Google Maps’ controversial new coloration scheme is coming to third-party apps

Late final 12 months, Google revamped the colour scheme of its Maps app for iOS, Android, and the online. Though the revamp wasn’t that drastic, many customers have been aggravated by the sudden modifications to the styling they’d been used to for therefore lengthy. These modifications at the moment are coming to maps inside third-party apps which might be powered by the Google Maps Platform.

Again in November of final 12 months, we reported that Google Maps had modified its colours to be brighter total. Main and minor roads have been now shades of grey as an alternative of yellow or white, our bodies of water have been now turquoise as an alternative of blue, forests have been now a pastel inexperienced as an alternative of a muted inexperienced, and routes have been now a brighter and extra jarring blue. Once we polled our readers about these modifications, an amazing 69% of three,277 respondents stated that they didn’t like the brand new colours, with many stating that it made particulars more durable to see. A former designer for Google Maps even chimed in to precise her opinion on the revamped coloration scheme, calling it “colder, much less correct, and fewer human.”

Regardless of these preliminary complaints, Google Maps’ new coloration scheme has broadly rolled out throughout Android, iOS, and the online and appears to remain. Nevertheless, the up to date styling isn’t broadly accessible but in maps embedded in third-party apps that use Google Maps as their backend. Google is trying to change that quickly with updates to its Google Maps Platform, the set of APIs and SDKs that lets builders embed Google Maps into their cellular apps or net pages.

Google not too long ago up to date the documentation for the Google Maps Platform so as to add a discover stating that the “new map styling is coming quickly to Google Maps Platform.” The discover specifies that the up to date map styling “features a new default coloration palette and enhancements to map experiences and usefulness” and that every one map kinds shall be “routinely up to date in March 2025.”

A brand new developer-facing doc titled “new map fashion for Google Maps Platform” was not too long ago printed detailing how builders can decide in (or out) of the brand new fashion. It highlights how apps that use “map IDs,” that are distinctive identifiers that symbolize a single occasion of a Google Map, will be up to date to the most recent model of cloud-based map styling, which helps the refreshed map fashion on each net and cellular. Cloud-based map styling lets builders “create a personalized street map expertise for [their] customers with out having to replace [their] apps’ code every time [they] make a map fashion change.”

Apps that don’t use map IDs, in the meantime, might want to manually replace the Google Maps API or SDK they’re embedding to make use of the brand new default map fashion. The not too long ago launched V19.0.0 of the Google Maps SDK for Android, for instance, features a new map renderer that helps the up to date styling. Different Maps SDKs, such because the Navigation SDK for Android, Maps Static API, and Maps Embed API, shall be up to date later this 12 months to permit for opting into the up to date map fashion.

Google warns that builders gained’t be capable to decide out of the brand new map kinds after March 18, 2025. Because of this the brand new Google Maps coloration scheme you see within the Android, iOS, and net shoppers in the present day would be the default coloration scheme for all Google Maps-powered maps inside third-party apps and web sites going ahead. Nevertheless, Google says that “builders are welcome to create customized map kinds reminiscent of the present default map kinds,” so third-party apps gained’t be pressured to make use of Google’s most popular styling.

This is smart, as customization is a key function of the Google Maps Platform. In truth, Google gives quite a few methods for builders to configure the preliminary map settings, together with the digicam place, map sort, the UI parts to show, which gestures to allow, whether or not lite mode needs to be enabled, and whether or not darkish mode needs to be enabled.

Relying on the extent of customization, it might not be instantly apparent whether or not the map you’re inside a third-party app or web site is powered by Google Maps. If the maps you’re used to inside your favourite apps immediately change colours to match Google Maps, although, then that’ll be a very good clue that they’re utilizing the Google Maps Platform.

Now that we’re almost eight months previous the rollout of the brand new colours in Google Maps, how do you’re feeling about them? Do you continue to dislike them, or have they grown on you? Tell us within the ballot above and the feedback under!