Google Maps can now control your music while you’re using turn-by-turn navigation. Here’s how to connect the app to Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music.
Using your phone to navigate and play music when you’re driving are both common activities, but each app demands your complete attention. It’s distracting, dangerous, and in many states illegal to fiddle with your phone when you’re behind the wheel.
To save you the trouble of swapping apps just to change your music, Google has added a new feature that brings your music directly into Google Maps’ Navigation mode.
The new feature, available for Android and iOS, allows you to start playlists and pause music from your favorite app without having to leave driving navigation. The device you own limits the options you have to choose from: Android users can link Google Maps with Google Play Music, Apple Music, or Spotify, while iOS users can only use Apple Music or Spotify. If you link Spotify, you will be able to browse the full app and switch back through a shortcut between both programs. Here’s how to get started.
Sync Music App
Manually Sync Music App
If the banner does not appear, tap the hamburger menu ( ) at the top of the screen. On Android (pictured), navigate to Settings > Navigation settings and toggle the switch for Show media playback controls. On iOS, click the hamburger menu and select the Settings icon ( ) on the right > Navigation > Music playback controls.
How to Use Spotify in Google Maps
How to Use Apple Music in Google Maps
Control Your Music Selection
Find New Music
This one is probably best if you’re pulled over or a passenger is handling the phone. On Android, browse Google Play Music with the tap of a button, with Google Maps still visible in the corner of the screen. Once you have made your music selections, switch back to navigation by tapping on the small window. That window will expand, giving you a choice between opening Google Maps again or closing out of it entirely.
On iOS, Google Maps will take you to your app of choice to find new music and then return to Google Maps with one tap (pictured, right).
To save you the trouble of swapping apps just to change your music, Google has added a new feature that brings your music directly into Google Maps’ Navigation mode. \n\n
This one is probably best if you’re pulled over or a passenger is handling the phone. On Android, browse Google Play Music with the tap of a button, with Google Maps still visible in the corner of the screen. Once you have made your music selections, switch back to navigation by tapping on the small window. That window will expand, giving you a choice between opening Google Maps again or closing out of it entirely.
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Google Maps serves as a good tool for you to get driving navigation. It’s necessary to use it for road direction. When you are driving the car, you may get used to listening to some music. Spotify music enjoys high popularity among music users. Do you know how to connect Spotify to Google Maps? Here we will offer you the easy way to access Spotify music on Google Maps. Go ahead!
Part 1. How to Add Spotify to Google Maps
It’s available for you to get Spotify songs on Google Maps directly. Here is the guide to get the music on Google Maps.
Step 1. Launch the Google Maps on your Android or iOS devices.
Step 2. If you use Android devices: click “settings” > “Navigation Settings” on the menu. For iOS devices you use: hit the gear button > “Navigation” option on the top of the list.
Step 3. Select “Music playback controls” on iOS or “Show media playback controls” on Android devices.
Step 4. Set Spotify as the default app. Agree to the terms to link Google Maps and Spotify. Then you can play Spotify on Google Maps. You can tap on the “Browse”В icon to choose the songs you love on Google Maps.
Part 2. Best Way to Play Spotify in the Car without Google Maps
When you are having a rest in your car, you can listen to Spotify songs for relaxing or entertainment. It’s known that Spotify music is protected with its specific format so you can not access the music outside the Spotify app. What’s more, when you cancel the subscription, the downloads in the app will disappear. That is to say, the songs do not belong to you.
Here we will show you the perfect way to get Spotify music in your car. The AudFree Spotify Music Converter helps you to extract the Spotify songs to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A and M4B audio files. You can truly own the songs and upload them to your phone for offline playback without quality loss. Meanwhile, the ID3 tags of the songs such as the title, group, genre, year and so on will be preserved. You can get the converted playlist in a short time as the AudFree Spotify Music Downloader runs at 5X faster speed. Then you can lsiten to Spotify music offline without premium in your car.
AudFree Spotify Music Converter
- Losslessly download Spotify music on your devices.
- Convert Spotify tracks to MP3, AAC, WAV, etc.
- Play Spotify songs offline on Google Maps and cars.
- Run at 5X faster speed, customize music parameters.
Now you can follow the tutorial below to convert Spotify songs’ format.
Step 1 Import Spotify Tracks to AudFree Program Open the AudFree Spotify Music Converter on your computer. When the Spotify app is opened, select the songs for conversion. Add them to the window by dragging directly. Or you can copy the links and paste them to the search bar. Then click the “+” button. Step 2 Set Output Parameters of Spotify Songs
Hit the “Preference” icon on the top. You can then choose your favorite format on the new window. The AudFree software also inspires you to reset the channel, bit rate and sample rate. Step 3 Convert Spotify Music
Tap on the “Convert” button on the bottom. The AudFree program will download the songs and save them on your computer. The converted Spotify songs can be found in the output folder. If you use the free version of AudFree Spotify Music Converter, you will get a one-third converted file. To gain a full one, you are suggested to buy the AudFree software. Step 4 Get Spotify Songs in Your Car
1. Use the USB cable to connect your phone with the computer. Copy the converted Spotify files and paste them to the folder of your phone.
2. Activate the Bluetooth on your phone and the car stereo.
3. Make the Bluetooth setting on your phone and choose the car stereo as the target device.
4. Access the Spotify music on your phone and the songs will be streamed to the car’s system via Bluetooth.
Part 3. Fantastic Spotify Playlists for Driving
#1. Rap Caviar: As one of the most popular Hip Hop playlists on Spotify, it attracts over 4 million music lovers with 50 songs. The songs were organized by Tuma Basa, the head of Hip Hop Playlist programming.
#2. EDM Workout Pump-up: There are 324 songs in the playlist, which includes Slow Down – Radio Edit, Reunite (feat, Patrick Moreno & Aloma Steele), ), In My Mind (feat, Georgi Kay), etc. It is one of the greatest EDM playlists in 2019.
#3. We Everywhere: You will feel the mix of local hits and those around the world in this Rap playlist. It’s amazing for its new artists who add certified bangers into native tongue languages.
#4. Cardio: This playlist works well to motivate you with high tempo tunes, like Hazers, Jackie Chan and IDGAF among others. You will feel excited and focus on your goal when you are driving.
Q. I use Google Maps on my iPhone to get directions to different places. I also use my phone to listen to music and podcasts on Spotify, and I recently had someone in my car who told me I could control the music from within Google Maps so I don’t have to switch back and forth between two apps. She said that I could set Google Maps on my iPhone so that I could control Spotify without having to leave the Google Maps app.
She showed me how she had Spotify in Google Maps on her phone, but I couldn’t figure out how to get it on my phone.
I know The Wonder of Tech has done articles on using Google Maps. Can you do an article on how to get Spotify controls in the Google Maps app on the iPhone? Thanks for all of your great articles, they’re very helpful to me!
A. You’re welcome, and you’re correct. You can get music controls to appear in the Google Maps app for Spotify, as well as for Apple Music and YouTube Music. You can use these music controls in the Google Maps app so you don’t have to switch between two apps as you’re navigating and listening to music.
By taking a few minutes to enable music controls in Google Maps, you can make listening to music and podcasts while navigating easier and safer.
Adding Music Controls to the Google Maps App
Google Maps lets you add music controls to its app so you don’t have to switch between apps to control your music while you’re navigating. Having music controls in Google Maps can mean listening to your music and podcasts can be more enjoyable when you’re walking, biking, or driving to a destination.
This feature isn’t available by default, you have to turn it on in Google Maps app settings to have music controls appear when navigating.
Google Maps app music controls are currently available for these music streaming services:
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- YouTube Music
If you use any other music services, you won’t be able to add their music controls to Google Maps (unless a future update to the Google Maps app includes more music services).
To add music controls to Google Maps, make sure you have the Google Maps app and your music app on your phone and that you’re logged into your accounts.
Open the Google Maps app and go to Settings. Tap your profile photo, then tap Settings in the menu that appears. Tap Navigation then Music playback controls.
The next screen will show you the music streaming apps on your phone that you can connect to Google Maps. Choose the one that you’d like to use with Google Maps.
You may see a confirmation pop-up, depending on the app you’re connecting.
With Spotify, you are asked to confirm that you want to open the Spotify app:
Spotify will then confirm that you want to connect Google Maps to your account, explain the access Google will have to your account, and provide a link to change your preference later:
Using Music Controls in Google Maps
To use music controls in Google Maps, first open the music app you’ve connected to Google Maps and start playing a song or podcast. Next, open the Google Maps app, enter your destination, and begin navigation.
The music controls should appear under the map:
You can play, pause, fast-forward to the next song, and rewind to the previous song. There’s a Browse button that lets you choose different music and/or podcast selections.
What Else You Need to Know About Music Controls in Google Maps
Adding music controls to Google Maps is intended to reduce distractions. Keep your eyes on the road and avoid staring at your phone’s screen while driving.
You can use these music controls in Google Maps with both podcasts and music. (Note, Spotify includes podcasts but Apple Music and YouTube Music currently do not).
These music controls work with both downloaded and streaming music.
Music controls appear in Google Maps only when the app is navigating. If you use Google Maps without navigating you won’t see the music controls.
Google Play Music can also be controlled in Google Maps, but that music service is being shuttered by Google later this year. Google has recently added YouTube Music controls to Google Maps to ease the transition from Google Play Music to YouTube Music.
Music controls appear in Google Maps in both portrait and landscape views. In portrait view, music controls appear at the bottom of the screen. In landscape view, music controls appear in the lower right corner of the screen so may block information such as the next turn.
On Android devices, you may have to tap the up arrow ∧ to reveal the music player controls in landscape mode.
If you prefer to use Google Maps in landscape view, be sure you’re okay with the placement of the music controls before leaving on your trip.
If you find you don’t need music controls on Google Maps while you’re navigating, or want to see more of the map, you can easily hide them, then reveal them later when you need them.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever been frustrated at switching back and forth between a music app and Google Maps when navigating? Do you like the idea of having music controls in Google Maps? Do you think having music controls in Google Maps is more or less distracting?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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Most people use Google Maps just for navigation or getting traffic updates. The tech giant keeps on adding new features to the app and recently the company has added a new feature that allows users to add native music controls for several music apps. The new feature adds music control buttons to the app. Here’s how you can add music controls to Google Maps.
First things first:
The feature is not turned on by default, and users have to turn it on manually. Also, currently only Google Play Music , Apple Music and Spotify are supported.
Pre-requisite:
Make sure to install the latest version (10.9.2) or above on your smartphone. If not update the app from the respective app store.
Steps to follow:
Open Google Maps
To turn on this feature, head to Google Maps and make sure you are logged in using Google account
Go to Maps Setting
– On Android: Tap on the three horizontal bars from the top right corner and select the ‘Settings’ option.
– On iPhone: Swipe from the left to access menu options and tap on the ‘Gear’ icon from the top.’
Head to the ‘Navigation Settings’
On Android: Scroll down and look for the ‘Navigation settings’ option and tap on it
On iPhone: iOS users will find the ‘Navigation’ option at the top of the page.
Turn on the ‘Show Media Playback Controls
Most likely, this feature will be off by default, tap on the toggle button located in front of the option. Then, it will ask you to select the default service.
Select the default music service
On Android: Google Maps will automatically pull up all the available services on the phone.
On iPhone: Toggling on the controls will bring the list of all the compatible apps.
Also, based on the service, users may have to authorise the account on both devices.
In case of iOS devices, users have to turn on the ‘Media & Apple Music settings to add Apple Music services to Google Maps.
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Most people use Google Maps just for navigation or getting traffic updates. The tech giant keeps on adding new features to the app and recently the company has added a new feature that allows users to add native music controls for several music apps. The new feature adds music control buttons to the app. Here’s how you can add music controls to Google Maps.
First things first:
The feature is not turned on by default, and users have to turn it on manually. Also, currently only Google Play Music , Apple Music and Spotify are supported.
Pre-requisite:
Make sure to install the latest version (10.9.2) or above on your smartphone. If not update the app from the respective app store.
Steps to follow:
Open Google Maps
To turn on this feature, head to Google Maps and make sure you are logged in using Google account
Go to Maps Setting
– On Android: Tap on the three horizontal bars from the top right corner and select the ‘Settings’ option.
– On iPhone: Swipe from the left to access menu options and tap on the ‘Gear’ icon from the top.’
Head to the ‘Navigation Settings’
On Android: Scroll down and look for the ‘Navigation settings’ option and tap on it
On iPhone: iOS users will find the ‘Navigation’ option at the top of the page.
Turn on the ‘Show Media Playback Controls
Most likely, this feature will be off by default, tap on the toggle button located in front of the option. Then, it will ask you to select the default service.
Select the default music service
On Android: Google Maps will automatically pull up all the available services on the phone.
On iPhone: Toggling on the controls will bring the list of all the compatible apps.
Also, based on the service, users may have to authorise the account on both devices.
In case of iOS devices, users have to turn on the ‘Media & Apple Music settings to add Apple Music services to Google Maps.
If you could walk 500 miles, but you’d rather drive 500 more, you may as well join the masses and stream “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers – the most popular song on road trip playlists – for your own adventure.
More and more, people are streaming their music from Spotify while on the go. In some cases, that means they’re using their mobile devices for both music and navigation, with navigation as the most widely used non-music app in the car. Now, instead of switching back and forth between your tunes and your directions, our new integration with Google Maps allows you to control what you’re listening to from Spotify right in the Maps app.
We’ve previously seen how well navigation works in harmony with music through our integration with Waze in 2017. Starting today, millions of Google Maps users across Spotify markets will be able to to “jam through the traffic jam” on both iOS and Android. After connecting your Spotify account, you’ll be ready to start.
Now, Spotify users can enable playback controls within the Google Maps navigation settings and enjoy music and podcasts from Spotify during an active navigation, making Spotify an easily accessible and natural part of your journey. Pause, play, or skip until you’ve found your perfect jam.
Switching and selecting music will be seamless as well. Through a simple entry-point from the Google Maps app into Spotify, you’ll be able to browse songs, albums, and playlists. There will be a banner in Spotify to help you to return to your active navigation.
So on your next excursion, we’ve got you covered—between streaming your own playlists, our featured Daily Lift or Morning Commute playlists, or playing your favorite album on shuffle, you can now travel to the beat of your favorite tunes and keep your eyes on the destination ahead.
The integration will be rolling out to all Google Maps users over the next few days. Ensure that you have the latest version of Spotify & download Google Maps on the iOS App Store here and Google Play store here.
Think streaming music, and the first name that springs to mind is probably Spotify —but there are some great alternatives out there. Both Apple and Google have music services for streaming, downloads, and playing local files across phones, tablets, and desktop. There are lots of different ways to compare the two services, but we’re going to try and simplify it by starting with all the similarities. Here’s how Apple Music compares to Google Play Music.
The head-to-head comparison
In a lot of ways, Apple Music and Google Play Music cover a lot of the same ground. They both work on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, and both let you manage local or purchased music for free. They also have an option to pay $9.99 a month for access to a streaming catalog of about 35 million songs.
All the major features are covered on both services: music recommendations, podcasts, radio mixes, and offline listening on mobile. Apple Music emphasizes human rather than algorithm-led curation for music recommendations, but the end result is practically the same. Both also let you build and share playlists, as well as love (or like) tracks.
Apple Music runs through iTunes, of course, with a cloud element added on top via the iCloud Music Library; Google Play Music is completely web-based, with mobile apps and the option to monitor local folders for file uploads.
There are difference in each feature set, but the competition is neck-and-neck when it comes to all the big features we use on a daily basis. That means look and feel is very important when it comes to deciding which suits you best. It’s also the hardest part to talk about objectively, because everyone’s tastes vary.
The same rules that apply for iOS vs Android apply here: Apple Music is detailed and elegant (and perhaps too complicated), whereas Google Play Music is bright and bold (and perhaps too simple). Apple Music follows the iTunes aesthetic whereas Google Play Music follows the principles of material design, dominated by that big search box.
Why you might prefer Apple Music
If you have a lot of Apple hardware or if you’ve grown up with iTunes , Apple Music is probably your best option. One or two of the biggest names in music have also released exclusives on Apple Music in the past—albeit for brief periods. Still, it’s something that we haven’t really seen much of to date with Google Play Music.
As clunky and complex as it is, iTunes does offer cool features like smart playlists, unlike the Google Play Music web app (at least not natively ). If you want to queue up all the songs you haven’t heard in a month, or all the five-star tracks you’ve got from the 80s, then Apple Music is the service for you.
Beats 1 —the 24/7, celebrity-packed, hand-curated radio station broadcasting around the world—is something else Apple Music has and Google Play Music doesn’t. You might love it or loathe it, but unlike the streaming component of Apple Music, you can at least try it out for free.
The “For You” recommendation pane is more comprehensive and seems to be more intelligent than Google’s comparable offering. Plus, you get the Connect social element (where artists share social updates with fans), though this seems to be going the same way as Ping.
Why you might prefer Google Play Music
Being able to upload 50,000 of your own MP3s to the cloud, free of charge, so you can access them from anywhere, is a huge plus—though note that Google does an iTunes Match-style trick, so it stores its own copies of the songs if it can find them. Be careful when uploading your rarities and b-sides to be sure Play Music stores the right versions.
iCloud Music Library, by comparison, offers space for 100,000 songs—as long as you’re paying for iTunes Match or Apple Music. Google’s uploading is all done for free, whether or not you subscribe, and it’s also DRM-free .
The web-only approach will be a benefit to some and a drawback for others. You can get at your library from any web browser, but you do need web access. You don’t need to worry about where your vast iTunes library is, just whether or not you can get online.
Google Play Music doesn’t have Beats, but it does have playlists based around moods and times of day, if you’re stuck for inspiration. A monthly subscription also gets you YouTube Red —ad-free, offline-enabled YouTube, with all the extra bells and whistles that come along with it (exclusive PewDiePie videos!).
The bottom line
We’ve talked about the (many) similarities and (few) differences between Apple Music and Google Play Music, but head-to-head comparisons will only get you so far in a personal choice like this. If you’re a seasoned iTunes user, you’re going to be much more comfortable with Apple Music, whereas if you’re completely new to iTunes, you’re probably going to find Google Play Music much more enjoyable to use.
Google Play Music lives on the web, for better or worse, whereas Apple Music links back to the old days (2003-2015) of digital downloads. That, maybe together with Beats 1 and YouTube Red, are these two services in a nutshell, so proceed accordingly.
If you really want to work out which one suits you best, then maybe shell out the $19.98 for a month and try them both. You’ll probably come across a host of little annoyances or delights that will help sway you one way or the other.
There’s no real comprehensive winner here. If you’re got a Chromebook, go for Google Play Music. If you already have a carefully cultivated iTunes library of 25,000 songs, go for Apple Music. If you use a Sonos setup at home, well, you can choose either.
Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast. Read more.
If your car supports Apple CarPlay and you’re not a fan of Apple Maps, it’s easy to use Google Maps for detailed turn-by-turn directions and navigation in your car instead. Here’s how to use it.
First, make sure you have Google Maps installed on your iPhone. It’s available free of charge on the App Store. After that, activate CarPlay by connecting your iPhone to your CarPlay-compatible vehicle. Locate Google Maps on your CarPlay screen and launch it with a tap. What you do next depends on where you’d like to go.
How to Get Turn-by-Turn Directions in Google Maps Through CarPlay
Once Google Maps is running, it can provide turn-by-turn directions by voice to almost any location. First, tap the screen until you see an “Add Destination” button across the top. Once it appears, tap it.
Next, you will see a menu that lets you choose how you’d like to add a destination. Although there are six buttons here (plus a keyboard button), there are really only four basic ways to enter a destination.
- Recent searches: This shows a list of recently searched destinations you can pick from.
- Gas stations, Restaurants, Grocery stores, Coffee shops: Tapping one of these shows you to a list of nearby businesses that match the category description. You’ll be able to tap the one you’d like to visit.
- Voice search: This allows you to search for a destination using your voice.
- Keyboard search: Tapping the keyboard icon in the upper-right corner of the screen allows you to search by typing in a destination name using an on-screen touch keyboard.
For example, if you tap the “Voice Search” button, you’ll be asked where you’d like to go.
Say the name of a destination out loud. It can be an address (i.e., “4403 Denmark St. in Tampa”), the name of a landmark (such as a park, monument, or famous building), or a business.
For example, if you say “McDonalds,” Google Maps will provide a list of the closest McDonalds restaurant locations. You will see a similar search result list if you search by keyboard or browse by category type as well. Tap the listed location that you’d like to visit.
After that, Google Maps will show you an overview of the route path on the map as well as how long it will take to get there. To begin the route, press “Start.”
As you’re driving, Google Maps will give you vocal turn-by-turn directions through your car’s speaker system. You will also be able to see your location as you move along on the map. Your vehicle is represented by the blue triangle-shaped icon inside a circle.
While you’re driving, you will see an estimated arrival time, the time remaining until you reach the destination, and remaining distance in the lower left corner of the screen.
If at any time you’d like to add a stop to your route, you can tap the “Add Stop” button at the top of the screen. To cancel the route, tap the “Exit” button in the upper-right corner.
The three buttons in the lower right corner of the display do the following (from top to bottom):
- Browse map: Tapping this allows you freely move your viewpoint of the map up, down, left, or right so that you can get a look at the surrounding area without having to drive there.
- Mute audio: This mutes the voice giving the turn-by-turn directions.
- See route overview: This allows you to see an overview of the entire route in progress on the map.
Once you’ve arrived, Google Maps will alert you by voice, and the screen will change. Tap “End Trip” to clear the trip from Google Maps.
After that, you’re free to enter a new destination and start again (or simply get out of your car and eat a cheeseburger).
How to Change Settings in Google Maps on CarPlay
If you’d like to change settings in Google Maps while using CarPlay, tap your car’s touch screen until you see a blue gear icon, then tap the “gear” icon.
After that, a “Settings” menu will appear.
We’ll briefly go over what each option in the Settings menu does.
- Route options: This allows you to specify that you’d like to avoid highways, toll roads, or ferries while Google Maps suggests potential routes.
- Map colors: This changes the color of the Google Maps interface. The options are “Day” (a white theme), “Night” (a dark theme), or “Automatic,” which automatically changes from Day or Night theme depending on time of day.
- Satellite map: This option toggles (turns on or off) satellite map imagery. This imagery shows real overhead photography of the world around you, but it consumes extra cellular data while in use and may be potentially slower to load in some locations where your cell signal is weak.
- Traffic: This toggles the traffic status overlay. When enabled, you will see local traffic conditions overlaid onto the roads using colored lines. Green means traffic is flowing smoothly, orange means somewhat congested, and red means that traffic is moving very slowly in that area.
- North up: This changes map orientation from a “behind the car” orientation where the map rotates around your vehicle to a “North up” orientation where the map is always oriented with north facing up.
- Volume: This allows you to adjust the volume of the voice that gives turn-by-turn directions and route warnings.
If you’d like to change any of these settings, tap the corresponding button in the menu. After you’re finished in Settings, tap the “Back” button, and your changes will be saved. Safe travels!
Google just announced new features for Google Maps on Android and iOS. The update is rolling out this week and features a bunch of new features focused on commuting, music and getting more personal data from you.
While Google Maps is particularly useful for road trips and vacation, the app also can be useful for stressful commutes. Google is resurfacing some of those features with a new “Commute” tab.
After setting up your home and work address, the app will help you know what to expect in the morning and the evening. If you drive to work, Google Maps now tells you how long it’s going to take and if there are any alternative routes. It works pretty much like Waze’s ETA screen and tells you if it’s going to be faster or slower in 30 minutes or an hour.
If you take the bus or train to work, Google Maps can help you find out when you should leave. The app takes into account the walk or drive to the station. Those public transit features compete directly with Citymapper and most likely relies on a lot of open data.
Talking about public transit, you’ll be able to see your bus or train on the map, slowly moving closer to you. The app also tells you how long you have to wait. This feature will be available in 80 regions around the world. In Sydney, the app tells you how full the next bus is going to be.
Unfortunately, this update comes with a privacy drawback. Until very recently, you could associate your home and work address with your Google account in Google Maps.
Now, you need to activate “web & app activity,” the infamous all-encompassing privacy destroyer — I used to store my home and work address and I can no longer change those addresses without enabling that. If you activate that setting, Google will collect your search history, your Chrome browsing history, your location, your credit card purchases and more.
And Google nudges you to activate that “feature” all the time. You need to turn on “web & app activity” to use Google Assistant on an Android device for instance. It’s becoming quite clear that Google is monetizing its newest features with your data.
Lame: if you want to save a home or work address in Google Maps, you now have to allow activity tracking throughout Google services.
In other news, Google also is adding music controls in Google Maps. You’ll be able to control Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play Music. It looks like the company is taking advantage of taller screens to add a banner near the bottom of the screen with the current song and the ability to skip a song or pause the music.
There will be a new button on the right to open your music app, as well. Spotify users on Android also will be able to browse the Spotify library from Google Maps directly.
