Google Maps driving mode has been discontinued and this is why

Google Maps Driving Mode has been discontinued and this is the reason why.

For years, this tech feature has been helping drivers find their way through the world.

The days of passengers trying to decipher road maps were over.

But now Google Maps Driving Mode is history – it’s no more.

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Why Google Maps Driving Mode has gone the way of the Dodo

For drivers without Android Auto or an alternative infotainment system, Driving Mode was a lifeline.

That is, for people not using Waze instead.

Within one feature, you had navigation, media controls, and voice assistant features.

Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but who was expecting perfection?

The fact that it’s gone is going to sting for many drivers.

After all, humans can often be resistant to change – you only need to look at the mourning over these discontinued cars for proof of that.

So that begs the question…why is Google Driving Mode being confined to the scrap bin of history?

The main reason is that Google is discontinuing Google Assistant in favor of its newer AI system, Gemini.

Driving Mode was first announced back in 2019, but parts of the feature had been reduced or removed over the years.

The dashboard was dismantled, leaving the feature as a bar along the bottom of the Maps screen.

But it still had media controls, a voice assistant prompt, and incoming call notifications.

However, that began changing around the start of 2025 as more and more people noticed it was missing from recent versions of Maps and the Google app.

What has the company said about this change?

No official statement has been released by Google regarding the fate of Driving Mode.

That hasn’t stopped people speculating on the reasons why – perhaps the app was seen as redundant because it overlapped with other features.

And given that some people had gripes with some of the features not working consistently, including the voice-assistant requests, Google probably thought retirement was best.

It goes without saying, but there are still options provided for drivers to use.

Gemini is now going to be the go-to for drivers, and once it’s integrated into Maps, we can expect a lot of exciting things.

It can’t be stressed enough – Google Maps itself isn’t going anywhere.

And we’re all grateful for that.

Not least of all because we’d miss out on hilarious stories like this woman who ended up on a TV show set after following directions to a ‘fake grocery store’.

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