Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
If you’ve used Google Maps on your iPhone or in the car with CarPlay, you’ve probably noticed that a key navigation feature is missing.
While some users previously claimed that a speedometer was coming to their iPhones, Google has experimented with the update on Apple devices on multiple occasions. The search giant has never announced a speedometer, though those occasional tests suggested that the app would eventually be released.
Last week, several of our readers told me that the speedometer was enabled on their devices. Many thought it was another experiment by Google that was not being promoted to the general public.
However, it seems that this is not the case. Google recently confirmed The speedometer and speed limits are now rolling out to Apple users. The process is happening in stages, so if you don’t see the speedometer in Google Maps on your iPhone, wait a bit and check back in a few days. The speedometer availability doesn’t seem to be tied to a specific version of Google Maps, but updating to the latest version might help. Once Google Maps gets a speedometer on your iPhone, the same feature should be available on CarPlay.
The speedometer still isn’t on my iPhone, but Google says that eventually everyone will get the feature. You don’t need to do anything if you already have speed limits enabled in Google Maps on your iPhone, as the speedometer should appear on the screen when the search giant enables the feature for your device.
The lack of Google Maps speedometer on iPhone and CarPlay has been a major issue for many people, who have even switched to Waze. Also owned by Google, Waze includes a speedometer and warnings when exceeding the speed limit.
In 2019, Google enabled a speedometer and speed limits on Android devices, bringing the feature to more users whose phones ran its mobile operating system. The feature was also available on Android Auto.
It’s important to know that the speed information displayed on Google Maps may be different from the speed displayed on your car’s dashboard. This is normal, as Google Maps uses GPS data to calculate your speed. This reading is usually more accurate than the speed displayed on your dashboard, but you should use the data provided by the vehicle to avoid speeding. You can find more information on the difference between the two readings in this article, and let me know in the comment box below if the speedometer is already available on your iPhone and CarPlay.