If you think there's something slightly different about Google Maps right now, you're not imagining it: Google has redesigned the pins used in Maps to highlight restaurants, beaches, and other attractions, giving many of them a new shape and a new set of colors. While the change is subtle, it's hard to miss once you notice it.
Previously, Google Maps pins had a tall, narrow stem that ended in a sharp point at the marked location. The color of the pin, meanwhile, was uniform along its entire length. However, now all that has changed. Pins are much shorter and end in a thick, rounded point at the bottom. Each pin has a white background, and its icon is located within a colored circle inside the pin itself.
This change brings pins in line with other Google Maps elements, like stars, flags, and hearts. While they’re not exactly the same (these elements are all entirely circular, with no pin shape at their bottom edges), they all now feature icons inside of colored circles, with a white border around the outer edge. That makes the app much more uniform in terms of how its visual elements look (if anything, the old pin design stuck out like a sore thumb), though it might make it a little harder to distinguish pins from the other elements on-screen, especially if you’re looking at a particularly crowded area.
Elsewhere, the colours of some pin types have been adjusted. Museums, for example, now come in purple instead of teal. Teardrop-shaped pins (i.e. the ones you create yourself) were also still using the old pointed design at the time of writing.
A small but noticeable change
This isn't the only change Google has implemented in recent weeks. At the end of July, the search giant changed the look of the Google Maps bottom bar within the mobile app, removing some elements to present a simpler view. It also incorporated better parking assistance into the app, as well as augmented reality views of historic places.
Last year, Google Maps completely changed its look and used new colors that broke away from the app's traditional color scheme. The change sparked controversy, with some users complaining that it made the app more difficult to use.
The new pin design is unlikely to generate much ire, given that it only affects one small aspect of the experience. One reason for the change could be that it could allow Google Maps to fit more pins on the screen at once, as the new pin layout is a bit more compact than the old one.
Since this appears to be a server-side change, you shouldn't need to refresh your app to see the new pin design—just open Google Maps and check it out.
