Google Maps getting a simplified bottom bar with a new "You" tab

Some Google Maps users are getting a new simplified bottom bar with fewer tabs. The company announced in March that they were working on a redesign for the Android app. At that time, Google said that the app would receive a “cleaner home screen with fewer tabs.” Now it looks like the rollout of the new UI is starting. Also, this isn’t the only design tweak the app has received recently.

Google officially showed off the new UI for the first time yesterday during its I/O 2024 conference. From now on, the Maps app will go from having five tabs in the bottom bar to only three. These tabs are “Explore,” “You,” and “Contribute.” Two of these tabs (“Explore” and “Contribute”) were already present in the previous UI. However, the new “You” tab replaces “Saved” and now also integrates the functionality of the old “Go” and “Updates” tabs.

The “You” tab is the biggest change on the Google Maps simplified bottom bar

To maintain familiarity and facilitate adaptation, the “You” tab retains the same icon as “Saved” from the previous design. When you access the “You” tab, you will see that the old “Go” tab is now “Saved trips,” while the notifications that you previously received in “Updates” will now be available from a bell located in the upper right area. When you have pending updates or alerts, the “You” tab will show a small badge.

Interestingly, the Google Maps simplified bottom bar is not yet fully adapted to the Material You design language. It does not dynamically adapt to the dominant color of your device’s theme. However, according to the 9to5Google report, the app will adopt an image carousel similar to that of the Google Photos app.

The new design is available to some users after the latest Google Maps update (11.127.x). Google had also announced in March that it would implement more pin colors. However, this is not yet present.