How to Turn Off Driving Mode in Google Maps

Google Maps’ turn-by-turn directions and real time reports of traffic, speed traps, and accidents turn your phone into an incredibly useful driving tool. Unfortunately, phones can also be major distractions if you’re not careful.

Google Assistant’s Driving Mode, an updated version of the Android Auto app, hopes to alleviate some of these distractions.

Driving Mode brings a simplified driver friendly user interface to your phone, similar to the interface of Android Auto powered infotainment displays. It also promotes hands-free interaction through voice prompts and read aloud text messaging.

Depending on your phone’s settings, Driving Mode will automatically launch when you begin navigation in Google Maps or you connect your phone to your car’s Bluetooth.

While this new interface is designed to make interactions with your phone safer while driving, the changes may not be for everyone. Fortunately, you can disable Driving Mode at any time in your Google Assistant’s settings.

In this article, we’ll show you how to turn off Driving Mode on your phone.

How to Turn Off Driving Mode in Google Maps

There are two ways you can turn off Google Assistant’s Driving Mode for Google Maps. You can disable it in the Driving Mode settings while navigating, or in your Google Assistant’s settings when you’re not actively navigating.

To turn off driving mode while navigating:

1. In Google Maps, tap the the Four squares icon in the lower right corner.
   
2. Tap the Settings tile.
   
3. Tap Turn off Driving Mode.
   
4. In the confirmation window that appears, tap Turn off again.
   

To turn off Driving Mode in your Google Assistant’s settings:

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap your Profile picture in the upper right corner and then select Settings in the menu that appears.
   
3. In Settings, scroll down and tap Navigation settings and then Google Assistant settings on the following screen.
   
4. Under Launch Driving Mode, tap the Toggle icon to the right of When navigating in Google Maps to disable it.
   

Disabling Automatic Launching of Driving Mode when Connecting Phone to Bluetooth

Google Assistant can also launch driving mode when it detects that your phone is connected to Bluetooth. Many of us have our phones connect to our car’s Bluetooth automatically, and this feature might be another reason why Google Maps is running in Driving Mode.

Thankfully, you can disable this feature in your Google Assistant’s settings. Here’s how, step-by-step:

1. Open the Google Assistant app and say “Assistant Settings”. Android users can also say “Hey Google, Open Assistant Settings” from the home screen.
2. Scroll down the list of settings and tap Transportation.
   
3. In Transportation Settings, scroll down and tap Driving Mode near the bottom of the screen.
   
4. Under Launch Driving Mode, select the Do nothing option below When connected to car's Bluetooth.