Google Maps widely deploys a new color palette

Google has announced a host of new features for Maps in recent weeks, including an immersive view for directions, more detailed navigation, and public transportation filters. Google Maps is now rolling out a new color palette.

A lighter shade of green is used for the parks/nature, which gives a nice contrast to the roads, which range from off-white to gray. (This allows Google to use white for crossings, which now appear at more zoomed-in levels.)

Speaking of nature, the dotted paths stand out a lot less with the new color. Buildings and structures are always gray or light yellow depending on their importance.

Old versus new

The highways are a much darker gray, with some blue undertones, for a nice thematic consistency with the roads. It’s a big difference from the tan we know, but it stands out less from the water where a lighter blue is taken advantage of. Meanwhile, with less yellow, orange pins for restaurants stand out much more.

Overall, the changes are quite visible and help make Google Maps more lively. There are certainly comparisons to be made with Apple Maps.

Google mentioned that “updated colors across the map” would return in October, while testing began in August. Some users have had this new palette for several weeks now, but a wider deployment is now underway on Android and iOS. If you don’t have it yet, try force stopping or closing Google Maps from multitasking to load the new colors. We don’t see it on the web yet.

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