It seems that Google is working on adapting its Google Maps app to the iOS 16 “Live Activities” feature. If implemented, it will allow users to get useful bits of information in real-time at a glance, either from the lock screen or from Dynamic Island.
“Live Activities” arrived on Apple devices with iOS 16. Its ability to give you real-time updates from your favorite apps is especially useful for live events. For example, sports tracking apps can set a Live Activity about a match that is being played. Some apps even allow you to set multiple Live Activities to track updates about various live events.
Now, it seems that Google Maps will be one of the next apps to support Live Activities on iOS. Lately, some users have been reporting its random appearance when using the service. According to reports, Google Maps Live Activity shows navigation directions and the time it will take to get to a place.
Google Maps “Live Activities” showing navigation directions for some iOS users
Google is not rolling out the feature en masse. In fact, it appears to be a test of very limited scope. Some Google Maps users for whom Live Activities were enabled randomly lost them a few hours later. The company officially announced the integration of Live Activities with Maps app in February 2023. This suggested that it might be ready before the launch of the iPhone 15 series. However, that did not happen, and iOS users are still waiting.
As of today, there is still no time frame for the final rollout of Live Activities in the Google Maps app for iOS. On Android, the service has been offering real-time navigation directions through normal notifications for some time. Let’s hope it doesn’t take much longer for the company to ship this useful feature to all compatible Apple devices.
