You will soon spot 3D buildings in Google Maps while navigating on your Pixels devices

It seems that Google Maps is extending support for displaying 3D buildings in ‘Navigation mode’ too, seeking to improve the experience of using the app both on mobile and on Android Auto.

‘Navigation’ is the mode that Google Maps enters when you choose a particular place and tap the ‘Directions’ option to receive instructions on how to get there. Until now, this mode was not compatible with 3D buildings, since they were shown once you enabled the ‘layer’ dedicated to it.

But that seems to be changing now, as according to a recent report, the Google Maps mobile app (Android and iOS) and even the Android Auto one are showing 3D buildings while using ‘Navigation mode’.

The 9to5Google team detected the availability of the function in the mobile app, but they could not enable it in Android Auto. However, some users on Reddit (like seemebreakthis) confirmed that 3D buildings are available to them when using ‘Navigation mode’ in Android Auto as well. In our personal tests, we couldn’t find the option on a Google Pixel 7a.

To prevent 3D buildings from being a visual obstacle when viewing routes, they become transparent or ‘semi-opaque’, allowing you to see all the streets perfectly while receiving directions to a particular address.

At the moment, the feature does not seem to be available to everyone, so it is probably a test for a future mass implementation. If you started seeing 3D buildings in Google Maps while receiving navigation instructions, feel free to share your experience in the comment box below.

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