The Google Assistant Driving Mode feature was introduced at the I/O event held in 2019. The company announced that it will terminate this feature developed for the Google Maps application.
At the Google I/O 2019 event, it was announced that some UI changes and performance improvements were made for the Maps application. Taking Google Assistant’s Maps integration to the next level, the company stated that the new feature is not used.
Google Assistant will not support Driving Mode in Maps app
The Google Assistant Driving Mode feature includes media suggestions, voice controls, and shortcuts for calling and messaging. Users can access this screen with the command “Google, start driving mode”.
Google Assistant Driving Mode will be turned off completely on November 21. The car-optimized feature in Google Maps for Android, which Google also calls Driving Mode, will continue.
Design change in Phone app from Google
The Phone Application, which has become more functional than the old design, has started to be tested with limited users.
Driving Mode had less usage compared to Android Auto. However, it is known that this feature is still preferred by millions of users. Google announced that both Driving Mode features are actively used.
Google also made a radical design change in the Phone app. Users will now be able to access the keypad more easily during voice calls. Google, which also changed the position of the keypad on the screen, moved the keys up to increase the user experience.
On taller phones, you may notice that the buttons are now closer to the bottom and easier to reach with both thumbs. Also, additional search options on the top row (when in use) are aligned to the right. This makes the application easy for one-handed use.
So what do you think about Google’s radical decisions on apps and services? You can share your ideas in the comments section and on the SDN Forum.