Google Maps is one of the most popular navigation apps around, so when something drastic changes, people notice. Earlier this week, an update removed media playback controls during navigation. Google said the change was a “bug,” and thankfully, they’re back.
When Google Maps shut down the Assistant Driving Mode we lost support for music apps during navigation, which is a pretty crucial feature that helps everyone keep their eyes on the road. Eventually, those controls were replaced by a floating button at the bottom of Google Maps, as long as you went into navigation settings and enabled the “Show media playback controls” option.
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In a recent Google Maps for Android update version 25.28 (and the beta version 25.29), those helpful controls disappeared entirely. The feature was still available on iOS, which had users even more confused.
The news was first reported by 9to5Google, which later updated its coverage with a statement from Google claiming a bug removed the feature. But it’s not like the navigation media playback controls weren’t showing up; the entire option and toggle in settings disappeared, too. Either way, Google said it was “actively working to fix an issue that is affecting media playback controls on Google Maps.”
Furthermore, the option to choose a default media app inside Google Maps was also missing. Basically, everyone’s favorite navigation app suddenly lost the ability to easily control music without exiting the navigation screen. After checking my Pixel 8 and Galaxy S25+, I can confirm those controls were indeed gone.
We have some good news. Google either hit reverse and brought the feature back or quickly fixed whatever bug caused the controls to disappear. I received an update to Google Maps version 25.30 today, and all of those settings have been restored.
You can head to Settings > Navigation > and look for the media playback controls toggle. You’ll be all set once you flip the switch for Google Maps navigation to “Show media playback controls” and select your default media app. As you can see from the screenshots above, it’s working just as before the update a few days ago.
I guess we’ll never know if this was an intentional removal or a temporary bug, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Google later removed it again in favor of Gemini voice commands. As you probably know, Google is slowly adding Gemini to everything from our phones and watches to smart speakers, and it’s even inside some cars. I have a feeling Gemini will eventually be how we control a lot of things.
I’m happy these media controls are back. Now, all we need is for Google to redesign the floating music button so it doesn’t cover the report button at the bottom of the screen. The important button you tap to report speed traps or objects on the road is similar to Waze—one thing at a time, I guess.