After more than a year since announcing the feature, Google Maps is finally rolling out glanceable directions on Android and iOS (via Android Police).
The feature allows users to view turn-by-turn directions and a live ETA directly from their device's lock screen – information that was previously only visible when a phone was unlocked.
Glanceable directions also work on the app's route overview screen that appears after launching directions, before users tap the Start button. Google Maps will show directions, live ETA, and even update the route if the user takes a different path, as shown in the GIF embedded below.
Glanceable directions are off by default, but can be enabled in the app's main settings, under Navigation. In our tests on iPhone, the setting only appeared after switching Google accounts, suggesting the feature is still rolling out. However, we are still not seeing support for Live Activities in iOS, which was promised a year ago.
Google first announced glanceable directions last February, and in June said the feature was rolling out that month for walking, cycling, and driving directions on Android and iOS, including compatibility with Live Activities in iOS 16.1.
Based on assets recently unearthed by MacRumors in an earlier version of the app, Google Maps continues to work on integrating Live Activities support for iPhones, but when we'll actually see it at this point is anyone's guess.
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.
Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports.
In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
Here's what's supposedly coming:
An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Maybe it’s me but I find Google Maps to be very “busy” these days. I was a die hard Google Maps fan but in the metro area I live in, Apple Maps is actually better in some cases and the map interaction is simpler. Now if Apple Maps ditched Yelp for Google Reviews then it’s game over.
Apple Maps is soo much cleaner these days. 4 Buttons and a search-sheet combination in Apple Maps vs. around 15 buttons, a search bar, a nav bar, and a sheet in Google Maps...
Maybe it’s me but I find Google Maps to be very “busy” these days. I was a die hard Google Maps fan but in the metro area I live in, Apple Maps is actually better in some cases and the map interaction is simpler. Now if Apple Maps ditched Yelp for Google Reviews then it’s game over.
As long as G-Maps keeps pushing Apple to refine *their* maps, Apple users win either way. I have not used G-Maps in years though. My last cross country roadtrip in the usa I downloaded HERE Maps app JUST for their off-line option...which Apple now has as well ?
I have made the decision to detach myself as much as possible from the Google universe. I'm probably late to the game, but this company is becoming pretty evil. I changed all my logins that used Gmail addresses to Apple iCloud addresses. I removed YouTube from my devices. I've used DuckDuckGo for search now for years. My last app was Google Maps, but I thought to take a second look in quite some time at the Apple Maps app instead. It looks to me that it's improved substantially, so -- as of yesterday -- I've deleted Google Maps from all my devices.
I'm hoping I didn't miss some little spyware somewhere. But in a real way, I feel pretty good about moving away from this dark entity...
I didn’t even know Google had this ability. I thought it was exclusive to Apple Maps or something. I wonder what their engineers even do all day, there’s no world where this actually took that long to develop.
