In 2022, the Google team announced that it had decided to eliminate Assistant Driving Mode, a feature that provided users with a “Dashboard” home screen, instead of maintaining another optimized user interface in Google Maps for Android, also called “ Driving Mode ”.
Well, in a couple of months the time may come for this last feature to be put aside too, at least according to what emerges from the Google App code.
Google Maps Driving Mode to be sidelined
The following strings were found in the code of the 14.52 beta version of App Google:
<string name=”el_deprecation_pre_launch_tooltip_description”> This view is going away in February </string>
<string name=”el_deprecation_post_launch_tooltip_description”> To call, message, or play media while navigating, tap the mic to use Assistant. </string>
It appears that this warning refers to Driving Mode in Google Maps for Android, a feature that replaced the “Assistant Driving Mode Dashboard” (a solution that provided a home screen with a map, multimedia suggestions, audio controls and shortcuts for calls and SMS ).
Google Maps Driving Mode is accessed after you start driving navigation and appears as a black bar at the bottom of your phone’s screen. This feature gives users quick access to Google Assistant, Google Maps, and a launcher for compatible music, podcasts, audiobooks, and other streaming apps, all with a user interface optimized for touch interaction.
At present, the notice informing of the deactivation of Google Maps Driving Mode in February 2024 is not yet active for users but it is likely that within a few weeks the situation is destined to change.
