Unlike the Waze app with a built-in feature for speed limits, the humble Google Maps app is yet to see this update. That’s surprising since the same functionality was introduced briefly in Android Auto and is live in some areas of San Francisco. So, in situations like this, it’s best to take the aid of third-party apps which lets you enable speed limit on Google Maps. One of the best apps to do it is through Velociraptor. No, we aren’t talking about the good ol’ dinosaur.
1. Velociraptor
Velociraptor displays not only the speed limit on the road but also the current speed of the vehicle. It’s a small floating window which gets enabled automatically when you launch Google Maps. The app uses Google’s Material Design which gives the app a clean look. It’s a free app which gets its speed limit data from third-party sources like OpenStreetMap, TomTom, and HERE maps. When enabled, it alerts you discretely when you cross the speed limit for that particular road. Similar to Maps, it needs a few Android permissions to work properly such as access to the Location and Accessibility services. Though Velociraptor covers almost all the major roads and freeways, it doesn’t cover every road on this earth. In certain areas, the speedometer may revert to zero or blank when it doesn’t have the necessary data. Even though the app is free, you can subscribe to a few paid services like TomTom and HERE for more accurate results. The prices are very minimal and will cost you less than $2 per month. Once subscribed, it even allows you to contribute to the maps. To enable this app, all you have to do is grant the necessary permissions, and the floating window will make itself at home on top of Google Maps. Also, you can customize the Speed units, Speeding tolerance, and choose to remove the sound alert. Psst … Velociraptor is also ad-free. But due to some unknown reason, Velociraptor’s sound alert doesn’t seem to work on Samsung phones. Download Velociraptor
2. Alternatives to Velociraptor
To be honest, it was quite a task to find an alternative that would work seamlessly with Google Maps. In fact, at the time of writing, no app could match up to the skills of Velociraptor’s automatic speed limits. However, if you are still willing to go ahead and try a few, you can check out the speed limit apps on the Play Store. They don’t tell you the speed limit automatically. Instead, you have to insert the speed limit manually, and the said app will sound an alarm when as soon as you cross the threshold. The Speed Alarm app is a good place to start. However, before you do that let me warn you that the app has quite a dated interface. But it does its job well. All you have to do is set the speed limit and tap on Start. It’ll monitor the speed of your vehicle using GPS, and will sound an alarm as soon as you go over the predefined limit. Most of the features like distance, display type, temperature, and date time format can be customized. As I said above, only a few apps can match up to Velociraptor, and this one is no exception. In a nutshell, you best not to set hopes too high for this app. Download Speed Alarm
What About the Teaser at Google I/O?
If you recollect, Google teased a small & discrete speed limit icon at Google I/O 2018.
Don’t Break the Speed Limit
That’s how you can enable the speed limit on Google Maps. If it’s too much of a hassle, you can switch from Google Maps to Waze. You’ll miss the clean interface (and a couple of features), but then you’ll have the much-needed speed limit on your maps. What’s the best option for you? For me, it’s the sweet balance between Velociraptor & Google Maps and glancing up at the real speed signs once in a while. A bit of human intervention is a necessity, if you ask me.
