# Google Maps' new voice **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114 "2026-10-24T05:17:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/1 "2026-10-24T05:17:17Z")
Recently, the voice that gives driving directions (at least the one on my phone) has changed. It seems to pronounce words slightly more distinctly than the previous voice, which is fine, but it is much less pleasing to listen to, and often shades into vocal fry. I guess i assumed their voice was an AI voice, which doesn’t explain why they would change it in this manner. Maybe they thought have an irritating voice telling them where to go would keep drivers more on their toes. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/2 "2026-10-24T05:30:47Z")
Something you might try: * * * Yes, you can change the voice or language on [Google Maps](https://support.google.com/maps/answer/63471?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid), though options are limited to different regional languages and accents rather than custom gender choices. **On Android** - Open the **Google Maps** app. - Tap your **profile picture** or initial in the top right corner. - Select **Settings**. - Tap **Navigation settings**. - Tap **Voice selection** and choose your preferred language or accent. - _(Optional)_ If your voice is set to “Default,” you can also change your Google Assistant voice settings in the Google app. [[1](https://support.google.com/maps/thread/364736358/can-you-change-thr-voice-in-the-navigation-part?hl=en), [2](https://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Google-Maps-Voice), [3](https://support.google.com/maps/answer/63471?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid)] **On iPhone (iOS)** - Google Maps on iOS uses your device’s system language and regional settings rather than an in-app voice selector. - To change the accent or language, go to your iPhone **Settings** \> **General** \> **Language & Region** and add or switch your primary language. [[1](https://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Google-Maps-Voice), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwZihc-Ipk)] ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/3 "2026-10-24T05:35:30Z")
I use the female British voice, mostly because “she” really struggles with Afrikaans place and street names. I am both childish and easily amused. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/4 "2026-10-24T07:29:49Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I guess i assumed their voice was an AI voice The previous version was an AI voice, it’s just that this is the new and improved Gemini AI voice that’s supposed to sound more natural. Or, to some people, more annoying. FWIW, you aren’t alone in not liking it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/5 "2026-10-24T07:39:27Z")
It’s annoying when this happens. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The older Google voice was fine and perfectly understandable (to me at least) and we get used to it so changing it is unwelcome. But I guess they want to insert Gemini into every damn thing they can (also annoying…I do not want it but they just make us use it wherever they can). At the least Google should offer an option to use the “old” version or switch and leave it to the user to choose. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/6 "2026-10-24T12:44:09Z")
Don’t mind the voice, but I wish I could find a way to correct the pronunciation of some roads and places of interest. Here in Raleigh, we have Lead Mine Road (as in, a road serving a lead mine). Google Maps insists it is pronounced like “Leed Mine Road.” I have submitted comments to them under a couple categories, but with no response or correction. And this is just one example. Note: I’m told that the mine was actually for graphite, but the name still makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/7 "2026-10-24T12:58:25Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Don’t mind the voice, but I wish I could find a way to correct the pronunciation of some roads and places of interest. I still remember when it would send you through Harlem on “Malcolm the Tenth Boulevard.” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/8 "2026-10-24T13:07:50Z")
It’s got me turned around a few times but mostly it is pretty good. I _think_ Wayz has more voices. Also owned by Google. Not sure about that though. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/9 "2026-10-24T14:46:07Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Recently, the voice that gives driving directions (at least the one on my phone) has changed. It seems to pronounce words slightly more distinctly than the previous voice, which is fine, but it is much less pleasing to listen to, and often shades into vocal fry. I’ve griped about that here as well! I find that voice viscerally irritating. As far as I and AI can tell, there’s no way to change it without its losing the ability to vocalize street names. > [@Deviated September (Monthly Mini-Rants)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deviated-september-monthly-mini-rants/1032738/96): > > I hate the new Google Maps voice. They gave it more vocal fry and more expressiveness to make it sound more human, but instead it just sounds more fake and more irritating. The only fix I’ve seen is to change the voice from Default (English) to English (US), but then it stops speaking the street names. The other option suggested is to change the voice on my Android phone, but the voice on my Android phone isn’t the same voice as the Google Maps. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/10 "2026-10-24T15:40:21Z")
I want South Park (America) voice as an option. Cartman telling me off after blowing through a turn, “#&¢% around you idiot” instead of " recalculating". ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/11 "2026-10-24T15:41:56Z")
She sounds like some of my grade school nuns. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/12 "2026-10-24T16:46:10Z")
A decade or more ago, wasn’t there a hack that let you use Yoda’s voice? Not just his accent, but his atrocious syntax. I’m not sure if that was for smart phones or if it was for standalone Garmin GPS. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/13 "2026-10-24T16:53:22Z")
Thanks for the instructions, I changed from Default to English (US), which seems to be the old voice. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/14 "2026-10-24T17:03:41Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I still remember when it would send you through Harlem on “Malcolm the Tenth Boulevard.” hehe … Pio XI (Pope Pius 11) … is **Peeo Ex Eye** here … took me a couple of secs to figure that one out … although I have to say that when using the standard english language, it has quite improved on spanish street/place names. And yes, just like @scudsucker, I am easily entertained. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/15 "2026-10-24T17:18:22Z")
I remember navigating to Ro-deo Doctor in Beverly Hills. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/16 "2026-10-24T17:31:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I _think_ Wayz has more voices. Also owned by Google. Not sure about that though. It has an absurd number of available voices in US English, including more than a few cartoon characters, astrological signs, and even options to supposedly learn French, Spanish, or Portuguese. I was surprised when I saw the list, which is a LOT longer than it was when I picked a voice for mine. I’ll stick with Thomas, thanks (UK English, does street names). Pleasant-sounding, and I’m used to him (do occasionally call him Voldy or variants, though, when he’s not at his most intelligent). He does pronounce some words oddly in ways that cannot be explained by his accent (“Los Angelees”, long “e” on the final vowel. Really?). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/17 "2026-10-24T17:37:15Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > He does pronounce some words oddly in ways that cannot be explained by his accent (“Los Angelees”, long “e” on the final vowel. Really?). You need to have “Letterman” toggled off. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/18 "2026-10-24T18:02:28Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > > I still remember when it would send you through Harlem on “Malcolm the Tenth Boulevard.” > > hehe … > > Pio XI (Pope Pius 11) … is **Peeo Ex Eye** here … took me a couple of secs to figure that one out … although I have to say that when using the standard english language, it has quite improved on spanish street/place names. And yes, just like @scudsucker, I am easily entertained. Driving through my mom’s old neighborhood, “Turn right on Street Catherine Street” (St. Catherine St.) always made me giggle. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/19 "2026-10-24T18:28:09Z")
For a while a few years ago, Google Maps was reading “Hwy 1” as “wee one”. I was sad when they fixed that. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114/20 "2026-10-24T20:47:58Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > He does pronounce some words oddly in ways that cannot be explained by his accent (“Los Angelees”, long “e” on the final vowel. Really?). I thought that used to be a fairly common East Coast thing, at least back in the iron age when I was young. Then there was the one where they pronounced the “ng” in Los Angeles like in “angle.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-new-voice/1034114.md?page=2)