Google Maps for iPhone and Apple CarPlay is getting a digital speedometer feature over the coming weeks, as Google adds a feature that’s been available on Android since 2019 and through its Waze mapping app for nearly a decade.
The feature is already available for some users. To reach it:
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Open Google Maps on the iPhone.
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Tap on your account icon on the top right of the screen.
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Select Settings > Navigation > Map display.
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Scroll until you see “Show speedometer,” then tap the switch next to the option so it’s in the “on” position.
TechCrunch, which earlier reported the addition and its planned rollout over the next couple of weeks, said the speedometer will change color to nudge you to drive within speed limits.
Google representatives didn’t respond to a request for further comment. The company does warn users on its website that the free speedometer feature is for “informational use only,” and that they should rely on their vehicle’s built-in speedometer to confirm their “actual driving speed.”
Google’s decision to add a speedometer with speed-limit warnings to iPhones and CarPlay is the company’s latest bid to potentially shift people to Google Maps from the company’s other mapping app, Waze. Google Maps also competes against Apple’s Maps app, which is built into iPhones by default.
Google added a speedometer and speed limits feature to Android in 2019, offering users ways to more easily follow speed limits and alert one another of speed camera traps along their route. That same year, Google added the speed-trap feature to Google Maps for iPhone, as well as ways to see and report six other hazards and slowdowns.
Waze, another routing app Google acquired in 2013 for roughly $1 billion, is particularly popular among drivers for its detailed traffic reports, speedometer and other warnings. Google has kept the app running over the past decade, despite overlap between Google Maps and Waze, suggesting it still has a sizable following.
