John Deere Display Update: Farmers have been waiting for this feature.

For several weeks, an update for John Deere displays has been available. With two new map functions, it finally enables what farmers have been waiting for.

The agricultural machinery manufacturer John Deere has rolled out an update for its displays. They now offer new functions, one of which farmers have long awaited as it is common on smartphones and tablets. We will explain the details and how the software update is implemented on John Deere machines. Also interesting: New engine introduced: Does it belong to a new Fendt 800 Vario?

The John Deere G5 display is the latest generation display from John Deere. It was first introduced in 2023 and includes all the digital tools that John Deere currently offers. In February 2025, John Deere released an update for its display. This not only brings the Gen5 display up to date, but also the previous version, G4.

With the software update 25-1, as officially named by John Deere, several new features are added to tractors and harvesting machines. The feature that farmers have been eagerly awaiting is actually very simple. What has been a standard feature on smartphones and tablets for a long time was not possible on John Deere displays until now: zooming in and out on a map with two fingers. Changes such as engaging the PTO without a seat contact switch are not part of the 25-1 update. These changes depend on the model year, and this update was first rolled out for 6R tractors from the 2022 model year (MY22).

For John Deere, zooming on the display with two fingers is part of the so-called touch gestures, making it easier for drivers to navigate on the displayed map. These functions are possible: Moving two fingers together or apart to zoom in or out on the map, double-tapping with one finger, holding and dragging the finger up and down to zoom in or out on the map, double-tapping with one finger to zoom in on a level, tapping on the screen with two fingers to zoom out on a level, pressing with one finger, holding and moving the finger across the screen to shift the map.

In addition to the new touch gestures, there is another feature that will excite drivers of John Deere tractors: split maps. It is possible to display two different maps on one screen, such as an application map and a soil moisture map at the same time.

Another update concerns the display of maps on the G5 display. However, this is not available for all G5 displays, but only for customers who have an advanced G5 license and pay annual license fees. With the 25-1 update, G5 displays can now display Google satellite maps in the background.

The Google map with satellite images shows the surroundings of the tractor or harvesting machine for orientation. Due to the low accuracy, field boundaries or guidance lines cannot be created with these maps. Important note: If farmers already have an advanced G5 license, they need to reactivate it for the display of Google satellite maps on their G5 display.

The 25.1 software update for G5 and G5 Plus displays is free. If a mobile connection via JDLink is active, the update can be downloaded directly to the display. Farmers can check for updates in the software manager. Another option is to download the update on a PC and transfer it to the tractor with a USB stick. John Deere offers the 25.1 update for download on its website Stellar Support. According to John Deere, the installation time depends on the amount of data and the currently installed software version and takes approximately 20 minutes at best.

With material from John Deere