Google Maps’ new Nearby Traffic widget starts rolling out to users

Last week, Google talked about an upcoming Google Maps widget that would help users check real-time traffic predictions right on their homescreen. At the time, the company said that the widget would roll out to users “in the coming weeks,” but it seems like the widget has already started showing up for some users.

The new Nearby Traffic widget appears to be rolling out with Google Maps v11.35.1 (via Mishaal Rahman), which started rolling out via the Play Store yesterday. We can confirm that it’s available on all our devices running the latest update.

Looks like the new Nearby Traffic widget announced last week is rolling out. I’m on version 11.35.1 of Google Maps for Android.

Blog post from last week: https://t.co/iGU2nTMBiI pic.twitter.com/wzPf3TsuIz

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 22, 2022

As you can see in the attached screenshots, the Nearby Traffic widget features rounded edges, and it’s 4 x 3 in size by default. But you can increase or decrease its size to accommodate it in your current homescreen layout.

The Nearby Traffic widget shows your current location as a blue dot in the center, and its traffic map layer highlights the traffic conditions around you as green, orange, and red lines. A floating action button (FAB) with a magnifying glass icon resides in the bottom left corner, which lets you zoom in and out of the map. Next to it, you’ll find the Google logo. Although the Nearby Traffic widget shows the traffic conditions for a small area around your current location, you can tap on it to open Google Maps and view the traffic conditions in a wider area.

If you haven’t received the new Nearby Traffic widget on your device, you can try updating to the latest Google Maps release by following the Play Store link below. It should show up in the Widgets menu following the update. But, if it doesn’t, you might have to wait a few days for it to roll out to your device.

What do you think of the new Nearby Traffic widget? Will you use it to plan your daily commute? Let us know in the comments section below.