Google Maps’ new look may frustrate drivers’ Thanksgiving travel

Drivers who use the popular platform for their holiday trips will find a fresh color scheme, including a different look for parks and city blocks. But it’s the changes to the app’s all-important road maps that are rankling online commentators, right when California travelers are beginning to cope with holiday traffic congestion.

Previously, highways and freeways were depicted in bright yellow, which stood out against a stark white grid. Now, the app shows every road in various shades of gray, with major thoroughfares like Interstate 80 and Highway 1 showing up darker and thicker than other roadways.

Raynell Cooper, an employee at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, called the new look “cartographically disappointing” in a Monday post to X, formerly known as Twitter. He added, “major local roads and limited-access highways (freeways) are basically indistinguishable.” (After this story’s publication, Cooper clarified that he made the post in a personal capacity.)

Others weighed in on the long-running rivalry between Apple and Google’s navigation apps, comparing how the dueling services handle public transit planning, business listings and traffic forecasts, as well as, simply, how they feel to look at.

Some workers at Google will likely hear about the complaints after their own holiday vacations. The Google Maps X account responded to a request to change the colors back, writing, “Thanks for the feedback, we really appreciate it! We will pass it on to the right team.”

This story has been updated.

Hear of anything happening at Google or another tech company? Contact tech reporter Stephen Council securely at [email protected] or on Signal at 628-204-5452.