Yes, Google Maps Driving Mode Was Discontinued - Here's Why

Google is no stranger to discontinued tech. But the phasing out of Google Maps Driving Mode took many by surprise. You know that little black bar at the bottom of Google Maps on Android? Perhaps you've used it to guide you through voice commands, music controls, and calls while driving, so you could get to your destination without having to fumble around with your phone. Now, it's gone. In early 2025, users started noticing that Driving Mode had vanished without notice. 

It's the kind of change that feels small until it isn't. Many people considered Driving Mode a must-have feature, especially if their vehicle didn't have Android Auto or another built-in infotainment system. It provided navigation, media controls, and voice assistant features in a compact interface. It wasn't perfect, and over time, Google stripped away some of its functionality. But losing it still stings. The main reason for Google retiring Driving Mode was its decision to discontinue Google Assistant in favor of its newer AI system, Gemini. This is part of Google's life-swallowing plans for Gemini AI, which seeks to position it as its next-generation AI assistant. 

Driving Mode in Google Maps began as part of Google Assistant's efforts to help drivers. It gave them a simplified, safer way to use their phones while on the road. Google announced it back in 2019, and at the time, it was clear that the Google Assistant Driving Mode aimed to provide a smarter dashboard. In practice, it replaced Android Auto for Phone Screens. It gave drivers an Android Auto-like experience, even if they didn't have the hardware in their car. Driving Mode bundled navigation, media playback, and simplified controls into one dashboard.

Over the years, Google removed or reduced parts of the feature. The dashboard, which once had app launcher capabilities, was dismantled. By 2024, what remained was a bar at the bottom of the Maps screen. While it still had media controls, a voice-assistant prompt, and incoming call notifications, it was a stripped-down version of the original. That was until early 2025, when reports began popping up that even this bar was missing, as users with recent versions of Maps and the Google app have observed. They found that Driving Mode no longer showed up at all when launching navigation: no media controls, no voice bar, nothing.

Google's reasons for ditching Driving Mode are unclear, as the company has made no official statement about the matter. However, users and analysts have come up with various theories for Google's decision, including redundancy, since Driving Mode overlapped with other features. For example, many users with Android Auto or other car systems didn't need it. Another possible reason is that the simplification of Google's product ecosystem made maintaining backward compatibility and supporting several UI layers unsustainable. Consolidating it under Gemini allows Google to phase out overlapping features.

Another factor that might have caused Driving Mode's demise is Google's continued feature trimming, with the company removing big parts of Driving Mode and minimizing the remaining parts. Once the extras were gone, what was left had less perceived value. As such, it became easier to retire. Experts also consider user feedback crucial. Users have reported that features were inconsistent across devices. The media controls, voice-assistant requests, and bar elements sometimes didn't work or weren't available. These bugs and inconsistencies made the feature harder for Google to maintain. The good news is that  Gemini and Google Assistant are different. The former is smarter and more intuitive. If Google integrates it into Maps, you can expect a range of benefits.