Driving your car in a big city can be quite stressful, especially if you’re often caught in the busy rush hour traffic. That’s why having a reliable GPS and navigation app such as Google Maps is crucial. Modern cities are so big that it has become nearly impossible for people to easily navigate from point A to point B without a digital map.
Google Maps makes navigation easier thanks to its voice directions. If you’re driving, you don’t even need to keep your eyes on the screen — just listen to the voice directions and follow the instructions.
But what if the voice directions are not working? How can you fix the problem?
Fix Google Maps Voice Directions Not Working
1. Check the volume settings
First things first, make sure your phone’s volume is not muted. Maybe you accidentally pressed the volume down or mute button without even realizing it.
Press the volume up button located on the side of your phone. Swipe down from the top corner of your phone screen and check if your device is on Silent mode.
Alternatively, you can also press the volume up button after you launch Google Maps.
If Google Maps’ volume settings are independent of your phone’s settings, and your device’s volume is set to 100%, you won’t hear anything unless you press the volume up button after you launched Google Maps.
2. Enable Play Voice over Bluetooth
If you connected your phone to your car’s Bluetooth system, make sure you also enabled the Play Voice over Bluetooth option for voice navigation directions to work.
Here are the steps to follow on Android
- Tap the hamburger menu icon ☰ on Google Maps
- Go to Settings → Navigation settings
- Toggle on the Play voice over Bluetooth feature, as well as the Play voice during phone calls option.
Also, make sure the guidance volume settings are set to Louder.
If you’re using an iPhone, you need to tap your account picture, select Settings → Navigation and then enable both of the Play Voice over Bluetooth options.
3. Disable or reset your Bluetooth connection
If your phone failed to establish a stable connection to your car’s Bluetooth system, you won’t hear the voice directions, road names and other indications.
Turn off your phone and car Bluetooth. Swipe down from the top corner of your phone screen and tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off. The try to connect your device to your car again.
If that did not work either, try resetting your Bluetooth connection completely. This means deleting your current car Bluetooth connection from your phone settings and setting it up again.
4. Force close Google Maps and clear the cache
Your phone’s cache may occasionally break certain app features. That’s why we’re going to force close Google Maps and clear the app cache.
- Go to Settings → Apps
- Locate Google Maps and tap it
- Tap the Force Stop button
- Tap the Storage option and tap the Clear cache button to clear the Google Maps cache
- Launch the app again and check if the issue is gone.
5. Update Google Maps and your OS
If one of your apps is not working as it should, maybe you’re running an outdated version. Updating Google Maps to the latest app version should fix the problem.
Speaking of updates, make sure your phone is running the latest OS version. To update Google Maps, open the Play Store app and search for Google Maps. If there’s an Update button next to the app, tap it.
6. Reinstall Google Maps
If Google Maps is still not giving you voice directions, uninstall the app.
- Open the Google Play Store and tap the Search bar
- Search Google Maps and then tap the Uninstall button
- You can then download and reinstall the app.
7. Use an alternative app
If nothing worked, not even reinstalling the app, switch to a different GPS and navigation app.
Some of the best Google Maps alternatives for phones include Waze, HERE Maps, and MapQuest. Check them out and stick to the app that best suits your needs.
J. R. says
Google navigation talks to me at low speeds, but at highway speeds is silent.
Laurie says
what the heck is a “hamburger icon”??
Marcia says
I noticed on my last car trip where I was navigating for my husband, the following: I have an iPhone. I launch GM, all good. But since I am not driving, I start reading something on my browser, or Twitter, or whatever. All of a sudden I realize we are about to miss a turn. Why didnt GM tell me? Did I accidentally shut it off? NO. What I have discovered, is that GM will not announce any directions UNLESS I am actually on the GM page. So I cannot use my phone for anything else if I expect GM to tell us the directions. However, Waze does not operate this way. I could be doing whatever I want with my phone and Waze will still tell us what turn to take. We do not have Bluetooth or anything. Phone and GM are updated to lastest versions. I prefer to keep using GM because I am much morte familiar with it.
Gerald says
After experiencing the frustrating radical operation of the voice guidance for more than a year, I’m glad to discover that the problem is not “the operator”. Great Google needs to refine their frustrating signature Google Maps.
Anne says
Google, if you are listening, please fix this problem! I recently arrived for a vacation at a city I had not visited before. I was entirely dependent on Google Maps to get me to my Air BnB but you let me down, Google. A journey that should have taken twenty minutes took over an hour because I had to keep stopping to look at the map.
I was in an unfamiliar car (a rental) in an unfamiliar city without a gizmo to hold the phone up where I could see it, and Google chose that moment to go silent. I am not happy. I will try the suggestions given here and thank the author for providing them.
Nancy B. says
Thank you to Cindy Baker above!! Finally, something that worked, and it was I side the Google Maps app itself. Thank you, Cindy.
G arvig says
I live in LA area. It works fine there. I come to northern Minnesota and it does not work. So distressing!! And dangerous!
Cindy Baker says
This problem has been plaguing me for approximately five months. I have googled everything I could think of and I could not get the google map instructions to come over my speakers in my car. The weird thing is it had been working previously. Today is a great day because I will share with you what I did and maybe it will help you:
1. Open Google Maps and touch your profile circle in the top right corner.
2. Choose the Setting option.
3. Next choose the Navigation option.
4. Enable the “Voice over Bluetooth “ option
5. Enable the “Play as Bluetooth phone call” option.
This last step is what turned it on for me. Not sure if this will work for you. I have an iPhone XR but my vehicle is a 2010 Malibu. Good luck!
Tracy Rucker says
I am so not understanding why my Google maps is not talking any more tried everything
Anthony Warren says
Having tried all ways to get Google maps to talk to me it will not even tried to use my wife’s phone which is the same as it worked once but next time it didn’t so going to purchase a tom tom sat nav
Antoinette says
Tony thank you. Maybe this is the problem I am having with my Samsung S21. I’m going to try turning “Voice over Bluetooth ” off and see if that works.
Dave H says
Tap maps, then burger, go to settings and switch on notifications. Make sure navigation is checked inside the notification section. Worked for me, hope this helps
Damian Cullen says
Same problem for me .it works for a couple of turns and then breaks up
Tony says
On my Samsung S21 I had to go into settings. And turn off talk over Blue tooth off!!!! Why no One knows. But my voice worked when shut off… Samsung said maybe an update. Or certain vehicle’s. It’s mapped to shut off to work. Go figure.. three hours later I got it to work. Shut off talk over Bluetooth!!!
john says
5/15/2021 google maps still not giving audio navigation. anyone try waze?
J Tinsby says
My Google Maps used to always tell me when I was approaching a turnpoint for instance in 600 feet you will make a right turn in 300 feet you will make a right turn turn right in 20 feet period it doesn’t do that anymore it might show me one turn to make and after that it’s completely silent period the Google Map is much better than a an external Garmin navigation unit that I used for years period but this is absolutely no help if it’s not going to give me turn by turn info I have an a clue how to fix it thank you period
Barb Couilliard says
Just returned from a very scary trip to a city I am unfamiliar with and google maps only talked for the first directions starting out, then nothing after. I had to keep looking at my phone while driving in a city I was unfamiliar with. Very dangerous. My phone is paired with my Jeeps bluetooth so i can make and receive calls while driving. Like the above comments, nothing works unless I unpair my phone which should not be an option. I experienced the same thing with the WAZE app. Google needs to fix this.
Dorina Georgiana says
I am also facing issues with Google maps giving directions when Bluetooth is on. I have tried many ways but it won’t work when Bluetooth on, if i switch off then it works fine. I did try to uninstall Google Maps several times and it only works once before it stops again. I hope Google is aware of this issue and looking for a solution.
MikeDC says
I agree with Larry T. I want the option to get directions via the phone’s speaker, NOT through Bluetooth. My car head unit will either play Bluetooth input or radio/usb input. Not both. If I have to send Map instructions to bluetooth, then I can’t listen to music while driving.
Bruce says
Google Maps will not play through my Bluetooth car connection. If I disconnect Bluetooth, Google voice works fine as a stand alone on my cell phone. I have tried several suggestions online but nothing seems to resolve the problem for me.
Patty says
Try this…. March 2021…. My google maps volume was barely audible…. the google maps volume setting was maxed… the phone volume was maxed….software was updated…. what gives???? Took me a while… checked iTunes volume…. it was low….. I maxed the iTunes volume… went back to Google Maps… volume FIXED… so much for its volume being independent…
Rick says
I also can not get google maps to run audio thru car speakers. The I phone (Apple) map works perfect, I get driving directions thru car speakers. So what is preventing google maps from giving me audio thru the car stereo speakers?
Larry Taormina says
NOOOO!!
Why is this app not able to play sound through its internal speakers? There are more uses for Maps giving directions through voice other than through a vehicle’s sound system. I have tried every suggestion for Maps on my Samsung Galaxy J7 without any success. It DID WORK in a past version then an update screwed it up. Suggestions such as “try Waze” instead is absurd. Waze is more like a social media app. I want Maps to work like my standalone Garmin. And it does just as much without excessive levels of settings. I would prefer Maps only to reduce clutter. Someone at Google needs to fix this (cr)app and quit trying to work around all these “features”.
Rodney says
Same for me.
Debbie says
Google maps – the voice speaks for the first turn only – then no sound after.
iphone 10XR