Google Maps tips and tricks: 22 things to try next time you drive
Google Maps tips and tricks: 22 things to try next time yous bulldoze
Google Maps is a fantastic tool, but there's an atrocious lot more to the service than just finding your mode around. Whether you're looking for the best manner to get home subsequently work, finding a good restaurant to take hold of some grub, or working out when it's the best fourth dimension to go to the supermarket, Google Maps has your dorsum.
But with so much on offer, it's easy to miss some of the really useful features. Some of them will even be able to ease some of the usual holiday stress if you need them. And so here are 22 of the all-time Google Maps tips to try out.
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Find the nearest COVID vaccination and testing site
If you still haven't managed to get a COVID-xix vaccine, or you have symptoms and demand a examination, Google Maps can show yous exactly where you need to go. Only search for "covid vaccine" or "covid test" plus your location, and Google Maps will highlight relevant spots in your vicinity.
Results for both volition evidence you lot whether you need an appointment or a referral, which patients are really eligible to show up, and fifty-fifty if in that location's a bulldoze-thru selection.
Curbside grocery pickup support
The pandemic means curbside pickup is now more prevalent than ever before, and Google Maps has added features to help you accept advantage of that where it's available.
Curbside pickup information has been rolling out on Maps' business profiles, and includes all you need to know nigh minimum orders, delivery windows, and other fees that are involved. Maps tin also tell y'all when information technology's time to leave, and forward your ETA to the shop so your order is set every bit soon every bit you go far.
Initially restricted to Fred Meyers' stores in Portland, Oregon, Google is now rolling out the feature elsewhere. It'southward not available at Kroger family unit stores, including Kroger, Fry's, Ralphs and Marianos in over 2,000 locations beyond 30 different states
Add music to your drive
If yous're using Google Maps while driving, you tin can sync it with YouTube Music, Spotify and (on iOS) Apple Music, so you can command your tunes from within the Maps app itself.
But head to the settings menu and hit "navigation controls." iOS users will and so accept to hitting "Music playback controls" while Android users will see "Show Media playback controls."
Switch that on and a pop-upwards menu will appear with a list of uniform apps you have installed. Follow the setup instructions to connect your accounts. Every time you lot go for a drive you'll see a balloon at the side of the screen that gives you admission to those controls.
Get incognito
If you need to get off the filigree, or at least don't want Google Maps remembering where you've been, make sure to put yourself in Incognito Style before you set off. That way, no record of your journeying will be kept in the Maps app.
Simply tap your contour moving-picture show in the top right corner of the screen, hit Incognito Mode, and you lot're good to get. Should you ever want Google Maps to get-go keeping tabs again, you can switch it off by doing the same steps and hitting "Turn off Incognito Mode."
Measure distance
Google Maps volition always tell y'all how long a specific route is, but yous can also plot out your own custom routes and run across exactly how far you're going to go. Information technology's pretty piece of cake too, regardless of whether you lot utilize desktop or mobile.
On desktop, just right-click on a spot and click "Measure distance" to set your outset point. Every time you click in subsequent locations, Google volition plot a straight line and tell you how far that distance is. The total is displayed at the bottom of your screen.
Mobile works in a similar way, except starting off requires yous to tap and concord to drop a pivot on the screen. From there you swipe up to bring up the relevant carte, and actress spots can be added using the '+' push button. Mobile users will too just be able to run across the total distance, and not individual distances betwixt 2 points.
Customize your vehicle
You don't have to be stuck with the default blue pointer. Like (but not as nice) as Waze, Google Maps volition permit you modify it to one of three vehicles: a red car, dark-green pickup truck, or a yellow SUV. But set up yourself up with a route to navigate and tap the arrow (or dot) that represents you. Nice and like shooting fish in a barrel.
Time travel
Desktop users don't have to alive with the current, most up to date Street View imagery. They can 'time travel' and then to speak, and check out what a particular location looked like at dissimilar points in time. Or for equally long as Google has been collecting Street View data, anyhow.
Simply drag the little yellow figure from the bottom right corner to enter Street View, and in the top left you'll encounter a black box with a drop downwards menu side by side to a petty clock. Clicking it brings up a whorl bar that lets you go dorsum and come across exactly how an area looked on previous Google Van visits.
Go easily-gratis with Google Assistant
Google maps patently has pretty close ties with Google Assistant, which can be invaluable while you're driving. So don't forget almost anything Maps tin do is available easily-free with a simple "Hey Google" command. At least it is on Android.
iOS users volition have to go through an extra step, which involves tapping the microphone in the top right corner of the screen. This as well works for Android users who don't have Assistant switched on.
So whether it'south asking Google to find you a gas station, tell you when your next turn is, or command your music playback, it can all be washed without taking your attention off the route.
Avant-garde one-handed gestures
You don't need two free easily to enjoy some of Google Maps' many gesture controls. In fact it's been designed to let you do it one-handed, while your other hand is kept on the wheel. Those gestures include:
Zooming in by double tapping and holding your finger against the screen. Y'all can and then zoom in and out by swiping up and downwardly.
Change map orientation is some other big one, which involves pressing your finger and thumb against the screen and spinning them in a circular motion.
Change perspective past swiping two fingers on the screen. Swiping up offers a bird's-eye view of the area, while swiping down takes you lot back to the traditional elevation-down perspective.
Avoid crowds
No i likes a crowd, and Google Maps tin can help y'all avoid them when y'all're out running errands. Find a location, whatever location, in Google Maps and it volition tell you the best and worst times to visit. It even shows you roughly how busy it is at that exact point in time.
Google is also set to expand this characteristic closer to the holidays, letting you run into how busy any specific area or neighbourhood is from the map screen.
This feature applies to grocery stores, restaurants, parking lots, and even some parks and outdoor spaces. Google will even remember where your car is if you printing the blue dot and hit Salve your parking (Android) or Set as parking location (iOS).
See AR Live View walking directions
It'southward non easy navigating from a top-down perspective, especially in a strange place. Thankfully, Google Maps has an augmented reality feature that overlays direction arrows on top of the world effectually yous.
In that location are some caveats to this characteristic. The beginning is that your phone needs to support Apple tree ARKit or google ARCore, and the 2d is that at that place needs to be good Street View coverage. No Street View means no AR, unfortunately.
But to become AR navigation simply set up a route to your intended location, and striking the Alive View push button at the bottom of the screen. Hit Start on the pop-up message and so let Google Maps scan the area around you. One time it's figured out where you are, those directions volition wink up on screen.
Google Maps also recently launched Indoor Live View, designed to help yous become around complicated buildings like shopping malls, train stations, airports, and then on. It'south currently only available in select malls in parts of the U.South., and transit stations in parts of Japan, but Google is planning a wider rollout as time goes on.
Get real-time transit information
Google Maps isn't merely for driving. Information technology's invaluable for anyone relying on public transportation to get around. In fact it fifty-fifty offers existent-time updates on trains and busses, visible once you opt for the Public transit option when getting directions.
Yous tin fifty-fifty enquire Google Banana for that information, so you lot don't need to load upwards your telephone to figure out if y'all should be running to the platform or stop.
Google Maps also features a agglomeration of information nigh transit stations, such as handicap accessibility, temperature of train cars, and whether there'due south any security on site.
Program your commute
Checking your directions is just one part of planning a trip ahead of time. You too need to know what the traffic is likely to be like later you exit. So be sure to specify your divergence and arrival windows.
First, search for your intended location and hit Get directions. Once the route preview comes up, hit the iii dot carte in the top correct corner and select Set up depart or arrive time. Google will then use its vast swaths of information and knowledge of the road conditions to estimate what the road volition exist like when y'all desire to leave.
Navigation isn't ever most going from A to B. Sometimes you have to move onto betoken C and D as well. Luckily Google Maps can arrange your needs, past letting you add together up to nine extra stops to your journeying.
Load upwards your navigation preview once again and hitting the three dotted menu in the top right corner. Then select Add stop, which flashes up an extra destination bar to find where you need to go. Those extra stops tin also exist rearranged past pressing and belongings the 2 horizontal lines on the right side of each bar.
There's no need to text your friends giving them your ETA, because at that place's a ameliorate way — peculiarly if you're the one behind the wheel. Google Maps lets you share your trip progress, and so they tin check in and see where you are. That also makes it a useful security tool in certain situations.
Simply open up maps and start your navigation, then swipe up from the bottom toolbar and select Share trip progress. Selection the contact or app you want to transport your progress to and the recipient will get a link that lets them track you in existent fourth dimension. To cease sharing follow the aforementioned steps, just this time press Stop sharing. Google Maps will automatically end the sharing in one case you arrive at your destination equally well.
Download maps for offline directions
Jail cell service isn't always consistent, and that tin play havoc with your navigation if y'all haven't planned ahead. Fortunately Google has accounted for these eventualities, letting you download portions of the map for offline use.
Head into Google Maps and press your avatar on the right-manus side of the search bar to open up the carte du jour. Select Offline Maps and move the blue bar to the area y'all want to save and hit Download. Y'all can scroll the map around or zoom in and out, simply remember that the larger the area you save, the more storage space it volition take upwardly.
Discover new places and save them for later
Google Maps is as well an invaluable tool to find things in your local surface area. That'southward exceptionally useful if yous are in a strange place, or simple desire to run across what else is out there.
You tin search for what's effectually you, or you tin can use the defended hot keys Google has nether the search bar. The nigh common requests like gas stations and restaurants are front and center, but if you lot whorl all the way to the stop you can see a full listing of businesses and civilities you can track downward at the push of a push.
And if at that place are any y'all like, or want to cheque out again later, exist sure to hit the Salvage option to bookmark that location to one of the custom lists Google Maps lets y'all create and share.
Encounter where you've been
If you lot're terrible at remembering where you've been, you lot're in luck, because Google Maps volition do that for yous every bit part of the 'Your timeline' feature.
Hit your avatar in the top right, at the finish of the search bar and tap the Your Timeline choice about halfway downwardly the card. This volition tell you where yous've been throughout each day. It's all recorded automatically, just you can also add together your ain notes where necessary.
And, if you'd rather Google Maps didn't continue tabs on where y'all've been and when you were there, this feature can exist turned off in the settings carte du jour. Open the setting bill of fare and choice Personal content. From there, select Location History and make certain information technology'due south switched off. You may also desire to toggle off Timeline emails then Google doesn't fill your inbox with a list of places you lot've been.
Get indoor directions
Google Maps doesn't merely offer outdoor directions; it's available for sure indoor locations likewise — including museums and sports arenas. Some of them even support maps for different floors, and then y'all're far less likely to get lost.
The maps even highlight important indoor landmarks, like ARM machines, data desks, and bathrooms.
Book hotels, restaurant reservations, workout classes and more
You lot can observe pretty much any business within Google Maps, and you lot don't have to leave to make a booking at one. Google partnered with a bunch of 3rd-political party services such as Experia, Booking.com, and OpenTable, all to let yous identify a reservation there and and so. Just detect a business concern and load upwardly the business organization profile to become it done.
Android users using Google Pay volition also exist able to pay from Google Map, and the app itself will also add your plans to Google Calendar if yous use it.
Bank check weather and air quality
Google Maps has plenty if unlike layers for see real-time information in any given area. Two of the most useful ones comprehend atmospheric condition and air quality. That fashion you'll be able to see current and forecasted conditions for another location, every bit well equally how good the local air is at whatever given time.
Air quality is currently restricted to the U.S., Republic of india, and Australia, simply the weather layer is currently rolling out worldwide. Simply hit the push on the right side of the screen showing a square with a triangular line underneath to bring upward the menu.
Choose more eco-friendly driving options
Whether you securely care about the environment, or just want to make every ounce of gas last every bit long every bit possible, Google Maps can help y'all with more eco-friendly routes.
The thought hither is that google Maps will avoid the fastest or shortest routes, and instead ship yous downward the 1 that uses the least fuel. Because all those stop signs, traffic lights, and other obstacles all piece of work to reduce fuel economic system. Drivers in some regions will besides get alerts if they're heading to a low emission zone.
This feature is enabled by default, though users can opt out in the settings card if they prefer.
- More: Google Maps vs Apple Maps: Which mapping app is best for iPhone users?
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-to-use-google-maps
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