The Google Maps app has always been a useful and important tool. Over the years Google has made it better by adding new features that not only help you get from point “A” to point “B” quickly and safely but also tell you where to dine when you arrive at “B,”or where to spend the night. You’ll also learn which landmarks to visit and see, where you can find entertainment, and a whole lot more. The beauty is that all of this is available from one app.
Google lately has been making some design changes to Google Maps even going as far as to change some of the color themes from blue to teal for buttons and tabs near the bottom of the display. The company has also offered Google Maps users a chance to switch from the iconic blue arrow representing your ride to a red car, a yellow SUV, and a green pickup truck. But after four years, users probably wanted more customization.
Google will now allow Maps users to choose an SUV, a sedan, an off-road truck, a sports car, and a compact hatchback. Each one has eight color options:
To customize your vehicle, tap the current icon used to represent your vehicle and you can select which car or truck you want to use on Google Maps by scrolling to the left with the vehicle you want to select ending up in the circle/spotlight. The color options are underneath the vehicles. After you’ve customized the vehicle on Google Maps, tap on the blue “Done” button to save your design. While the three older vehicle icons are still available, they don’t offer the color customizations that the new ones do.
We should also point out that this new feature is only available on the iOS version of Google Maps for now. Since Google has tried to keep features on both the iOS and Android versions of the app the same, you can pretty much bet that the Android version of Google Maps will eventually offer the same customizable option. The feature is already available on my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.2 beta 3.
