To remove a custom vehicle picture while keeping your route running, start driving navigation, tap the vehicle marker, swipe through the driving-avatar choices until the blue arrow is selected, and tap Done. You do not need to end the route. Google Maps treats the vehicle picture as a navigation-avatar choice, not as a separate “turn off vehicle icon” switch.
What “turn off the vehicle icon” actually does
Google Maps calls the marker shown during driving navigation your driving avatar. Depending on your current selection, it can appear as a car or another vehicle graphic instead of the traditional blue navigation arrow. Restoring the arrow changes only that on-screen marker. Your destination, route guidance, spoken directions, traffic information, and other navigation functions continue normally.
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The selector is available from an active driving route. It is not a general Google Maps setting that you open before choosing a destination, and Google does not document a separate switch labeled “vehicle icons off.” The practical equivalent is selecting the blue arrow in the avatar picker.
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Use this sequence in the Google Maps app:
- Open Google Maps and start driving navigation. Choose a destination and begin the route so the live navigation map is visible.
- Tap the current navigation marker. Tap the blue arrow or the vehicle currently displayed on the map. This opens the driving-avatar choices.
- Swipe through the choices. Swipe left or right until the standard blue arrow is selected.
- Tap Done. Google Maps applies the blue arrow and returns you to the active route.
Google’s help guidance says you can switch back to the arrow at any time. If you later want a vehicle illustration again, tap the active marker during navigation, choose another available avatar, and tap Done.
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Why navigation must already be running
The marker is part of the live turn-by-turn navigation view. A map that is merely showing a destination or a route preview does not expose the same avatar picker. If you are looking at an ordinary map, first select a destination and begin driving navigation; then tap the marker that represents your current position and heading.
This design is useful when you want to change the display without interrupting guidance. You can make the selection after the route has started rather than cancelling and rebuilding the trip.
If the vehicle picker does not appear
Google’s official instructions describe the selection steps but do not identify a specific Android- or iPhone-only cause when the control is missing. Work through the checks below without assuming that a particular phone model or account setting is responsible.
Confirm that turn-by-turn navigation has started
Look for the active navigation interface, including the current-position marker and route guidance. If Maps is only displaying a line on the map or a destination preview, start the drive before trying to open the avatar selector.
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Tap the marker itself
The picker is opened from the blue arrow or vehicle marker, not from the destination pin, an on-screen traffic symbol, or a general map location. Tap the marker that shows your current position and direction of travel.
Try the swipe gesture again
Once the choices are visible, move horizontally through them. The blue arrow may be one option among several, so it might not be the first item shown. Select the arrow and use Done to commit the change.
Use Google’s support channels if the control remains absent
If navigation is active and tapping the current marker still does not reveal the choices, Google’s help material does not provide a confirmed platform-specific diagnosis. Consult the Google Maps Help Community or send feedback through the app so the missing control can be reported with your device and app details. Avoid treating a missing picker as evidence that you need a phone mount, a standalone GPS unit, or another accessory; those products do not change the in-app avatar selection.
Changing the avatar versus stopping navigation
These are separate actions. Selecting the blue arrow changes the appearance of the current-position marker while leaving the route active. Stopping navigation ends turn-by-turn guidance.
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| Goal | What to do | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Remove the custom vehicle picture | During active navigation, tap the vehicle marker, choose the blue arrow, then tap Done. | The marker changes to the blue arrow; the route remains active. |
| End the route on Android | Tap Close at the bottom left of the navigation screen. | Navigation is stopped. This does not select an alternative avatar. |
If your intention is only to restore the arrow, do not tap Close. That control is the documented Android command for stopping or cancelling the current navigation session.
What changes after you select the arrow
- The current-position marker is shown as the standard blue arrow instead of the selected vehicle illustration.
- The route itself is not recalculated merely because the avatar changed.
- Turn instructions and navigation remain available because you have not closed the route.
- The choice is a display customization; it is not a vehicle, map, or GPS setting on the phone.
The arrow communicates direction of travel in the familiar navigation style. If you prefer a less decorative map while driving, choosing it removes the custom vehicle artwork without requiring a new destination or a new route.
Platform and availability notes
The current Google Maps Help instructions describe the driving-avatar picker in the Google Maps app. They do not establish that every phone, app build, region, or account will show an identical set of vehicle choices. The documented action is therefore the reliable baseline: begin navigation, tap the live marker, choose the arrow, and confirm with Done.
Google introduced vehicle choices in a May 21, 2018 announcement by Product Manager Aditya Dhanrajani. That announcement described tapping the arrow while in driving-navigation mode to choose a vehicle. It provides historical context for the feature, but it should not be read as a list of the vehicle options currently available or as proof that every historical choice remains offered today.
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Google’s help guidance states: “You can switch back to the arrow at any time.”
Because the available avatars can change, focus on selecting the blue arrow rather than looking for a particular car model, color, or illustration. If an older screenshot shows choices that you do not see, the important operation is still the same: open the picker from the active marker and select the arrow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common mistakes and their fixes
Trying to change the icon from the main Maps menu
The documented picker is attached to active navigation, so searching general settings before starting a route will not reach it. Start a destination and enter driving navigation first.
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The destination pin identifies where you are going. The avatar picker belongs to the marker that identifies where you are now. Tap the current-position arrow or vehicle.
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Closing the route to get rid of the picture
Closing navigation removes guidance rather than changing the avatar. If you still need directions, leave the route open and select the blue arrow instead.
Expecting a permanent “off” switch
Google documents an avatar choice, not an independent disable toggle. The blue arrow is the supported way to display the non-vehicle marker.
Looking for a particular historical vehicle
The 2018 announcement is historical. Current choices may not match older articles or screenshots. Select the arrow directly instead of trying to reproduce an old menu.
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Quick checklist
- Is a destination loaded and driving navigation active?
- Are you tapping the live current-position marker rather than the destination pin?
- Have you swiped through the avatar choices until the blue arrow appears?
- Did you tap Done after selecting it?
- Did you avoid Close if you wanted to keep receiving directions?
When all five answers are yes, the custom vehicle icon should be replaced by the blue navigation arrow while the route continues.
Quick Recap
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