You don’t need a dedicated sat-nav if you run Google Maps on your phone, but it often means your device’s battery takes a big hit on long trips. Google’s new power saving mode helps keep Maps running for longer on select phones.
First announced as part of the November Pixel Feature Drop, some users are beginning to receive the new mode on their device. Power saving mode for Maps is exclusive to Google’s latest range of Pixel phones, including the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
There’s no word from Google if it plans to bring this feature to more phones at a later date.
The low-power mode will detail basic Google Maps functionality, such as where you are, the next turn, remaining length of your trip, leftover distance, and an estimated time of arrival.
Otherwise, many other Maps features disappear so you won’t see options like police locations, your current speed, or how busy future will be. It also adopts a black-and-white design to help further save on battery.
This mode only works if your phone’s in a portrait orientation, and it won’t work for other transport methods. There’s no way to use this on your bike, on public transport, or when walking.
Google says it estimates the feature will allow your phone to run for up to four hours longer. Once your phone had been updated, power saving mode is on by default.
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To use it, set up Google Maps for a trip, and once you’ve started your journey, press your phone’s power button to turn the screen off. Instead of locking the phone, it’ll now move into Power saving mode. To switch back to the full app, press the power button again, and it’ll return to full color with all the normal Maps features.
If you don’t like this tool, you can turn it off by tapping your profile picture in Maps followed by Settings > Navigation > Driving options and toggling the option called Power saving mode to off.
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