Google Maps rolls out new widget to Android users

From now on you can use the new Google Maps widget. This lets you quickly start a search or explore the area.

New Google Maps widget

Earlier we updated you about the new Google Maps widget. This one is different from how we’ve seen widgets at Google before. Thanks to the search bar you can search directly for a specific location; and there are also shortcuts to useful features.

These facilities are, for example, a supermarket, hotel, restaurants, but, for example, your home and work location can also be approached directly. When the search bar is pressed, the search function in Google Maps is automatically opened immediately.

Not much space on your home screen for the Google Maps widget? That doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem. You can completely personalize it to your own chosen format. You can choose for only the search bar, the search bar with four buttons or the search bar with eight buttons. You can also make the widget almost full screen, with the buttons becoming a lot bigger.

Google is rolling out the new Google Maps widget in phases, so you may not see it directly in the widget choices yet.