Google Maps can be a great resource for finding directions, but if it’s not working properly on your device, there are a few fixes you can try. This tutorial covers 12 solutions to problems with Google Maps navigation. ..

1. Download Voice Directions

Google Maps has been known to give you chime instead of voice directions when using its mapping service. This is likely because Google hasn’t yet updated its voice directions software or because the service isn’t as up-to-date as it should be.

If you’re new to Google Maps, be sure to have a strong internet connection or use a Wi-Fi connection to download voice directions. Keep Google Maps open and wait for some minutes for the app to automatically download voice directions in the background.

Google Maps is now downloading the map data, but you may still experience problems. Try the following troubleshooting fixes if the problem persists. ..

2. Increase Your Device’s Volume

If your phone’s volume is low or muted, press the Volume Up button to increase navigation voice volume. If your phone is hooked to your car’s speaker, use your car’s volume control to increase Google Maps’ volume level.

3. Unmute or Enable Voice Navigation

If you’re driving and want to avoid being constantly interrupted by traffic updates, Google Maps has a feature to mute them. You can also unmute them by going to the navigation interface. ..

To mute all navigation alerts on Google Maps, tap the speaker icon in the top-right corner and select Unmuted in the far-right corner. ..

  1. “Default” - The map defaults to showing the current location and zoom level.
  2. “Large” - The map is larger and has more detail than the default setting.
  3. “Small” - The map is smaller and has less detail than the default setting.

This is the crossed-out speaker icon () that mutes all navigation sounds and alerts.Hear Alerts Only: The speaker icon with the exclamation mark (). This option mutes turn-by-turn direction alerts.Unmuted: The regular speaker icon () unmutes all navigation alerts and sounds.

To change the sound and voice navigation alerts behavior in Google Maps, open the app and go to the sound & voice navigation settings. There, you can change how alerts are delivered to users.

Unmute Google Maps Alert (Android and iOS)

4. Disable or Enable Play Voice Over Bluetooth

If you have a Bluetooth device connected to your phone, make sure “Play voice over Bluetooth” is enabled in the Google Maps app. Otherwise, you won’t be able to hear the directions while navigating. ..

Some iPhone users have found that disabling the Google Maps voice navigation feature works to fix a problem where their phone wasn’t able to connect to the Google Maps service. This problem was usually caused by a Bluetooth connection not being available, but some users had success disabling the feature and their Google Maps navigation worked perfectly thereafter.

We recommend turning off the Bluetooth feature on your phone if you don’t have a Bluetooth device connected to it. Instead, turn on “Play voice over Bluetooth” to hear navigations from your phone or tablet’s speakers.

Enable or Play Voice Over Bluetooth (iPhone)

5. Increase Navigation Guidance Volume

If voice navigation is faint or inaudible, you can crank up “guidance volume” in the Google Maps settings. ..

6. Check Audio Output Device

If you’re using multiple audio devices to listen to music, make sure they’re all routing audio output to the correct device. If you have a phone or tablet with multiple audio outputs, make sure the one you want to use is active and connected.

If voice navigation isn’t working in your car, disconnect any other audio devices (e.g., headsets), and check again. ..

If you use an iPhone or iPad, make sure you change your audio output device to a different one.

If your iPhone doesn’t have a Home button, swipe down from the bottom-edge corner of the screen to open the Control Center.

To play audio from an AirPlay-enabled device, tap the AirPlay icon and select your desired audio output device.

7. Force Close and Reopen Google Maps

If you’re using an Android app and its voice navigation or other features don’t work, force close the app and check again. If that doesn’t help, you can try restoring some of the app’s functionality by closing it and then opening it again.

Settings > Apps & notifications > App info (or See All Apps) and tap Maps.

If you’re having trouble using voice navigation on your Google Maps app, try reopening the app and checking if it’s working now. ..

8. Clear Google Maps Cache (Android)

  1. Open the Settings app and tap on the General tab.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Cache Management.
  3. Toggle the Cache Storage setting to On and then tap on the Add button to add a new cache file.
  4. Enter a filename for your new cache file and then tap on the Add button again to finish adding it to your device’s cache.
  5. Close or force-close Maps and follow the steps below:

If you’re having trouble finding your way around Google Maps, try using voice navigation. This feature works without any issue now.

9. Update Google Maps

If you’re using an outdated Google Maps version, you may not be able to access voice navigation. You can also find out if Google Maps is crashing or displaying incorrect traffic information by going to your device’s app store and updating Google Maps.

10. Reinstall Google Maps

If you’re still having trouble getting Google Maps to work, try deleting and reinstalling the app. ..

Reinstall Google Maps on iOS

Delete the Google Maps app from your iPhone or iPad.

Open your device’s app store, search for “Google Maps,” and tap the Get button to reinstall the app.

Reinstall Google Maps on Android

Android devices that have Google Maps installed may not be able to uninstall it. Users should revert the app to its factory settings and update it from the Google Play Store. ..

If you have an update for Google Maps, make sure it’s complete and check if voice navigation now works correctly.

11. Restart Your Devices

Shut down your phone, turn it back on, reopen Google Maps, and check if the app now gives voice directions. If your phone is connected to your car, restarting the audio system or speaker might help.

12. Update Your Phone

Our research found that after upgrading to iOS 13, many iPhone users were unable to use Google Maps. The problem was that the operating system version had some bugs that stopped voice directions mid-navigation. Luckily, subsequent updates shipped with bug fixes that resolved the problem.

If you haven’t updated your phone in a while, head to its settings menu and install any available update.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, connect it to the internet and open Settings. From there, go to General and tap Software Update. Tap Download and Install. ..

To update an Android device, open Settings and select System > Advanced > Software Update.

Use “Google Maps Go”

Google Maps Go is a less-expensive, less-featured version of Google’s navigation app designed for Android phones with limited memory. If Google Maps crashes or crashes on your phone, download and use Google Maps Go instead. You’ll need to install a helper app (Navigations for Google Maps Go) to use turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps Go. Both apps will provide a quicker experience than the standard Google Maps app.

Google Maps Go is not available for Apple devices. If you are experiencing difficulty using voice navigation, please send feedback to Google Maps Support. Alternatives to Google Maps Go include MapQuest and Waze. ..