Stadia is just one example of Google’s crazy habit of killing off products in the last couple of years, and it wasn’t by accident either. Stadia was one of the last products that Google killed off, and it won’t be the last in 2024. One of the first things that Google will kill off will be one of Maps’ most important tools.
Google Maps users can depend on Driving mode to help them navigate the interface while driving, but the company may kill this feature shortly.
Detailed information about this feature disappearing can be found in the latest version of the Google app where a ‘view’ feature with code string ‘departing’ is written to disappear in February 2023. Driving mode is likely to become less important to Google, and the company’s focus on AI with Assistant will likely be the future for Maps users.
But Google has never been clear about its plans before, and for all we know, this function could be reimagined in a new way, and Gemini’s integration into Maps is hard to deny. Driving mode is designed to help drivers concentrate on their driving and access calls, messages, and more on their phone screens.
This is useful for users who do not have Android Auto installed in their vehicle and do not want to use the feature in wired mode, but moving to Assistant also means that users will need to use voice commands to send messages or make calls, which, in turn, puts their privacy at risk.
Google has not officially announced the end of Driving Mode, so until then, we hope that the code strings we have seen in the last couple of days do not become a reality, and if it does, we hope that Google has a good solution in place to ensure that people do not lose the ability to navigate their phone and other features while driving.