The Samsung Galaxy S25's best software feature just got Google Maps support

An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event

The Galaxy S25 phones come with several software upgrades (Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

The Now Bar in One UI 7 displays live information from apps
As promised, Google Maps support has now been added
The first Galaxy S25 preorders are being shipped out to customers

As our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review will tell you, Samsung's latest flagship phones come packed with AI features, such as the useful Now Bar that gives you live updates from apps in real time – and that feature has just got Google Maps support.

The new Google Maps support was spotted by early adopters including @theonecid (via Neowin), and means you'll be able to see how far you are from your destination and the directions you need to take, even if you're using another app.

Samsung has only just started sending out the first preordered Galaxy S25 handsets to customers, but if and when you get your hands on one, make sure you're running the latest version of Android and the latest version of Google Maps to see the live activities.

We had previously heard that Google Maps support would be on the way at the Samsung Galaxy S25 launch event, so it's pleasing to see that Google and Samsung have rolled out a compatibility update so quickly – and let's hope many more apps follow suit, to make full use of the Now Bar's potential.

Looks familiar

BREAKING ‼️Google Maps now works on Now BarUpdate Google Maps 25.05.01.719889437 pic.twitter.com/SZZxhVA2hyJanuary 29, 2025

The Now Bar is part of the One UI 7 update that Samsung has been working on, which is based on Android 15. Having launched alongside the Galaxy S25 phones, the software should be made available for older handsets in the coming months (it's already available in beta form for other Galaxy phones).

It's quite an obvious copy of the Live Activities feature added to iPhones back in 2022 with iOS 16, and in some respects the Now Bar mimics the same functionality you get from the Dynamic Island on the latest Apple smartphones.

Even if it's not the most original of features, it's still helpful to have. Other apps the Now Bar works with right now include Bixby, Clock, Emergency Sharing, Google (for sports cores), Interpreter, Samsung Health, Samsung Notes, and Voice Recorder.

The Now Bar also works with the lock screen and the always-on display, which means you can get constant updates from Google Maps – which are currently shown in a persistent notification on Android that's not quite as easy to access.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.