One of the most convenient features within Google’s Maps app for mobile is its inline music playback controls. While navigating from place to place, the app can surface media controls across the bottom of the display, with quick access buttons for playing, pausing, and skipping tracks. With hooks that tie into Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music, having this multimedia strip displayed on screen is particularly useful while driving, as it promotes visual concentration on the road in front of you.

As first reported by 9to5Google, it appears that Google Maps’ playback control feature has disappeared from the latest stable application release. Within Settings > Navigation, the Music playback controls toggle has simply vanished, for no particular rhyme or reason.

Taking a look at my own Pixel 9 Pro’s Maps app, which is currently on version 25.29.00.782600971, playback controls are indeed absent. Interestingly, this appears to only be the case on Android devices — when I launched the most up-to-date version of Google Maps on my iPhone 15 Pro, it was business as usual — playback controls and all.

OS

iOS, Android

Brand

Google

Price

Free

Google Maps is the most commonly used navigational app for traveling. The popular tool helps drivers, commuters, walkers, and cyclists get to where they are going with features like scheduled departures, incident reporting, and slowdown warnings.

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Could this be chalked up to a simple bug?

It’s unclear whether this Maps change is an intentional move by Google

For its part, Google hasn’t made any official announcement regarding the removal of music playback controls within Maps. As such, there’s a good chance that this change was merely accidental, perhaps attributable to a software bug. Google Maps Version 25.28 and newer for Android appears to be the culprit, but it’s unclear if there’s an additional server-side component at play as well.

In any case, I personally hope to see music controls reinstated by Google. I’ve long relied on the feature for quickly jumping from song to song, or for controlling my podcasts while actively on the road and in navigation mode. I reckon I’m not the only one upset to see such an invaluable feature suddenly disappear, and if there’s enough public backlash, it might compel Google to course correct in response.

For the time being, the Google-owned Waze app for Android is an excellent Maps alternative that continues to support multimedia playback controls within its navigation interface.

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