Google recently highlighted its top 5 favorite Google widgets for Android while also teasing the launch of a new nearby traffic widget for Maps. The big G noted the handy way of keeping an eye on the traffic status would launch in the coming weeks. But less than a week after the initial announcement, the widget is already showing up for some users with the latest Google Maps update.

As the name indicates, the 3x2 nearby traffic widget will show a live map of your location on the home screen and display the local traffic condition. It also has a zoom-in/out button, so you can get a traffic overview of a larger area.

Maps-Zoom-anim

With the latest addition, you get seven different ways of interacting with Maps from your device's home screen. However, the Nearby traffic live map is unarguably the most useful one. Just note that it will take a toll on your phone's battery because it must constantly refresh the location data in the background to provide up-to-date traffic status.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Google has added a traffic widget to Maps. It introduced one back in October 2016, but instead of showing a live map, it acted as a shortcut to jump directly to the traffic screen.

How to add Google Maps Nearby traffic widget to your Android phone's home screen

  1. Long-press on an empty area of your phone's home screen and select Widgets.
  2. Scroll down and expand the list of widgets for Google Maps.
  3. Select the Nearby traffic widget and drop it in the desired spot on your home screen.
  4. A prompt may appear asking you to grant access to your location in the background. The widget will need this real-time access to your location to work properly.
    1. In the prompt, tap Settings.
    2. In the App info page, tap Permissions.
    3. Tap Location.
    4. Select the Allow all the time option.

  5. Once the permission is granted, you should get an overview of the traffic status of your current location.
    Google Maps Nearby traffic widget
    Google Maps traffic widget location
    Google Maps location dialog
    App Permissions Maps app
    Real time location permission Maps
    Google Maps live traffic widget

The widget was available on my Samsung Galaxy S22 after updating Maps to v11.35.1. But it did not show up on our team member's device despite installing the latest update. You can try your luck by updating to the latest Maps release from the Play Store, but it might still take some time until it's available on your phone. Check back periodically to see if it's there for you.

Thanks: Mishaal Rahman