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MapQuest adds Android Auto beta support, offering drivers an alternative to Google and Apple Maps

MapQuest has added Android Auto beta support, giving drivers an alternative to Google Maps and Apple Maps in cars.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-07 08:30

The beta is distributed through Google Play. Drivers who want to try it must download the MapQuest app or update it to the latest version, then join the beta program from the app's Google Play page and update again. After connecting a smartphone to the car with Bluetooth or a compatible USB cable, the MapQuest icon should appear on the dashboard next to other installed mapping services. If it does not show up, users are directed to open Settings on the phone, go to Connected devices, then Android Auto, then Customize launcher, and make sure the MapQuest checkbox is checked.

The Android Auto version offers turn-by-turn navigation, real-time traffic updates, route optimization, and search for locations such as gas stations or EV chargers. It also includes favorites and saved locations, voice search, a speedometer display that shows current speed against the speed limit, and crowdsourced incident reporting. Some real-time features are limited to North America, covering the United States and Canada.

Early feedback on the beta describes an application that remains rougher than Google's or Apple's offerings. Engadget reported complaints of app crashes, delayed response times and voice navigation prompts that cut off in the middle of sentences, as well as interface quirks. MapQuest's social media feeds indicate its developers are working on improvements and releasing regular software patches, according to the report.

MapQuest has drawn attention recently for keeping the 380-year-old name of Lake Ontario on its maps. Apple and Google changed how the name appears to users in the United States under pressure from President Donald Trump; MapQuest did not. The company said the refusal produced a surge in interest, with usage rising to 50 times its normal rate and its apps generating more than 1.5 million downloads. MapQuest quickly became the No. 1 mapping app on Apple's App Store.

"Hundreds of thousands of people signaled to us this weekend that we got it right, by downloading our app," Doug Berger, general manager of MapQuest, said in a statement.

Drivers looking for an immediate alternative to MapQuest on Android Auto or Apple's CarPlay can also download Waze, Sygic or TomTom Go while the beta proceeds, Engadget reported.

Editor's Summary MapQuest, the world's oldest commercially available web mapping service, has opened a beta of its app for Android Auto, offering navigation, traffic and search features inside vehicles. The release follows a surge in downloads after the company declined to rename Lake Ontario on its maps, unlike Apple and Google. Early beta users report crashes, delayed responses and other issues that the company says it is working to fix.