Can't view Google maps in Safari

In another discussion users are reporting the following works...

Safari->Preferences-Advanced->check “Show Develop menu in menu bar”. Now from the Develop menu select “Experimental Features” and scroll down to “WebGL via Metal” and uncheck it. Now try Google Maps again.

It appears this issue is limited to Intel based Macs running Safari 16.0. I have an M1 Mac Studio and do not experience the issue. Anyway, try this and report back.

Thanks for reaching out geno053,

Since this issue sounds like it is related to a specific app, let's follow these steps to work on that app: If an app on your Mac stops responding, closes unexpectedly, or won’t open - Apple Support

1. Close the app and open it again - test to see if the issue continues as that may be enough to refresh and resolve the behavior.
2. Restart your Mac, if the issue continues, and then test again.
3. See if there are any available app updates and install them.
4. Delete the app and reinstall it.
5. Contact the developer if the issue continues: How to contact an app developer - Apple Support

Take care.

I did your fix regarding my google map issue getting a black screen on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)-(and the problem seem to have happened after uploading to macOS Monterey Version 12.6) by doing from the Develop menu select “Experimental Features” and scroll down to “WebGL via Metal” and uncheck it and now map seems to be working. I am by no means anywhere near any of your expertise on these matters but is it possible you can tell me what exactly what I did into words I can understand—not afraid to use the word ignorant of these things which is truly the case for a 70+ year old person. I did call Apple Support but they stated never heard of an issue until I advised her to check the internet/she did and stated does seem to be a prob nothing to them to be an issue and no fix info but it seems we used their system to fix the issue—I think maybe you all out there should be the support experts cause it seems I get answers in this support community fixes these issues and not when I call in. Anyway I appreciate your help-take care. Dennis

Hey geno053.

Jumping back a bit, you mentioned this is happening when viewing this site In Safari. Is that the only site doing it, or are other sites unable to load correctly as well? A great page with a lot of helpful info is If Safari on Mac doesn't open a webpage or isn’t working as expected as it'll take you through some pretty common troubleshooting steps like checking for potentially troublesome extensions to

checking in a private window and removing temporary files that could be causing the issue.

If none of those steps helps, Get Support from Apple directly here.

Take care.

Happened to me too. I'm also using a MacBook Pro mid 2015 with the latest Monterey 12.6. And it seems Google Maps on Safari (version 16.0) got messed up after the update to macOS 12.6. It happens in a Private Window too, so it doesn't seem to be a cookie issue. I also have Safari Technology Preview Release 154 (Safari 16.0, WebKit 17615.1.6.2) installed; Google Maps works fine in there. So hopefully the next Safari update fixes Google Maps.

It also works in Google Chrome; currently using Version 105.0.5195.125 (Official Build) (x86_64).

I have this issue as well. 15 inch mid 2015 MBP. After upgrading to 12.6 it started. Maps on Weather Underground collapse to a horizontal line. Today I realized google maps also does it. You can see the map for an instant then poof it's gone. It only seems to happen in Safari. Chrome and Firefox don't do this.

I have this issue also. Running Safari 16.0 on MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) Monterey 12.6

I called Apple Support as suggested but they were not very helpful, suggesting I consult Google support. I can't find anything there.

leegd55 wrote:

Brilliant - thanks for figuring it out and sharing with the rest of us. Much appreciated. Worked for me.

While I’d love to take credit I’m just forwarding information some genius figured out. I will assume this will addressed in the next update to Safari 16.

Now, with the Develop menu visible, don’t get carried away with fiddling around in there unless you know exactly what you are doing. Modify the wrong thing and you could hose yourself big time. If you play in there write down whatever you do so you can change it back. Another option that comes in handy is the Empty Caches which can fix all manner of website display issues.

Metal is Apple’s framework for drawing pictures on the screen. WebGL is another, more standard method. All modern browsers support WebGL including Safari. This ‘fix’ accesses the ‘experimental features’ of Safari which includes processing WebGL through the Metal framework. Unchecking this experimental feature takes Metal out of the picture. It looks like only Intel based Macs are affected by this. I have an M1 Mac and Google Maps works fine. So I’m guessing Monterey 12.6 includes a bug in Metal for Intel based Macs. Unchecking this feature should cause no problems in theory. When macOS Ventura (13.0) comes out you can check to see if that features is checked again and see if the problem is back or fixed.

Realize this is only my opinion, best guess. Someone with greater knowledge may come along and explain it better or tell you I’m completely wrong.

the horizontal line across a black screen is a recent phenomena on my 2015 computer, I closed Safari and opened Chrome (Google) and maps worked as expected, no horizontal line on the black screen.

I followed the step wise process described above while on Safari and I had "Experimental Features" displayed but the pop-up window with a long list of "titles" was displayed gray and I scrolled down to "WebGL via Metal" I could not select, there was no indication that a selection of any of the items on the pop-up window could be selected. Am I doing something incorrectly ?

the horizontal line across a black screen is a recent phenomena on my 2015 computer, I closed Safari and opened Chrome (Google) and maps worked as expected, no horizontal line on the black screen.

I followed the step wise process described above while on Safari and I had "Experimental Features" displayed but the pop-up window with a long list of "titles" was displayed gray and I scrolled down to "WebGL via Metal" I could not select, there was no indication that a selection of any of the items on the pop-up window could be selected. Am I doing something incorrectly ?

Well this did work, but I came to realize that I needed to log into Apple forum with my password (to comment), then I went back to "Experimental Features" and the long list of "titles" was in bold black (not gray) and the checks were beside the features listed. I clicked on "WebGL via Metal" to uncheck it, and that resolved the issue with the line across a black screen in Google Maps. Good on you, the independents helping out us neophytes.

That worked for me after logging into my Apple account, the list on Experimental Features became dark black with checks on the left side of items listed, clicked on WebGl via Metal and no more line across black screen display in Google Maps, thanks for the solution !

I tried following your directions but all items under Experimental Features were greyed out. There was no option to check or uncheck anything?

Please assist, if possible. I've been having this issue for a while and I'm close to switching to Chrome browser because of it.

Thank you.