Google is testing an updated design for Maps.
This week, some Google Maps for Android users have spotted a refreshed design that eliminates the slide-out drawer on the left side of the regular Google Maps app. As noted by 9to5Google, there are some new items in the bottom navigation bar, while many other items have been moved to the profile switcher.
The bottom navigation bar now has new "Places" and "Post" buttons in addition to "Explore", "Commute", and "Latest" buttons. The "Post" button is for Local Guides to post reviews and photos, while the "Latest" button is a replacement for the "For you" button in the current Google Maps app.
The profile switcher is where you'll find items like "Your timeline", "Location sharing", "Offline maps", and "Settings".
This new Google Maps doesn't appear to be rolling out broadly, so it's likely that Google is testing the redesign with a small number of users. The company could also make more changes before pushing the new-look Google Maps out to more people.
One of the major aspects of Android 10's gesture navigation is the ability to swipe from the edge to go back, which is also a way to bring out the slide-out navigation drawer in Google Maps. Because of this, it makes sense that Google would update the design of Google Maps to eliminate that slide-out drawer and move the items elsewhere.
