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Google Maps is one of the most popular apps there is. It’s used by more than a billion people every month across Android, iOS, and the web. It’s also an app with more features and functions in it than many people realize, and I’m going to highlight some of them here.
These tricks go beyond the basics of looking up locations, getting directions, and navigating from place to place; I assume you're already quite familiar with those screens and the options that come along with them.
Instead I want to dig a little bit deeper into the features you perhaps didn't know were even in Google Maps. Plus, I can show you a few tricks for making it easier to get around the app on your phone or on the web.
Measure Direct Distances and Areas
Google Maps readily tells you the distances between two places in terms of driving or walking directions. But what about when you need a direct “as the crow flies” distance? It can be handy for everything from planning hiking routes to measuring property sizes.
Google Maps can do this too, if you open it up on the web: Right-click on a spot and choose Measure distance, then click on another location to get a measurement. To measure an area, keep clicking to add more nodes, then click the original one again to define the boundary of the area.
The Double-Tap Zoom Trick
This is one that a whole new group of users seem to discover every so often, but it's been in Google Maps for years. If you're using the app on Android or iOS, you can double-tap and hold your finger or thumb on the map, then drag down or up to zoom in or out.
It means you don't need two hands to zoom, which you do with the regular pinch-to-zoom approach—perfect for those occasions when you're gripping a subway rail, walking the dog, or carrying the groceries, and only have one hand free.
Find Unpaved Roads and Dirt Trails
It's not always clear what kind of road or path you're looking at in Google Maps, but there is help available in the form of the biking or cycling layer. This is available across all platforms, but it's of most use on the web, where it comes with a helpful key.
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Hover the cursor over the Layers panel (bottom right), then click Biking. The map will then adjust the way routes are marked for cyclists, with different types of lines for trails, dedicated bike lanes, bicycle-friendly roads, and unpaved trails.
Add Your Own Locations
There are some spots that may be personal to you—the picnic area, usual parking space, the park bench, the friend's house—that aren't publicly marked on Google Maps. If they're not marked, they're harder to get to when you're searching or navigating.
You can fix this by creating your own place: Tap and hold on a spot in the mobile app to drop a pin, then pull up the info card and choose Add label. These labels then show up in search results as flags on the map, and in your saved places.
Remember Where You Parked
There's no need to waste time hunting for your car after a long day. Google Maps can remember it for you. When you've parked up, tap on the blue dot on the map in the mobile app, then choose Save parking from the panel that pops up.
When it's time to get back, just search for "parking" in the app, to see the created label. You can also pan around the map to find the "you parked here" flag—tap on it and you can get directions right to the exact spot.
Report an Accident on the Road
Help out fellow Google Maps users by reporting accidents you come across on your travels: If you're in navigation mode in the mobile app, tap the icon on the right (a plus symbol inside a search bubble), then choose one of the options listed.
These options actually vary by country, but you should see Crash as one of them. (Roadworks, congestion, and stalled vehicles are also sometimes listed.) If Google Maps gets enough of these individual reports, a warning will appear on the map for everyone.
Answer Questions About Places
The social and community aspects of Google Maps tend to go overlooked, but you can find them via the Contribute tab in the mobile app. Tap Contribute now and you can answer some simple yes or no questions about places you've visited recently.
Maps will ask you about the place’s opening hours, whether it has valet parking, accessible entrances, and so on. Remember that one day you might be grateful that someone else made contributions like this, because they've helped you out in your own travels.
