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Google Maps is the most popular navigation app in the world, but most users have never looked under the hood to unlock the app’s hidden capabilities.
For example, you can share your location with friends, determine where you parked your car (and how long the meter is left on the meter), and get a beautiful augmented reality view where you see directions over camera images.
You can even see where your kids are 24 hours a day in the Android app (with a little help from Google’s Family Link service).
Google Maps first launched for desktop only in 2005 and is now used by more than a billion people every month. It was downloaded 24.7 million times in the US in 2022, making it by far the most popular navigation app.
Here are some of the coolest tips and tricks to get the most out of the application:
There are many cool hidden features in Google Maps
Turn your camera into an augmented reality map
If you live in certain cities, including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, or London, you can see an augmented reality view of map information superimposed on your camera.
If you are lost, this makes it much easier to determine which way to go.
To activate it, open Maps, then tap the camera icon: hey presto, you’ll see navigation superimposed on your camera’s view.
Share your location and ETA
If you meet someone in a park or an unfamiliar place, this trick is a godsend.
Just tap the little blue icon on the map that shows your location, then select “Share your location.”
You will then get an option to share it directly with contacts or share it with apps.
You can share your location with friends (Photo Rob Waugh)
You can choose to set a timer or leave shared location on until you turn it off.
If you’re navigating somewhere, you can also share your estimated time of arrival and where you are: just tap the area on the screen that shows how long it will take you to arrive, then select “Share Trip Progress.”
Remember where you parked the car
You can save where you parked your car (and even save a reminder of how much time you have left on the clock).
To do this, tap the blue icon on the map that indicates where you are and select ‘Save parking’.
Tap again and you can choose to save your notes on the parking spot and the remaining time on the meter.
Keep track of your kids 24/7
If you’re using the Family Link app (you’ll need to install it on both your child’s phone and your own phone, and you’ll also need to both have Google accounts), you can see where your kids are on Google Maps (they appear as a gray dot).
It works in both Android and iPhones.
To activate it, open the Family Link app, tap “Location” and “Set Location.”
Open the Family Link app. Tap Location. At the top right, tap More More, then tap Location settings.
Select the See your child’s location option and turn it on. Your child will now appear as a gray dot in Google Maps.
Take a trip down memory lane!
If you want to keep track of exactly where you’ve been, you can visit the Google Maps timeline. This can be useful (for example) if you want to know exactly when you arrived somewhere.
It’s also a handy way to keep track of how long you’ve been jogging or how many miles you’ve run.
This feature only works if you have Timeline turned on (and if you’re concerned about privacy, you can turn it off at any time).
To see your timeline, select your account icon in the top right corner and select Your timeline. You will then be able to go through day by day.
Store data while abroad or off-grid
You can save data by downloading maps (Photo Rob Waugh)
If you know you’ll be going somewhere where you have to pay for data – or somewhere where cell phone coverage is poor – you can pre-download the maps you need.
To do this, tap your icon in the top right corner and choose ‘Select your own card’.
You can then drag or zoom to adjust the area you want to download.
Add additional destinations to your trip
You can add stops when you start Google Maps navigation (Photo Rob Waugh)
If you’re taking a road trip, you can add multiple destinations from the start instead of making a series of smaller trips.
In Google Maps, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner after entering your start point and end point in the navigation.
This offers the possibility to ‘add a stopover’.
Navigate within buildings
Many large buildings, such as airports and shopping malls, are navigable: just tap the location and browse to Directory.
You can also get augmented reality views in many US malls, including in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose.