Google Maps tips and tricks

Where would we be without Google Maps? Well, we’d probably be here, but it might have taken us a bit longer to find it. Google’s mapping service is just ten years old, but it’s transformed the way we travel - and with a few top tips, you can get even more from your maps. Here are our favorite Google Maps tips and tricks.

Choose your transport

Google Maps has four different modes of transport, which you can access by tapping the icon at the bottom right of the screen. Its image depends on what’s currently selected: if it’s set to driving you’ll see an icon of a car, if it’s public transport you’ll see a train, if it’s walking you’ll see a person and if it’s cycling you’ll see a cyclist. Once you’ve tapped the icon you can change the mode by tapping the appropriate icon at the top of the screen.

Avoid annoyances

In the same screen, tapping Options enables you to set additional criteria such as avoiding toll roads, your preferred kind of public transport and whether you’re okay with lots of different bus or train transfers.

Check public transit schedules

Another favorite feature: if you’re travelling by public transit, Maps shows you arrival and departure times for the various forms of transport available.

Plan ahead

If you’re going to be away from a data signal - or roaming in a country where accessing it costs a fortune - you can save your maps for offline use. When you search for a particular location, click on the appropriate search result and then click on the icon with three vertical dots. You’ll now see the option to Save Offline Map. The same trick can also help boost your battery by enabling you to turn off the cellular radio without disabling navigation.

Share a location

Sharing a location works in the same way as saving an offline map, but instead of that option you tap Share instead. That brings up the Share screen, enabling you to share via Bluetooth, by email, to Google Drive…

See it in Street View

Street View hasn’t disappeared in the Google Maps app: it’s just moved a bit. To see the Street View, search for a location, click on the appropriate search result and then scroll down. You should now see two images, with Street View on the left. Tap that to enter Street View, and double-tap to bring up the menu and get back out again

Use gestures

You already know that you can zoom in and out of maps by pinching and zooming, but you can also do it with a single digit - which is handy if you’re holding onto a handlebar with your other hand or just can’t be bothered using both hands. Double-tap the screen but don’t lift off your finger or thumb after the second tap. Slide up to zoom out and slide down to zoom in.
You can also tilt the map by sliding with two fingers - up for more tilt, down for less - and rotate the map by turning two fingers in a circular motion. In many urban areas the flat map will become a 3D model when you tilt it.

See it in Google Earth

Tap on the Menu button and select Google Earth to see the world in glorious 3D. As with Maps, you can navigate by swiping, pinching and double-tapping.

Know which routes to avoid

One of our very favorite things in the Google Maps app is the way it can give us live traffic information. Colour coding makes everything crystal clear with green for normal traffic, yellow when things are slowing and red when you really need to go a different way or allow extra time. If it isn’t displaying go to Menu > Traffic.

Save important addresses

In the app tap on Menu > Your Places > Enter Home or Work Address to store the places you live and work. This speeds up the process of getting directions, and it also helps feed the inquiring mind of Google Now and its transport cards.