Google Maps for Android May Be Getting a ‘Lite Navigation’ Mode (v25.43.00.821534312)

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Key Points of This Article

• A new simplified navigation feature, “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION),” may be coming to the Android Google Maps app.
• An analysis of the in-app code of the Android Google Maps app version v25.43.00.821534312, released around Tuesday, October 21, 2025, confirmed the addition of strings related to “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION).”
• The specific details are still unknown.

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The Android version of the Google Maps app may soon implement a new simplified navigation feature called “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION).” An analysis of the in-app code of the Android Google Maps app version v25.43.00.821534312, released around Tuesday, October 21, 2025, has confirmed the addition of strings related to “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION).”

<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_DIALOG_REPLACE_CURRENT_TRIP_CONTENT">You’re on an active trip. Do you want to end guidance for your active trip, and start this trip instead?</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_DIALOG_REPLACE_CURRENT_TRIP_START_TRIP_ACTION">Start trip</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_DIALOG_REPLACE_CURRENT_TRIP_TITLE">Start this trip?</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_LIVE_ACTIVITY_PROGRESS_ARRIVAL_TIME_CONTENT">Arrive %s</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_MULTITASKING_EVERY_MINUTE_CONTENT">Every %d min</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_MULTITASKING_GPS_LOST">GPS lost</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_MULTITASKING_TRIP_ONBOARDING_MESSAGE">See trip updates &amp; next steps as you go</string>
<string name="LITE_NAVIGATION_MULTITASKING_TRIP_RETURN_TO_TRIP_DETAILS_MESSAGE">Tap to return to trip details</string>

Although the specific details of this “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION)” are still unknown, its name suggests it will be a simplified version of the main navigation feature. It will likely be a function that allows for a simplified navigation display to continue even during multitasking or on the lock screen after starting navigation.

It is also speculated that it could be a feature that replaces the current Picture-in-Picture (PiP) navigation display or the full-screen navigation on the lock screen with the “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION)” specification. It might also be a new feature to bring functionality similar to the “Live Updates” implemented in the next-generation Android OS, “Android 16,” to Android OS versions below Android 16.

We will report again as soon as there are any updates on “Lite Navigation (LITE_NAVIGATION),” which may be implemented in the Android Google Maps app.

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