Heading home? Google Maps might tell you how long it’ll take before you even ask

Google Maps looks set to make it even simpler to keep track of how far you are from home. At least one user has spotted that the app now shows your estimated travel time directly in the Home chip below the search bar, potentially avoiding the need to open the route preview or start navigation.

The change was shared by Discord user winner00, who provided us with the above screenshot of the new UI. The Home chip, which appears when you’re not at your place, shows a live travel time, and the color coding is presumably the same as in navigation. In the example above, the orange estimate would indicate that there’s some traffic on the route. It builds on a broader Maps update released earlier this year, which began showing ETAs on the route planner before navigation begins.

As small a change as this is, it’s easy to see why it could be handy. When you’re heading home, you probably already know the way, so firing up turn-by-turn navigation can feel unnecessary. However, with the travel time always visible, you can quickly see if the drive’s longer than usual and decide whether to start navigation to check out the traffic or look for alternative routes. Likewise, you can keep tabs on your likely trip time as you go about your day without repeatedly opening the route planner.

We haven’t seen this change ourselves yet, and it’s unclear whether Google is testing this server-side or starting a limited rollout. If you’ve noticed this subtle change on your Maps UI, let us know in the comments.