Third-party apps will soon support The New Google Maps Color Scheme

Through the APIs and SDKs that developers may use to incorporate Google Maps into their applications or websites, Google is making its new color scheme and default map design available to third-party apps that utilize the Google Maps Platform. Beginning in May 2024 and lasting until March 18, 2025, the search giant will be undergoing a change.

Since it first appeared last year, the revised color palette has become standard on Android, iOS, and the web. It changed a lot of things, like the highways from yellow to grey and the water bodies from blue to teal.

Not every user was happy about Google's sudden alterations; one former Google Maps designer resorted to social media to voice their disapproval. Even though the new look can seem "colder, less accurate, and less human," Maps are now easier to use and read.

Google has addressed the release timetable for many tools, including the already-updated Google Maps SDKs for iOS and Android, in a new support document that was discovered by Android Authority. Google plans to release updates for the Navigation SDK, Maps Static API, and Maps Embed API in the upcoming months.

To receive the updated map design on mobile and web, developers can update to the most recent version of cloud-based map styling for their apps that employ map IDs, which are unique identifiers that identify a single instance of a Google Map. Individuals who want not to utilize map IDs will need to manually update their corresponding SDK or API.

Google will give those who choose to opt-out of the new map layout when the transition ends on March 18, 2025, giving them a few months to change their minds.

Google will, however, still permit developers to "create custom map styles reminiscent of the current default map styles" in addition to the new design. Whether you like it or not, the new Google Maps colors are clearly here to stay given the recent revisions.