Google Maps has been the top choice for navigation for years. But like many apps today, it’s constantly changing — and not always in a good way. Back in April, Google removed the Assistant Driving Mode from Maps, which also took away its support for music apps. That feature was replaced with a floating button that appeared when users turned on the “Show media playback controls” setting.
Now, it seems even that replacement is being removed. A report from 9to5Google says that the toggle to show media controls has disappeared from the Settings menu in the Android version of Google Maps. This was confirmed on both beta and regular versions of the app. On top of that, the option to choose a default music app (like Spotify or YouTube Music) is also gone.
These features are still available on iPhones — for now — but that version of Maps doesn’t support YouTube Music, only Apple Music and Spotify. So Android users who rely on media controls while driving are now left without an easy way to manage their music through Maps.
It’s unclear if this is a temporary bug or a planned change by Google. Many users are hoping it’s just a mistake. Since Google is replacing Assistant with its new AI, Gemini, there’s a chance a new driving mode could be coming — but we don’t know when or what it will include.
Until then, Android users will have to control their music the regular way while using Maps, which isn’t ideal for drivers.
