Google Maps on Android: what Google Play reviewers complain about
We classified the 300 newest English-language Google Play reviews of Google Maps (by Google LLC) in the US store, dated 22 October 2026 to 23 October 2026. Average rating in this sample: 3.78★. Its all-time Google Play rating is 3.3★ from 19.6M ratings. 61 reviews (20%) contained a complaint; the biggest theme was bugs (87% of complaining reviews).
Star ratings in this sample
| Stars | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5★ | 192 | 64% |
| 4★ | 13 | 4% |
| 3★ | 11 | 4% |
| 2★ | 6 | 2% |
| 1★ | 78 | 26% |
Complaint themes
| Theme | Reviews | Share of complaints | Avg severity (0–3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 53 | 87% | 2.3 |
| UX / design | 21 | 34% | 2.4 |
| Performance | 16 | 26% | 2.3 |
| Feature requests | 14 | 23% | 2.2 |
| Crashes / freezes | 7 | 11% | 2.3 |
| Ads | 4 | 7% | 2.1 |
| Pricing / subscription | 1 | 2% | 2.8 |
A review can count in several themes, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Top issues, ranked by reviews × severity
- Improve content quality: 43 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.1/3. What to do: Review the content areas users name; add a "report a problem" button on content.
“1-re centers so badly you get lost, and as much as you press re-enter it doesn't. 2-the compass faces the wrong direction. 2-the arrow says to turn right while the text says to turn left” (1★, v26.42.01.997557324, 2026-10-22) - Soften the redesign backlash: 19 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.4/3. What to do: Explain the change in-app, restore the most-missed option, or offer a setting for the old behaviour.
“used to love this app, but hate the new voice. I can switch to the old voice, but then I don't get street names. guess I need a new app for navigation!” (1★, v26.42.01.997557324, 2026-10-22) - Fix features broken by the latest update: 9 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.5/3. What to do: Add regression tests for the features users name in these reviews before the next release.
“update has rendered the app useless (21/10/26) and cannot search anything or use the app. S20 Ultra. contiguously loading "local vibe" seems trying too much AI?? btw I had already tried the recommended steps to try fix it. As it appears it is now fixed... thin…” (4★, v26.42.01.997557324, 2026-10-23) - Speed up loading: 6 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.2/3. What to do: Profile cold start and the slowest screens on older devices; cache content.
“Undo whatever you did. The fact that there is incredible lag now has forced me to use the Waze app. No longer being able to touch screen and expand so you can see the next turn is annoying. Simply doing things because you are pretending you care about safety o…” (1★, v26.42.01.997557324, 2026-10-22) - Fix in-use crashes and freezes: 5 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.5/3. What to do: Match quoted actions to crash reports; ship a hotfix for the top stack trace.
“I just got a pixel 11 Pro and now this app never works. if I switch apps at all, the stupid thing crashes so hard that it bricks my whole phone until I restart it. I honestly can't tell if it's just the app or if it's the whole phone but either way, it's Googl…” (2★, v26.42.01.997557324, 2026-10-22)
Google Play vs App Store
| Google Play (Android) | App Store (iOS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews in sample | 300 | 300 |
| Dates | 2026-10-22 – 2026-10-23 | 2026-10-01 – 2026-10-22 |
| Avg stars in sample | 3.78★ | 2.72★ |
| Reviews with a complaint | 20% | 47% |
| Biggest complaint theme | Bugs | Bugs |
Both samples use the same AI classifier. The iOS sample comes from Apple's public review feed across several storefronts and can cover a longer period, so compare themes rather than exact percentages.
Google Maps App Store complaints (iOS)
Rating by app version
| Version | Reviews | Avg stars | Share with a complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26.43.00.1002020710 | 11 | 3.7 | 9% |
| 26.42.02.997557324 | 11 | 2.9 | 45% |
| 26.42.01.997557324 | 138 | 3.4 | 30% |
| 26.41.03.993332563 | 21 | 3.7 | 24% |
Versions with fewer than 5 reviews in the sample are left out.
The same report for your Android app
Up to 600 recent Google Play reviews in up to 10 languages, classified into 7 themes and 18 specific issues, with severity, version trend, real quotes and 10 ranked fixes. PDF by email within 24–48 h.
Google Play report €19 €9 iOS + Android bundle €29 €15 Free check
Launch prices until 30 Nov 2026 or the first 20 orders (then €19 / €29 bundle).
Method and limits
Reviews were collected once from the public Google Play listing (newest first, US store, English) with the open-source google-play-scraper library, then each review was classified by an AI model into 7 themes and 18 specific issues with a severity of 0–3; individual labels can be wrong, so check the quotes. Big apps get hundreds of reviews a day, so this is a snapshot of a few days, not the app's full history. Generated 24 October 2026. Not affiliated with Google LLC or Google.
More Google Play complaint reports
- Snapchat on Android (17% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- WhatsApp on Android (16% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- Samsung Health on Android (63% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- Tinder on Android (39% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- Amazon Shopping on Android (47% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- Revolut on Android (40% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- AliExpress on Android (49% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
- Google Photos on Android (11% of 300 reviews with a complaint)
All Google Play reports · All app complaint reports
FAQ
What do Android users complain about most in Google Maps?
In the 300 newest US Google Play reviews (2026-10-22 to 2026-10-23), the most common complaint theme was bugs (87% of complaining reviews), and the top specific issue was “improve content quality” (43 reviews).
How many Google Maps Google Play reviews are negative?
61 of 300 recent reviews (20%) contained a complaint. Average rating in this sample: 3.78★.
Do iPhone or Android users complain more about Google Maps?
In our samples, 20% of recent Google Play reviews and 47% of recent App Store reviews contained a complaint. The samples cover different periods, so the gap is a signal, not a precise measurement.