Google officially killed Driving Mode after stripping most of its features in 2024

News
By published

It's another casualty of the Gemini transition.

Google Maps driving mode black bar
(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Assistant Driving Mode in Google Maps is officially gone for good, the company has confirmed.
  • Assistant Driving Mode is another feature casualty of the Gemini transition, which is currently underway.
  • The feature lost most of its functionality in February 2024, and only a media control bar and voice assistant button remained up until recently.

Google is officially removing Assistant Driving Mode from Android as part of the Gemini transition. The feature has undergone numerous changes since its introduction in 2019, most recently losing the app dashboard that was a crucial part of the Driving Mode experience. Now, it's no longer available as part of the Google Maps app for Android, the company told 9to5Google.

As of February 2024, the app launcher that featured large, easy-to-touch icons while driving was removed. The most recent version of Assistant Driving Mode only offered a media playback bar and the a control button. It was mostly used by Android users that didn't have a car with Android Auto functionality, since Driving Mode offered similar utility at one point.

In fact, Assistant Driving Mode was initially seen as a replacement and alternative to Android Auto for Phone Screens, was killed in 2021.

The Assistant Driving Mode app launcher was one of many Google Assistant feature removals announced in January 2024. "Using app launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media," the company explained in a support document at the time. "You can still use voice control on Google Maps the same way."

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold using Maps in-hand

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Over a year later, not even the Assistant Driving Mode's playback controls or voice control button are available as part of Google Maps. This is an intentional removal that is part of the Gemini transition, per the company. At this point, it means Assistant Driving Mode in Maps is gone for good.

The move is part of a larger transition from Google Assistant to Gemini that was announced officially in March 2025. It's currently underway, and will see most mobile devices ditch Assistant in favor of Gemini in the near future.

Brady Snyder
Brady Snyder
Contributor

Brady is a tech journalist for Android Central, with a focus on news, phones, tablets, audio, wearables, and software. He has spent the last three years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His work has been published in XDA, Android Police, Tech Advisor, iMore, Screen Rant, and Android Headlines. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching Big East basketball.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.