Global outage in 'Google Maps' blocks traffic data for millions of users
Google Maps experienced a widespread technical glitch that caused traffic indicators to disappear from the maps, depriving millions of users of one of its most prominent features, which allows them to monitor road conditions and choose the fastest routes, according to Al Arabiya.
A large number of users reported that the malfunction affected both the Android and iOS versions of the app, as well as the web version, suggesting that the issue is linked to Google’s servers rather than users’ devices.
Google Maps relies on a color-coded system to display road conditions: green indicates smooth traffic, orange signifies moderate congestion, red denotes heavy traffic, and dark red points to severe bottlenecks, while gray indicates that data is unavailable. The proposed route is shown in blue, while light blue or gray lines represent alternative routes.
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With the outage, traffic indicators vanished, leaving users unable to gauge congestion levels or travel speeds before setting off.
Complaints began after a user on Reddit posted a report about the sudden disappearance of traffic lines, which was soon confirmed by users in the United States, India, Thailand, and other countries, indicating that the glitch was global rather than confined to a specific region.
Although some alerts, such as maintenance notices and road closures, continued to appear, real-time traffic data was no longer functioning as usual.
Users tried several workarounds, including clearing the cache, deleting app data, reactivating the traffic layer, and switching Google accounts, but all attempts failed, reinforcing the hypothesis that the problem lies with the company’s servers.
Google Maps is one of the most widely used navigation apps in the world, with approximately one billion active users daily and around two billion monthly active users, meaning the prolonged outage significantly impacts the daily navigation experience of millions of drivers.
Until the issue is resolved, users can turn to alternative apps, such as Apple Maps for iPhone users, and Waze, available on both Android and iOS, which relies on user reports to provide real-time information on traffic, accidents, and road closures.
Google has not yet issued an official statement explaining the cause of the outage or its expected resolution time, though expectations suggest that the problem may be addressed through a server update if the scope of the issue is confirmed to be widespread.
