Stop Navigation in Google Maps: Features and Itinerary to Know
Google Maps is the mapping tool par excellence. It is available by default on Android smartphones and tablets, on the web and even in the Apple App Store through an application for the iPhone and iPad (since the arrival of Apple Maps) . But do you really know all its subtleties? Here are some tips for using it better.
SWITCH GOOGLE MAPS TO DARK MODE
Dark mode is finally available in Google Maps. This mode is a kind of softer skin for the eyes and autonomy (at least on smartphones with an OLED screen). To activate it:
- Open the Google Maps app
- Click on your Google profile icon (top right next to the search bar)
- Go to Settings
- Go to Theme
- Tap Always dark theme
VIEW THE NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES / LOCATION OF VACCINATION CENTERS
Google is adding features that help fight COVID-19. This makes it very easy to find a vaccination center in Google Maps . To do this, simply search for the words COVID vaccine in the application.
Note also that the number of COVID-19 cases can now be displayed on the map . To activate the option, you have to go to the upper right corner of your smartphone screen and simply touch the “COVID-19 info” option. Also, be aware that Google is currently testing the display of population affluence in the streets. For now, this feature is only available in New York and Sidney, but the American company plans to deploy it in other cities around the world soon, including Paris.
FIND THE PRICE OF GASOLINE BASED ON GAS STATIONS
The display of fuel prices is gradually being deployed in Google Maps. All you have to do is search for the keyword “service station” to display the list of nearby stations with the price of fuel. Useful for finding the cheapest gasoline!
FIND NEARBY FAST ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS
If you’re driving an electric car and need a quick charge, just open Google Maps and search for a “charging station”. In the filters, select quick recharge. Google Maps will only show stations of 50 kW or more, or even 150 kW . You can also choose to show only stations that have your plug type . Although Type 2s are now widespread in Europe, owners of an older electric car will be happy to have this information available in Google Maps.
SEARCH WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE ROUTES
Google Maps makes it possible to find routes that are easily accessible to people in wheelchairs. The application will display on each route if there is easy access for people with reduced mobility, such as metro stations with ramps for example. Here’s how:
- Find the desired route
- Choose the option “Public transport” (icon of a tram)
- Press Options
- Tick Wheelchair accessible
- Go back
- Routes listed are wheelchair accessible
- Select the route that suits you best
CHECK THE BUSY HOURS OF A RESTAURANT, STORE OR BAR
Before going to a bar, restaurant or your favorite video game store, do you often wonder if the place is crowded? Google Maps can answer this question! To avoid queuing before entering a trendy brasserie or café, just check the busy times directly in the application. Maps will then provide you with an overview of the average attendance of a public place at the time of your choice. We explain how to do it:
- Type the name of your destination in the search bar
- Click on the place card
- Go to Busy times
- Choose a day of the week and a specific time
Note also that Google intends to soon deploy new rating options for restaurants. Users can for example mention the price of the menu, the speed of the service, if the establishment offers take-out sales or not. Available for the moment in the United States, these new options should arrive soon in other regions of the world, including France.
SHOW SPEEDOMETER IN GOOGLE MAPS
Google Maps allows you to monitor the speed at which you are driving using a speedometer. Obviously, this meter is only for car mode. We explain how to activate the Google Maps speedometer :
- Go to the menu ≡ at the top left
- Go to Settings > Navigation Settings
- Enable Speedometer in the Driving Route Options section
GOOGLE MAPS WARNS YOU WHEN YOU NEED TO GET OFF THE BUS OR TRAIN
Google Maps can warn you when you need to get off a bus or train , the option, accessible directly from your smartphone notifications, tells you a little before when you need to get off the bus or train, by depending on your destination.
For it :
- Just launch a transit route and tap Start
LISTEN TO MUSIC DIRECTLY IN GOOGLE MAPS
Google Maps allows you to play music from Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music directly in the app interface. This is particularly practical when traveling by car: you no longer need to switch from one application to another.
We explain how to activate the audio player:
- Launch a driving route by pressing Start
- Go to Settings (at the bottom of the interface)
- Go to Audio Playback Controls
- Choose your music streaming service
- An audio player now appears just below your route information
DISCOVER THE LOCATION OF THE SELF-SERVICE BIKE STATIONS
Google Maps shows nearby self-service bike stations in 24 cities , including Lyon and Brussels. The application also indicates in real time how many bikes are still free in each station.
To see the bikes on the map, you just need to be located in an eligible city.
SHARE YOUR LOCATION WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Sharing your location, admit that it is still very practical when your friends have to join you. You send them the GPS data by messages and then they just have to use Google Maps to find out which route to take to reach you. In the process, Google Maps also provides in real time the percentage of battery remaining on your smartphone .
Here’s how:
- Open the Google Maps app
- Go to the side menu
- Select Location Sharing
- Click on Start
- Select the duration for which you want to share your location
- Then choose the person with whom you want to share your location
- Click Share
- The battery indicator will be displayed in your contact at the same time as your position
DOWNLOAD MAPS FOR OFFLINE VIEWING
Google Maps integrates offline navigation , so it is possible to download areas and then consult them later. Very practical when the mobile network runs out!
To do this, all you need to do is:
- Open Google Maps side menu
- Tap the Offline Maps option
- Tap Select your own plan
- Drag the screen frame over the area you want to download
- Tap the Download button at the bottom right
Google Maps turns your Android smartphone into a real car GPS. Simply select a route and you are then guided by voice with a map and a marker that follows your route. It is extremely practical for motorists. Here’s how:
- Click on the microphone at the top right then enter an address by voice
- Click on the button at the bottom right to select your route. Check that the car is selected as the mode of transport if it is a car trip.
- Click on the arrow at the bottom right to start navigation
- Let yourself be guided
- Note that if the car is already selected as the mode of transport, all you have to do is make a long press on the icon representing the mode of transport to directly access the navigation.
To discover : What is SQM Club and How It Works ?
When you’re driving, it will be particularly interesting to be able to launch Google Maps without touching your phone so that you can then navigate hands-free. And it is quite possible, it is enough that your smartphone allows to activate the voice command from all the screens. If it’s a recent smartphone, there should be no problem. Here’s how:
Activate OK Google from the lock screen
- Launch the Google app
- Click the More button at the bottom right
- Select the Settings option then Voice
- Check the boxes From any screen and Personal results
Once the “OK Google” function is activated , you will be able to launch Google Maps without touching your phone, even if it is locked. All you have to do is say the following voice command:
The application then opens on your smartphone. Unfortunately, the voice command of the service still has its limits and once on Maps, it will be necessary to press the microphone icon to be able to state a place or an address vocally. Similarly, if you say the phrase “take me to this address” from the OK Google voice command, you will still have to click on the “Start” button from the search results to start navigation.
EXPLORING THE SURROUNDINGS OF A PLACE
When you are on vacation or traveling in a city that you do not know, it is possible to obtain the list of strategic places around the one in which you are, such as restaurants, shops or even cinemas. To do this, all you need to do is:
- Click in the search bar to open the menu
- Select Explore Nearby option
- Below you will also find a list of strategic locations
In addition, a new update to the application takes advantage of the augmented reality capabilities of the most recent smartphones . The Search with Live View function allows you to explore the surroundings through the lens of the smartphone’s camera . All you need to do is have an ARCore or ARKit compatible smartphone, and press the Camera button in the application.
KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST TOURISTIC DISTRICT NEAR YOU
Google Maps allows you to direct you to the most touristic district of the surroundings : the application offers a short description of the districts which surround you when you are in town. To have access to these few tourist tips, all you have to do is:
- Go to the Discover menu
- Click on the small gray arrow to the right of the zone name
KNOW THE LOW CARBON EMISSION ZONES AND THEIR PARTICULARITIES
Since 2020, some French cities, including Greater Paris, have become low carbon emission zones . Three were created in 2020 (Paris, Lyon and Grenoble) and seven others (Aix-Marseille, Nice, Toulon, Toulouse, Montpellier, Strasbourg and Rouen) should join them before the end of 2021. This means that certain vehicles can no longer drive there on certain days or certain hours.
An update of Google Maps, pushed in July 2021, allows to take into account the zones with low carbon emissions in the calculation of a route . When a route crosses one of these areas, the route preview alerts the user and displays the area. Its alerts are contextual . They take into account the nature of the area (authorized Crit’Air sticker numbers, day and time of restricted traffic) and the model of the driver’s vehicle (if the user has provided the information).
In case of restriction, if the route crosses the zone, but does not end there, the application can propose an alternative route. If the journey is entirely in the area or if its destination is located there, Google Maps is now able to offer an alternative to the car (public transport, VTC, urban mobility solution). In July 2021, only the Paris area was supported in France (and four others in Europe).
SAVE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES
Imagine, for example, that you are going to a place that you would like to return to, but that you are not sure of finding the address. To do this, simply save it within the application by proceeding as follows:
- Click on the address below
- Click on the “Save” star
- Once the location is saved, the blue star will turn yellow and the app tells you that the location has been saved to your addresses
GIVE CUSTOM NAMES TO YOUR FAVORITE PLACES
Your home and your workplace are the two most important places to enter in the application, but they are not the only ones. Luckily, it’s totally possible to customize other places you go to regularly, like your hairdresser or your friends’ addresses. To do this, all you need to do is:
- Enter an address in the app’s search bar or pin a location using the blue dot
- Touch the address
- Click on the “Three dots” button at the top right to open the settings
- Select “Add a label” and enter the name of your choice
NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU PARKED YOUR CAR
Do you tend to forget where you parked your car, especially when traveling to an unfamiliar city? Google Maps can save the exact location where you left your vehicle. For that, you just need to:
- park your car somewhere
- Click on the blue dot that represents your location on the map
- Choose Set as parking location
- A message You are parked near here is then displayed at this location
- You can clear the location by simply clicking on it
ACCESS YOUR LOCATION HISTORY
It’s a fact, Google Maps memorizes all the places you go to and all your journeys. It’s handy for those who have no memory, but do you know how to access location history ? It’s pretty easy, just follow these steps:
- Open the right menu
- Click on “Your journeys”
- You have access to all your history, the places, the photos you have taken and even the mode of transport (on foot, by car, public transport)
ACCESS STREET VIEW VIA SMARTPHONE
Google Street View allows you to view places as if you were there and this option is also available on mobile. However to access it, it is not quite the same as on PC. Here’s how:
- Enter an address in the search bar
- Place your finger on the address at the bottom of the screen and swipe up
- Click on Street View
PLACE A MARKER ON THE MAP
If you were to visit a place that is not referenced on the application, the trick that allows you to place a marker will be very useful to you to be able to find it later. To do this, simply make a long press on the area for which you want to add a marker. You can then add a label as explained in the paragraph.
HOW TO ADD STEPS TO YOUR ROUTE ON GOOGLE MAPS
You can add steps to your route on Google Maps, which is very practical when going on vacation. So when you leave you can define stops in places you want to visit for example. The advantage is that suddenly Maps will estimate the time of arrival at the end point by counting the detours. Now let’s see how
- Open Maps and set your initial route
- Press the 3 small dots at the top right and add a step
- Add your step, you can add as many as you want
You can also rearrange the steps as you wish. Also note that adding waypoints to your route works equally well whether you’re on foot, by car, by bike, or by public transit. Then just let yourself be guided as you are used to doing with the application.
Google Maps has an augmented reality exit navigation mode . Thanks to artificial intelligence, the application adds elements intended to guide you on the view from the main photo sensor. To do this, all you need is an ARCore and ARKit compatible smartphone. Many models that are at least Android 7.0 Nougat support these technologies, but others require the presence of Android 8.0 Oreo. Attention, the mode is still being deployed. We explain how to launch the mode:
- Launch a route on Google Maps
- Select Show route
Here, with all these tips you are sure to lose yourself with Google Maps and above all you are ready for your future holidays and weekends! If you know of other tips, don’t hesitate to give them to us in the comments, we will be happy to add them to this guide.
GOOGLE MAPS CAN SAVE YOUR HOME AND WORKPLACE
Why register your home and workplace? Quite simply because it is the basis for then being able to find strategic places near your home or your office, such as restaurants or shops. For this, here is the manipulation to do:
- Swipe from left to right to bring up the menu
- Select the Your addresses option
- Touch Home to enter your address then Work to enter your work address
