Google Maps is so ubiquitous that you probably don't even worry most finding directions anymore. All you need is an accost to get yourself anywhere in the globe.

But equally Google Maps has grown over the years, so have its features. In that location are some tricks hiding under the surface that'll change the way you navigate.

Let's look at both bones and advanced tricks to getting more from Google Maps navigation with your Android phone. Many of these piece of work on iPhone, also.

Basic Google Maps Tips and Tricks for Android

We brainstorm with some basic tips yous might not be familiar with if y'all're new to Google Maps. They're piece of cake to integrate into your regular utilize.

ane. See Your Speed, Speed Limits, and Speed Traps

Google Maps has a handful of features to assist you avoid getting pulled over for speeding. While in navigation mode, the app will tell you both your vehicle's speed and the route's speed limit. All you demand to practice is begin driving and Google Maps will add footling information bubbles on the left side to keep you informed.

Plus, in select areas, Google Maps tin warn you about speed traps and cameras reported by other users. When you lot're browsing directions, you should see icons that indicate a speed trap. The feature works verbally likewise. So when you're closing in on a trap, the app will warn you.

These tools are enabled past default. Simply if you don't meet them, try manually turning them on from Settings > Navigation Settings > Driving options.

two. Add together a Pit Stop and Cheque Gas Prices

Once you've started navigating somewhere, y'all tin tap the Search button (the magnifying glass) to look for some other location and add information technology as a pit finish. Or if yous know y'all'll need to stop somewhere in the heart of your trip earlier y'all leave, tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right and choose Add stop.

Even more useful, if you search for gas stations, it'll show you the gas prices at dissimilar locations then that y'all tin can save a few bucks on your side by side make full-upward.

three. Plan Trips Alee of Time

Ever wondered how quick public transportation will be at a sure time in the future when planning out a journey? Google Maps can tell you.

Start by pulling upwards directions from one location to another equally normal. Tap on the public transportation tab (which looks like a double-decker), so hit the Depart At button. Information technology volition automatically jump to the electric current fourth dimension, simply you tin can alter it to another fourth dimension, fix Make it Past, or fifty-fifty cull to take the last bachelor transit.

These estimates are usually pretty close, since public transportation runs on a schedule. Unfortunately, for estimating car trips ahead of fourth dimension, you'll nonetheless need to use Google Maps on the spider web.

iv. Plan Trips and Manage Your Favorite Locations With Lists

Google Maps offers groovy options for bookmarking locations. This is cheers to the lists feature, which gives you the option to favorite places and separate all of them into different groups. So for instance, you can build one for all the restaurants you'd similar to try, and another for a trip you programme to have soon.

There are two methods to build a listing. You can either go to Left Navigation Drawer > Your Places, or tap the Save button in a particular location's data card.

In addition, Google Maps has a dedicated tool for collaborating on lists with your friends called Shortlists. To start a new one, simply share a place with another Google Maps user.

The Shortlists interface will appear as a floating icon, and y'all can tap it to view the list or include more before sharing. Members can share their thoughts on a location by hitting the upvote or downvote icons, and so preview all of them on the map by tapping the little map icon situated at the elevation.

5. Send Directions to Your Telephone

Send directions to phone on Google Maps

Always look up directions using Google Maps on your computer, only to realize that y'all actually need them on your phone to navigate?

If you're signed in to the same Google account on both your computer and phone, yous tin just choose Send directions to your phone. You lot'll become a notification that takes you correct to navigation in Google Maps on your device.

Navigate inside malls on Google Maps

Google Maps isn't only for roads; in fact, information technology works for some malls. If you're near a major mall, zoom in to encounter the layout of that mall. You can discover specifics stores, locate the restrooms, and even navigate through separate floors.

7. See Where You lot've Been

See where you've been on Google Maps

Want to pace into the by? Open the 3-bar Menu in the upper-left of the screen and choose Your timeline. Here, you lot can navigate to any day in the by and see exactly where you lot went.

If you find this too creepy, you can ever delete your Maps location history (or disable the feature entirely). Y'all tin can as well add notes to certain days to remember what you did.

This isn't perfect, though. Mine seems to retrieve I went biking to the grocery shop a few days agone, fifty-fifty though I don't own a bicycle.

8. Double-Tap to Zoom

This is a uncomplicated one, only it's a game-changer for one-handed usage. Side by side time you want to zoom in, simply double-tap the screen rapidly. Concord your finger on the screen after the second tap, and so elevate it down. To zoom out, exercise the same procedure, but drag upward.

If you've ever fumbled with your phone attempting to practise a one-handed pinch-to-zoom, this should assist you in the future.

9. Control Your Music Without Leaving Google Maps

Switching apps or pulling downwards the notification shade to control music playback while driving can be risky. Luckily, Google Maps lets you access your music within its app. You tin can view your queue and play/suspension music from Apple Music, Google Play Music, or Spotify right in Google Maps.

To enable this function, head over to Settings > Navigation Settings and switch on Show Media Playback Controls. Now on an active navigation screen, y'all will have a music icon. Tap it to reveal the controls and hit Scan in the prompt to view tracks from your library.

x. Follow Walking Directions in Augmented Reality

Google's walking directions can oftentimes make you scratch your caput when y'all're trying to figure out which of the many turns you need to take. A better and more than natural alternative is Google Maps' Augmented Reality mode.

The feature superimposes the next instruction onto the real globe so that yous know exactly where to go. To apply it, tap the Commencement AR push button when you're viewing walking directions.

11. Receive Your Commute's Traffic Info Before You Leave

Google Maps tin can also continue you informed nigh your daily commute's traffic conditions before you demand to leave. On height of that, it tin can even read your calendar and adjust the notifications based on, for instance, a meeting yous've scheduled.

Before you can take advantage of these features, y'all need to define your commute times and locations. You volition find those options under Settings > Commute Settings. Once you've configured the prerequisites, head over to Settings > Notifications > Commute.

Advanced Google Maps for Android Tricks

Want to dive deeper? Check out some of these more advanced tricks you tin attempt in Google Maps.

Pair them with other lesser-known features in Google Maps for Android and the app will become more useful than you lot ever thought possible.

12. Employ Voice Control With Saved Places

One of the benefits of applying labels to your frequently visited locations is that information technology makes voice-controlled navigation much easier.

On Android, Google Maps supports powerful Google Assistant voice commands. You can ask Assistant to navigate to any place past speaking commands like "Navigate to the nearest coffee store." If yous have ready up your Work and Home locations, yous tin can also say more than natural phrases such as "Take me to work."

What'southward more, the Google Maps app comes built-in with Google Assistant. Then even if you're on iOS, you can talk to the Google Assistant during an active navigation. Invoke it with the "Hey, Google" or "OK, Google" launch phrases.

xiii. Save Faster Routes Google Doesn't Know

Through the experience of living in a specific area, you may already know that around a specific time every twenty-four hours the traffic backs up at a particular stoplight. Because of this, you avoid taking a certain primary route to work when traffic is bad.

Nonetheless, when Google Maps creates a route for you, it normally tries to stick to primary roads or highways. It will revert to smaller roads to featherbed a highway with high rush hr traffic, but it'll rarely take you across neighborhoods or smaller roads.

Unfortunately, there'southward no mode to plot out your own routes on your phone, merely there's a workaround. Using Google Maps on your PC, you can programme out your unabridged road by adding in several destinations, one after the other. Make each destination another turn in your entire route.

Google Maps Alternate Route Workaround

Once you're washed creating your turn-by-turn route, but click on Ship directions to your phone at the bottom of the route, every bit mentioned earlier.

Google Maps Send Route to Phone

This will send a link to your route which you can relieve to a note-taking app. So the route volition always exist available on your telephone with a unmarried tap. Hit it volition open Google Maps with the entire route set to navigate.

14. Salve Places to Your Agenda

When you accept a trip or event to get to, yous definitely don't want to waste product fourth dimension sitting in your driveway trying to discover the correct address.

To salve time, when y'all're planning for an event, open up Google Maps on your telephone and pull upward the event's accost. This is most user-friendly when you first get an invite from a friend or you're buying tickets and already on the website that has the address. Once the map is up:

  1. Tap the iii-dot carte du jour in the upper-right corner, so select Share directions from the bill of fare.
  2. This will remember a list of apps; select Copy to clipboard.
  3. Open Agenda, create an consequence on the twenty-four hour period you're going, and paste the share link into the Add location field inside Google Calendar.
  4. This will embed the entire set of directions in text format, plough-by-turn. Information technology also includes a link to open the route direct in Google Maps.

Now, when it's time to leave for the event, all you lot demand to do is open your calendar reminder, select the route link in the location field, and you're on your way.

It'due south one of the many ways in which Google Maps integrates with other Google tools.

15. Add together Reviews and Photos to Visited Locations

If you like contributing to the experience other people volition have at restaurants and other businesses you've visited, Google Maps makes this like shooting fish in a barrel. All you have to do is visit Your contributions in the Google Maps card.

Equally mentioned previously, Google keeps an entire timeline of the locations you've visited. So in this section, Google provides a convenient folio you can roll through and quickly rate the businesses you lot've been to. This is much more convenient than trying to search for the business to provide a review.

In addition to leaving reviews, the Photos section gives you the opportunity to add your photos to Maps. These come up from your Google Photos account (synced with your telephone), with the location identified based on where y'all were when you took the photos. In this section, you tin can select them and tap the Postal service push button to publicly add them to Google Maps for the world to run into.

xvi. Let Your Family unit Track Your Travels

Ane of the hardest parts of traveling, whether you're on a higher road trip or traveling for business organization, is being abroad from the ones you love. Simply cheers to Google Maps location sharing, you tin allow your family and friends go on tabs on where you lot are during your entire trip.

To enable this:

  1. Open the Google Maps menu and select Location sharing.
  2. Choose Get Started.
  3. Pick whether you want to share for a set amount of time, or indefinitely until you turn location sharing off.
  4. Select people from your contacts whom you desire to share your location with, or re-create the link to your clipboard. You can also select whatsoever app, similar Twitter or Facebook, to share the link publicly.

You'll discover a lot of fun uses for this characteristic. It's perfect if you're a traveling writer and want to let your fans follow your path in real-time. It'south also smashing if you lot want your family to always experience like they're only a click away from you while you're traveling.

17. Download Maps to Navigate Offline

Hitting a "dead spot" without cellular service is miserable when you lot're using Google Maps. This is mutual when traveling in remote locations, similar when you're on a camping trip.

The solution to this is downloading an offline map of the area before you head there. You can do this on your phone by following these steps:

  1. When you're on Wi-Fi, open the map of the location you're going to visit.
  2. From the Google Maps card, select Offline maps.
  3. Choose Select Your Ain Map.
  4. Drag the resulting map to show the area yous want to save, and then hit the Download button.
  5. Rename the map and then it's easy to find in the list.

At present when yous're on your trip and visit the surface area, you can use Google Maps without any cellular data service. Proceed in mind that the downloaded map will crave at least 10MB of infinite on your phone, and larger areas tin crave much more than this.

What'southward Your Favorite Google Maps Play a trick on?

These are some of our favorite tricks, but even this isn't an exhaustive list. Google regularly adds more slap-up features to Maps.

If you often travel internationally too, have a look at the best apps to download for trips to other countries.

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