What you need to know
- Google Maps has quietly rolled out a new appearance for its shared location pin.
- The icon now removes the white border around your contact's avatar for a cleaner design.
- It appears to be arriving to users gradually via a server-side update.
Google Maps users who frequently use the app to keep track of their family member's shared location will soon notice a neat new update to the feature's icon. This is due to a minor change made by Google to the navigation app's shared location pin.
As spotted by Android Police, Maps' shared location icon now has a more refined look that matches the rest of the app's design. The pin icon now displays your contact's profile photo without a white border, which is a slight change from its previous appearance.
Because the white border has vanished, your contact's avatar is much easier to view without squinting. It improves the visibility of the sharing party's profile photo and makes the feature more consistent with Maps' overall aesthetics.
The ability to share your location in Maps is one of its most useful features, so it makes sense for Google to also pay some attention to it as well. That said, the latest design change is a bit odd in that the white border reappears when you tap on a contact's name.
This is just the latest adjustment Google introduced to Maps in recent memory. Since June, the search giant has pushed a series of updates to the app, including the ability to view the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency and PurpleAir. Maps also recently started showing toll price estimates for nearly 2,000 toll roads in selected countries. Most recently, it was discovered that Maps' latest beta includes new features that will show an energy-efficient route for electric and hybrid cars.
However, the new update doesn't bring with it any significant functional changes. And like what Google does with features like this, the new look appears to be rolling out via a server-side update.
