When I got into my car this week and plugged in my phone as usual – something looked different on my Google Maps displaying through Android Auto. Controls and menu buttons were realigned, much to my liking. It then dawned on me – Google Maps has finally released an update to Android Auto that optimises its functionality for right-hand drive cars.
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The software has been tweaked so that the Google Maps app on Android Auto shifts the turn information and often used navigation and search bar closer to the driver. This is the first time that software on connected driver platforms has made this change, and the user interface is now optimal and can automatically adjust regardless of what car you are in.
This is naturally great for us in South Africa, but also benefits some of Google’s major markets, like Britain, India, Japan and Australasia.
Google has also said that you can revert to the default view if you prefer, although it will switch the user interface to the optimal orientation automatically at first. While it may not seem like a major update, these small quality-of-life improvements do stack up over time.
