered in the Android Auto version did not appear in the Android app. However, just restarting the app was enough to sync the routes across both media. In fact, we can still wonder if this isn’t a bug in the latest Maps APK. We hope not, of course, and that Google has finally decided to remove this intolerable limitation of Google Maps with Android Auto.
