[Bug]: Android Google Maps renders completely blank with @capacitor/google-maps@8.0.1

Bug Report

Plugin(s)

@capacitor/google-maps@8.0.1

Capacitor Version

Please see the npx cap doctor output below.

PASTE OUTPUT FROM `npx cap doctor` HERE

Platform(s)

* Android
* Physical Samsung device
* Android Emulator — Google Pixel 7, official Google Play image

Current Behavior

The Google Maps native map is created successfully, but nothing is rendered visually.

The issue has been reproduced consistently in two completely different Android environments:

1. A physical Samsung device running One UI.
2. A completely clean Google Pixel 7 Android emulator using an official Google Play system image.

In both environments:

* GoogleMap.create() completes successfully.
* The application logs confirm that the map is created successfully.
* The map receives touch/gesture interactions.
* The Google Maps native component appears to initialize normally.
* However, the map remains completely blank.
* No map tiles are visible.
* No Google logo is visible, including the mandatory Google Maps attribution/logo.
* There is no visible map rendering even though the native map instance has been successfully created.

This is therefore not limited to a specific physical device or manufacturer.

Expected Behavior

After successfully creating the Google Maps native map, the map should render normally with:

* Google Maps tiles
* The map content
* Google Maps attribution/logo
* Normal interaction and gestures

Code Reproduction

A minimal reproduction project is being prepared to isolate the issue from the Roulage application.

The reproduction uses:

* Capacitor 8
* @capacitor/google-maps@8.0.1
* Android
* A minimal map element
* A valid Google Maps API key
* A simple map configuration
* A visible test background around the map

The same blank-rendering behavior can be reproduced independently of the Roulage application’s business logic.

Other Technical Details

The Google Maps API key and Android configuration have been verified.

The following have been checked and ruled out:

* Incorrect API key configuration
* Incorrect AndroidManifest configuration
* Incorrect manifestPlaceholders configuration
* Google Maps API key restrictions
* Missing map creation
* Map element dimensions
* CSS transparency issues
* Android theme configuration
* Pull-to-refresh interference
* A Samsung-specific rendering problem
* A problem specific to the Roulage application

The Android Google Maps configuration follows the plugin documentation, including the required API key configuration.

The problem was also reproduced on a clean Google Pixel 7 emulator with an official Google Play image, which strongly suggests that this is not caused by the device manufacturer or existing application state.

The map creation succeeds, but the native Google Maps rendering surface remains visually empty.

Additional Context

The behavior appears similar to a rendering/compositing regression rather than a map initialization or API-key failure.

The official plugin documentation notes that Android renders the map beneath the WebView and requires transparency through the WebView layers. Those transparency requirements were explicitly tested and corrected, but the map remained completely blank.

The fact that the issue reproduces on both a physical Samsung device and a clean Pixel 7 Google Play emulator makes an application-specific rendering problem less likely.

The issue may be related to compatibility between @capacitor/google-maps@8.0.1, Capacitor 8, and the current Google Maps Android/Google Play Services rendering implementation.

I would appreciate guidance on whether this is a known Android rendering regression and whether a specific Google Maps/Play Services version or plugin version is recommended.

As an additional diagnostic step, I am also testing the previous @capacitor/google-maps 7.x release to determine whether the issue is specific to version 8.x.

Start with the plugin documentation's Android transparency requirements and the minimal map reproduction described in the report. Compare the blank rendering on the Samsung device and Pixel 7 emulator, then test the previous @capacitor/google-maps 7.x release against 8.0.1. Done means identifying whether the regression is in the plugin, Capacitor 8, or Google Maps rendering compatibility and documenting a confirmed version or fix path.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.