Google Maps: 4 useful tips and tricks for travelers
While traveling, you should take advantage of many of the resources provided by Google Maps. These Google Maps tips and tricks will help you make your travel plans simpler if you plan to schedule a vacation soon.
Book restaurant from Google Maps
Having a night out for dinner with a big party can be difficult, especially if you go during a busy time. You can make a reservation for dinner or lunch using Google Maps. How? Read on.
- To view a list of restaurants, hit the Restaurants option in Maps at the top of the map.
- Pick a restaurant that seems decent, and if it has the option, book a table or sign up for a waitlist in the window that appears.
Keep in mind that even if a restaurant isn’t open for dine-in, it can still provide delivery, curbside pickup, or outdoor sitting.
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Use Google Maps offline
Are you traveling to a rural area where a mobile network connection might not be available? When you’re offline, Google Maps can still provide instructions for you.
- Look up the address where you need directions in Maps before you go.
- Open the menu at the bottom of the location’s window.
- Select Download from the tabs on the right, then select it once more in the following box. Your phone will receive a map of the location you chose from Maps.
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Now, when you use Google Maps to get directions in the area for which you downloaded a map, it will change to the offline map to lead you if your cellular connection has been lost. Keep in mind that since you’re offline, Maps cannot provide real-time traffic information.
Find a gas station or EV charging point
Google Maps can help you locate EV charging stations along your journey and provide you with an anticipated wait time for a charging port whether you’re driving your electric vehicle for errands like shopping, dining, or on vacation.
To view only the stations that work with your EV, you may also filter your search by connector types, such as J1772, CCS, and Tesla. Notably, you may use the same methods to look for petrol stations.
- In Maps, select More by navigating through the tabs at the top of the screen
- Select Electric car charging in the Services section by scrolling down
- Nearby charging stations and their availability are shown on maps
- To have Maps add a charging station as a stop on your travel, tap it on the map.
This method can also be used to look for other locations along your path, such as a coffee shop.
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Share your location
Is there anything more annoying during a group activity than when everyone gets separated and can’t be found? You could all reunite using Google Maps.
- In Google Maps, select Location sharing by tapping your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Select whom you wish to share your location with and how long you want to share it by tapping Share location.
- Select Share, and Google Maps will notify others you’ve chosen of your location.
- Hit the icon for the person whose location you wish to see at the top of the display, then tap Request.
These were the 4 Google Maps tips and Tricks that anyone can use while traveling. For more Google tips and tricks for travelers, you can (click here).
Image: CNET
Google Maps is rolling out a fresh redesign for its location pins with a new update. The pins are now getting a new shape and updated colors to enhance user experience.
Recently, Google simplified the Maps app’s bottom bar to provide a more cohesive and modern look. Now, the company is making the Maps more appealing with redesigned pins. The revamped pins update is currently being rolled out server-side across Google Maps for Android, iOS, and the web.
The old pointed bottom pin shape has been replaced with a shorter, rounded, and modern design. This new pin features a white background and includes an inner circle that displays the category icon, such as stars, flags, or hearts. This new design provides a cleaner and more unified look.
While most pins retain their original functionality, some have undergone color adjustments. For example, the pin for museums has shifted from teal to purple. Other subtle color changes include a lighter shade for zoo pins and corresponding text. These changes show Google’s effort to enhance the visual clarity and overall appearance of the map.
The new pin design is slightly less prominent than the previous version, which may allow more points of interest to be displayed on the map simultaneously. This design choice also follows last year’s rollout of new colors for the main map. Users can expect to see these changes reflected in their map views, enhancing the overall navigation experience.
Google Maps for Android brings simplified bottom bar interface
Google has revamped the user interface for Google Assistant on Android Auto, which brings noticeable changes in its design during voice interaction. After this update, the new look of Google Assistant is quite similar to Apple’s Siri interface on CarPlay.
This new UI appears different from the existing bottom bar for initial commands and is specifically used when Google Assistant is waiting for user input or processing a response.
If you ask Google Assistant to find a nearby post office, the new UI pops up when it asks which location you want to go to. This interface responds in real-time as the Assistant speaks and while you’re replying, disappearing once the request is completed. The new UI changes resemble how Siri is displayed on CarPlay.
The revamped UI offers a fresh and more engaging look for voice interactions on Android Auto. It is currently available on Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone with Android Auto version 12.5. The update is rolling out gradually so it will appear on your device in the coming days.
Aside from this, Google is also offering offline maps feature to Wear OS. The feature is currently spotted on the Pixel series but will expand to more Wear OS devices soon. It allows you to use Google Maps even when you don’t have internet access.
Google has rolled out a new update for its Google Drive app, which brings a JPEG file format for scanned documents. Previously, users could only save their scans as PDFs but they can now enjoy JPEG format too.
With the updated version 2.24.x, Google Drive allows users to save scanned documents as JPEG files for Android devices. Users can select JPEG from the “Save to Drive” screen after taking and editing a photo.
The new option provides more flexibility in how users manage their scanned documents. Notably, The JPEG file format is highly convenient because it is universally supported and can be easily opened with standard applications on any device. This widespread compatibility makes JPEG a popular choice for images and photos.
The feature is being rolled out to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and personal Google account holders. However, it is not yet available for Google Drive on iOS devices.
Aside from this, Google Sheets has also added a new “Convert to table” suggestion feature, which is powered by Gemini AI. This feature helps users convert their data into well-formatted tables with enhanced data types. Users can preview the table format before making the conversion.
These new features make it easier for users to manage and organize their documents and data. You can check and install the update through the Google Play Store.
Wear OS 5.1 could be based on Android 15, testing already in progress