Google Maps for Android Gets New Search Shortcut Carousel Feature

Google Maps has introduced a new way to show search shortcuts on Android. The change brings new pill-shaped search shortcut options right below the main search bar to allow users to take actions faster. These pill-shaped options bring categories like Restaurants, Petrol, ATMs, Hotels, and more. Earlier, Google Maps used to show these options when you swipe up on the ‘Explore Tab' shown below the screen, but now this design change brings an ‘always on' search shortcut feature inside the app.

This change comes with Google Maps v10.28.2 for Android users, and iOS users are yet to get this change. As mentioned, the search shortcut categories shown in the ‘Explore tab' have now moved to the main screen, and now show up right below the big search bar on top. These categories also include your saved directions like ‘Home' or ‘Work'. This allows you to start navigation to your most used search option quickly. This is followed by pill-shaped search shortcuts like ‘Restaurants', ‘ATMS', ‘Petrol Stations', ‘Shopping Centres', ‘Hotels', ‘Chemists', and ‘More'. The ‘More' category opens up a list of search shortcuts that you can choose from, with options divided into broad categories like Things to do, Services, and Food and Drink.

Gadgets 360 can see this change in the latest version of the Android app, but 9to5Google reports that this rollout is still staged in nature, and not all users will see it immediately. Try installing the latest APK from APK Mirror, or uninstalling and reinstalling the Google Maps app to get the latest configurations in place. The new pill-shaped search shortcut carousel takes up more space on the Google Maps main screen, and could be a deal breaker on old phones with smaller screen sizes. But, most of the new phones have taller aspect ratios now, and this change would be welcome in general and help users explore better within Google Maps.

There is no word on when this new Google Maps feature will roll out to iOS users.