How to use Google Maps better and efficiently on Mobile

Maps have perhaps become an essential part of our everyday life. From understanding a new city, getting to a meeting quickly, planning a vacation  to getting recommendations for local businesses, Google Maps can help.

How to use Google maps effectively?

Here are some quick tips and shortcuts to help you learn how to use Google Maps more efficiently on your mobile:

●  Voice guided turn-by-turn navigation: Let Google Maps for mobile help you get there more easily by getting voice-guided assistance. Simply search for your destination, and then tap on the blue car icon that appears to the right of the place’s name. 

   Once you enter the Directions menu, select which route option you prefer and tap on the blue “Start navigation” option to get voice-guided turn-by-turn directions to where you need to go. Users also have the option to change the endpoint or start point and then start the navigation.

○ Hindi navigation support has been added for turn-by-turn voice navigation in Hindi.

○  To use the feature and hear voice-guided instructions in Hindi, you will need to select Hindi as the default language from Settings -> Language and Input.

● Save and view offline maps: Next time if you don’t have an data connection, you can view a map even when you aren't connected to the Internet. In places where offline maps are available on the Google Maps for Mobile app, you can select and download a specific area on the map. Here are some quick tips for using maps offline:

○  Move the map to the area you’d like to save

○  Touch inside the search box at the top of the map, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Just touch ‘save map’ to use it offline

○  You can also search for a city such as “Gurgaon” and scroll down and use “save maps to use it offline”.

● Explore local businesses: If you want to find recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and things to do, just touch inside the search box and then explore. You can browse by choosing a category like – drink, eat, play etc. and maps will throw all suggestions basis the search. Once you select the place, just swipe upwards to see the full details. The search results will also mention the distance of these restaurants / hotels from your current location.

●  Quick search for the type of place or business: If you are looking for a place for a place/local business, just type in the word in maps – for example: ‘Pizza’ and at the bottom of the maps, swipe left and right to see more places. Once you have found the place, swipe the info sheet up to find more information about the place.

●  See a list instead of a map: Rather than a mass of dots scattered across the map, it is easier to see a list of near-by places. To see a list of your search results, type a search, tap on the list view icon on the right hand side of the bar and you will get a list of places you looking for

●  Save your favorite places:  Save home and work addresses to get directions faster when you’re on the go! For saving home or work locations go to Google maps settings and then touch on “Edit home or work”. The next time you use maps, you can directly type “home” or “work” and maps will automatically pick up the address.

●   Transit layer on maps

○    Select the bus icon on the top of directions To and From places.

○    If you wish to explore the transit lines available in the city you   can just click on the "Public Transit" on the left panel of your GMM.

■      Types of transit

● click on "Options" below the To and From places and select your preferences.

●  Transit lines

●  By default, all transit lines are shown for a particular area. Zoom in to see the stops for a certain line.  select the Public transit layer and then click on any particular station and swipe up to see the buses / metro available from that station.

●  Station pages

●  Clicking on a stop or station (indicated by a blue square) will also bring up the station page. This page provides information on which lines stop at that station and when the next transportation will arrive. You can also get directions to that station, see or view nearby stations.

■      Walking directions

●  Google Maps not only lets you gets driving directions, you can also get walking or public transit directions.

● To get walking directions, enter your to and from destinations as usual. On of on top of “to and fro places” Google Maps, you will see the three options highlighted “Driving, Transit and Walking” in that order. This is where you can indicate that you're walking.

● Not all locations have all options, but the three choices for transportation in Google Maps are by car (the default), by public transit, or by walking. If you select public transit, Google gives you walking directions to and from the bus or train stops required to get to your destination.

■      Click to call button directly from maps

●  Search for a business, like a home delivery Dominos Pizza on Google Maps, and click the 'call' link next to its phone number. From a phone, it will directly connect you the pizza store.

■       Share location / places with your friends

●   Open the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet.

●   Search for a place. Or find a place on the map then touch and hold to drop a pin.

●   From the bottom, touch the place’s description to see more details.

●  Touch the Share button, and select the app you want to share this location through (whether you want to email, watsapp, post to facebook etc.)

■      Add Reviews to maps

●  To add reviews, you need to have a Google+ profile and be signed in.  Because your reviews are publicly shared on Google products, others may use them as recommendations. 

●   Review & rate a place

●   Open the Google Maps

○   Touch or search for a place.

○  Touch the name of the place from the bottom to see more details

○   Under “Rate and review”, touch the stars to score a place and write a review.