Google brings back the compass widget to Maps on Android

After a lengthy absence, Google is bringing back the compass widget within Maps on Android. And don't worry, this isn't some cruel April Fools' Day joke on the company's part. In a support post spotted by Android Police, Google says it decided to bring back the compass due to "overwhelming support" for the feature. For better and worse, sometimes online communities have the power to move mountains — or, in this case, impossibly large corporations.

Google Maps compass (Google)

Once you download the latest version of Maps, 10.62, you'll see the widget appear when you start navigating somewhere. When Google originally removed the compass in early 2019, it said it did so to "clean up the navigation screen." The irony of all this is that the company didn't do something similar on iOS. Over on the iPhone and iPad, the compass been there the entire time its Android counterpart has been missing in action.