TL;DR
- Google Maps appears to be working on a new power saving mode for navigation.
- The mode would eliminate almost all UI elements and extraneous map labeling from your view.
- Power saving mode limitations could prevent it from working in landscape or with public transit.
When is the absolute worst time for your phone to be running low on battery? Halfway through filming your kid’s play? First thing in the morning when you realize you forgot to charge it overnight? While we could keep going for pretty much ever, high on that list would absolutely be “when you’re in the middle of navigating somewhere.” Thankfully, Google Maps could soon offer a new mode for dealing with exactly those kind of emergencies.
Cracking open the 25.44.03.824313610 beta release of Google Maps for Android, we’ve uncovered evidence of development on a new “power saving” mode. Here, a few text strings announce the feature and offer a high-level overview of how it works: