Google Maps speedometer on Android Auto reported switching between MPH and KPH
Users say Google Maps on Android Auto is flipping its speedometer between miles per hour and kilometers per hour regardless of their settings, with the cause still unclear.
In a Reddit thread first spotted by Auto Evolution, four users said the speed readout in Google Maps on Android Auto began switching between MPH and KPH regardless of their own settings. At least one of those users said the same behavior was showing up in the Google Maps app on their phone, which suggests the problem is not confined to the in-car interface.
According to the original poster of the thread, they live in a country that uses kilometers per hour and had set their unit preference in Google Maps to KPH. Even so, the app on Android Auto displayed their speed in miles per hour. That mismatch matches what most of the users reporting the issue describe, although one user said the opposite: they were unexpectedly shown KPH in a place where they wanted MPH.
The feature in question is one of the more practical parts of Google Maps. While navigating, the app can display both the posted speed limit for the road being driven and the vehicle's current speed as calculated by GPS. When the unit switches without warning, the number on the screen no longer matches the driver's mental calculation of how fast the car is moving.
No one in the thread appeared to know why the unit is changing. One user suggested that those affected might be driving near a border between countries that use different measurement systems, but that explanation seems unlikely to account for everyone reporting the same problem.
Android Authority reported that it is not currently clear why the behavior is occurring, nor how widespread it is. The reports are anecdotal and come from a single Reddit thread, and Google has not issued a public statement on the matter in the material reviewed. The publication framed the glitch in blunt terms, warning readers that a misread speedometer could plausibly contribute to a speeding ticket for a driver who trusts the on-screen number.
Editor's Summary
Google Maps users on Android Auto have reported that the navigation app's speedometer switches between miles per hour and kilometers per hour on its own, with at least one report coming from the phone app rather than the car display. The cause of the switch is unknown and the number of affected users has not been established. Because the readout is meant to help drivers track their speed against posted limits, an unrequested unit change can lead drivers to misjudge how fast they are traveling.