Android Auto: Report a traffic incident in Google Maps - that's why it (maybe) doesn't work for you

Google recently introduced the new “Report Traffic Incidents” feature Google Maps for Android Auto introduced and finally brings it to the place where it is needed most. But many users are still waiting for the rollout and are probably wondering when the button will finally appear on their infotainment display. Now there is a sobering answer: Maybe not at all.

Android Auto: Report a traffic incident in Google Maps – that’s why it (maybe) doesn’t work for you

Reporting traffic disruptions in Google Maps on Android Auto can be a very important feature that may not directly help the user, but benefits the entire community and can therefore help each individual user over time. Drivers have the opportunity to report a traffic disruption of any kind with just two taps, which is stored on the Google servers, evaluated and, in many cases, broadcast to all drivers on the same route.

The notification is very simple: just press the yellow warning sign button, select the fault category and you’re done (see screenshot above). As the example of many traffic apps shows, users are quite willing to submit such reports and can make a real difference, especially with an app as widely used as Google Maps. But many users are still waiting for the button to be rolled out and are probably expecting the usual staged rollout, which with Android Auto can take months.

But that’s not the case this time. Because maybe you already have this function, but you just couldn’t use it. The simple reason for this is right before your eyes – because the display is to blame. The Android Auto interface is designed in such a way that elements that have no space are simply hidden. With small displays, the situation arises where there is not enough space between the three standard buttons and the zoom and the taste for traffic disruptions is simply hidden.

At the top you can see a small display in which the function would in principle be there, but the button simply has no space. This is noticeable, among other things, because users can use the function on the smartphone itself, but do not have a car display. Or not in your own car but in your partner’s car. There have also been cases where Google Maps navigation via overlay was activated after confirmation of the message, even though the function is most likely not available.

This is of course an unpleasant situation and it is to be hoped that Google will work on redesigning the interface as soon as possible. A minimal reduction in the size of all buttons would be sufficient, or perhaps a horizontal combination of the zoom buttons. Of course, it would also help if you could call up the overlay via voice control, but I personally haven’t been able to do that yet. But maybe I didn’t find the right command.

The only solution at the moment is to change the display resolution, but this is strongly discouraged. Because many vehicles only have a small display, the majority of users are unlikely to see the button at the moment. Hopefully Google is working on this and doesn’t discontinue the feature very quickly due to non-use…

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