Over a year after announcing the feature, Google has started rolling out glanceable directions in Maps worldwide. This allows users to view real-time ETAs, turn-by-turn directions, and route overviews right from their lock screen while navigating.

Google first unveiled glanceable directions back in February 2023, touting it as a way to provide essential navigation information without needing to unlock your phone. This includes live traffic updates, travel times, directions for upcoming turns, and the ability to track your journey along the route overview. It automatically reroutes if you go off course while walking, driving or biking too.

The tech giant suggested at the time that the feature would arrive on both Android and iOS “in the coming months” across the globe. But over a year went by without glanceable directions landing in users’ hands. Google did confirm last June that the rollout was slated to begin that month, though anecdotal reports suggested it remained unavailable for most.

Now in February 2024, following months of silence, glanceable directions has suddenly begun appearing for Maps users worldwide.

Frustratingly, glanceable directions don’t come enabled by default. You’ll need to dig into your navigation settings and manually switch it on to enjoy the benefits. Do so by tapping your profile icon -> Settings -> Navigation Settings and scrolling down to find the “Glanceable directions” toggle.

With this long-promised feature finally seeing light, Maps may become markedly safer to use while driving. The ability to quickly check routes, turns and ETAs without fumbling to unlock your phone cuts down potential distractions.

While the breadth of the rollout comes as a pleasant surprise, the year-long wait for such a simple upgrade remains disappointing. Let’s hope glanceable directions mark the start of Google operating on tighter timelines when tweaking the Maps user experience going forward.