Google Maps’ New Power-Saving Mode Only Works on One Type of Phone, and It’s Terrible.
If you have a Pixel phone, there’s good news and bad news. The good news? Google is releasing several new features for your device as part of the November Pixel Drop promotion . Among the new changes, like the Nano Banana update for Google Photos , is something truly useful: a new battery saving mode for Google Maps. The bad news? Your Pixel probably doesn’t support it.
According to Google, the new battery-saving mode is easy to use. If you want to save battery while using directions in Google Maps, press the new power button in the app. This will switch Google Maps to a “lite mode”: according to the image in Google’s press release, the map will appear in black and white, with no visible elements other than the road, a direction sign, an estimated arrival time, and upcoming turns. Currently, this feature only works with directions, so you won’t see the option to choose walking or cycling directions, nor will you be able to use it in landscape mode.
Google claims the new configuration can save up to four hours of battery life on your Pixel, though this depends on a number of factors, including your phone initially being charged to 100%, brightness set to P90, and adaptive brightness disabled. But if true, it could be very significant: if you’re traveling without a power source, this could extend your phone’s life significantly. You could either get an extra four hours of navigation time in the car or even have some battery left when you arrive at your destination.
Why is this exclusive to Pixel 10?
But before Pixel owners everywhere get too excited, it’s worth mentioning a disappointing detail about this feature, which is in the fine print. Only Pixel 10 devices—that is, the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold—can use Low Power Mode in Google Maps. Google: What does this mean?
Google doesn’t really explain why Power Saving Mode is exclusive to the newest Pixel line. As Android Central notes , the feature likely takes advantage of Android’s upcoming AOD Min Mode, which allows apps to use the device’s Always-On Display to save power by running visually simplified versions of their apps. AOD Min Mode isn’t yet widely available to developers and will likely arrive in Android 17 , but it doesn’t appear to be exclusive to the Pixel 10 or Pixel 10, for that matter. Most Android phones these days have Always-On Displays, so AOD Min Mode should theoretically work with them, not just phones released this year.
If I had to guess, Google won’t limit this feature to the Pixel 10 series forever. The company is likely using this limited rollout as an opportunity to test AOD Min Mode on a smaller group of users. Since the Pixel 10 series is the company’s newest device, it would be a prime candidate for testing. The company could use the feedback and analytics from this beta to help developers better optimize their apps for this experience. Perhaps Google will then expand support to more Pixel devices or Android devices in general.
However, for now, Google Maps’ battery saving mode is only available to Pixel 10 owners. I don’t have the latest Pixel, but if I did, I wouldn’t be surprised if I kept it enabled. Honestly, it looks cool, and if it saves battery life, even better.
Google appears to be making battery saving a priority. Starting next year , the company will begin blocking apps that use too much screen real estate, either by removing them from Play Store search pages or by displaying a warning to users on the app’s Play Store page itself.