We’re excited to announce that customizing styles for different map types and modes is now available in Preview, providing greater flexibility and control over how your maps are presented across web, iOS, and Android.
You can now easily create, manage, and switch custom map styles for your apps based on user or business context—all without requiring a reload of the map. That means you can meet your users where they are, whether they’re navigating in dark mode, exploring a new neighborhood in satellite view, or analyzing terrain data for a commercial project.
Build once, extend everywhere
Map Details page
Instead of rebuilding styles for every view, you can now manage them centrally and apply them across all map types and modes. Whether users switch from roadmap to satellite, or toggle between light and dark modes, your customizations carry over automatically.
This approach reduces development effort and long-term maintenance, while ensuring that maps adapt to user preferences and app conditions without interruption.
Enhance accessibility and safety for users
Customized light + dark styles
Accessibility and safety are core to the Google Maps Platform experience. Customizing styles for map types and modes also helps to match personal preferences, by respecting system-wide light and dark settings.
Expedia, an early adopter of these capabilities, is already using them to improve the travel shopping experience for its customers.
Expedia leverages Google Maps Platform styling to develop contextual travel shopping experiences. We’re excited to provide accessible themes for all users, whether in dark or light mode on their devices, using the newest capabilities for customizing styles for map types and modes. With Google Maps Platform, we can meet travelers where they’re at and power global travel for anyone, anywhere. Senior Product Manager, Expedia
Because styles are pre-loaded, apps can also switch instantly between modes at runtime—without requiring a reload or new map instantiation. This allows mobility apps, for example, to maintain driver comfort and safety by seamlessly switching between light and dark modes in tunnels or other low light conditions —without distracting refreshes or interruptions.
Keep your brand consistent
Style editor navigation map
Customizing styles for map types and modes ensures that colors, feature visibility, and other design elements remain consistent as users switch between views. For example, real estate and travel apps can retain consistent branding as users toggle between roadmap and satellite views to explore properties, neighborhoods, or destinations.
You can also tailor experiences contextually—for instance, surfacing different POIs in the morning versus evening—while still maintaining overall brand identity.
Get started
To learn more, please check out our documentation:
Going deeper with customizing styles for map types and modes
Going deeper with Nav SDK styling for developers focused on mobility solutions
We can’t wait to see what you build.
Contributions to the post include Google Maps Platform Product Manager Tingting Li, UX Designer Chris Raykovich, and Software Engineer Melissa Doherty-Regalia.
