From a great accessibility feature, to all-new AI features,
these are the best Google Maps tips and tricks everyone should know.
Hey friends, I’m Tasia Custode, and welcome back to my YouTube Channel
where I share a somewhat concerning amount of Google content. Today,
I’m sharing the best Google Maps features for 2024. Let’s go!
All of these features work across iOS and Android so let’s kick things
off with a couple of Google Maps travel tips. First, when you’re getting ready to
head out on your road trip - change your engine type for maximum fuel efficiency.
When you input your directions on mobile, before you start your navigation, swipe up
on the card from the bottom. Here, you’ll see Google has you on the fastest route,
avoiding whatever slowdowns it can. But, underneath the traffic view,
it also shows how fuel-efficient the route is and here you can tap on ‘change vehicle settings’
to change the engine type. You can set your engine from gas to diesel, electric, or hybrid.
Google Maps will automatically create a route customized to your engine type. How neat is that?
And Google Maps tip number 2: If you have an EV,
you can now find charging stations near you at a glance.
So up at the top under your search bar, you’ve got some options you can scroll through. These
options will change based on your location or route options you have set. So, if you have
your engine type set to Electric like we went over in our last tip, you’ll have a ‘charging
stations’ option up at the top. Simply tap on that to see all the EV charging stations near
you on the map. You’ll even get details on the type of charging station it is and whether or
not it’s fast or slow. And, you may notice, you can even add your desired plug so that you can
only see charging stations that work with your EV and your plugs. How easy is that? Thanks, Google!
And while we’re deep into the trip planning phase, Google Maps tip number 3 is an accessibility
feature that can be useful for everyone. Enable wheelchair accessible mode in your trip options.
First, if you’ve entered walking directions but you can’t actually walk that distance or maybe
need to avoid stairs, tap the 3 dot menu icon in the top, then select ‘options’ then toggle
on Wheelchair Accessible mode. Your route will now take you the most accessible way possible.
Even if you don’t require wheelchair access, here’s why this is helpful to you. When you’re
traveling somewhere, let’s say Riomaggiore Italy and it’s a steep climb upwards and
you’re dragging luggage around, you may notice Google Maps provides your elevation for you. Well,
you can see without wheelchair accessible mode on, it’s about an 11 minute walk
very steeply up some steps. But if we toggle on Wheelchair accessible mode,
now it’s about a 15 minute walk, avoiding steps where possible. Super helpful indeed.
Alright, Google Maps feature number 4: download maps for offline use. Yes,
still one of my favorite all-time Google Maps features and has been for years.
There are a couple of ways to download Google Maps for offline use, but I like
to enter in the name of the city I’m going to be traveling to, then on iOS, underneath the map,
scroll left and tap ‘download offline map’. Or, on Android, after you search for your destination,
you’ll swipe up from the bottom in order to access the three dot menu icon near the top
right. Tap on that and select ‘download offline map’. Maps will tell you how much space this
will take up and you can just tap download again to be able to use this map offline.
And Google Maps tip number 5 is another favorite
travel tip of mine. You can share your location and directions. Both
are extremely handy for safety measures and traveling with friends and family.
So from the maps app, tap your profile icon in the top right, then tap location sharing.
Tap ‘share location’ and then you’ll have the option to share for a set amount of time, or
until you manually turn it off. Your location can be shared in multiple ways - like with contacts,
via a messages, emails, whatsapp and more. If you share with a friend that you’re meeting,
they’ll be able to see your location and then share theirs as well, so you both can see where
each other are on the map. Plus, whoever you’re sharing with will be able to see how
much battery you have left, which is helpful if you’re running low on juice. By the way,
you can also share your location after you’ve put in directions. You’ll tap the three dot menu icon
in the top right and tap on share your location. And because this is a two-for-one tip, this is how
to share Google Maps directions with others too. For this, you’ll tap on share directions and your
share options will appear, or you can simple copy the directions to paste where you need. Love it.
Alright if you’re finding this video valuable, please remember to give it a like and subscribe
for more content just like this. In fact, I have so many more Google Maps tips and tricks videos
all linked for you in the description below. Like, seriously, so many. But now let’s move
on to a couple of major AI features found in Google Maps. And this first one is yet another
great Google maps travel tip. Use immersive view for your routes to know before you go.
So let’s say you want to walk from this espresso shop in Seattle to the Space needle but you
want a more detailed view. Tap on the immersive view option in the bottom left of your map. You’re
instantly placed in immersive view where you can explore your route in 3d. Tap the play button to
be taken on a birds' eye view of your route so you can preview what to expect and take note of
any landmarks on the way. You can even zoom in our out as you wish. There’s also a clock icon
near the bottom right. If you tap on this, it opens the time slider where you can slide
through different times of the day and dates to see simulated weather conditions. How cool is
this? When you’re done in immersive view, you’ll simply tap the x in the top left to close out.
I think this brings up to Google Maps tip number 7
and it’s another AI goodie. Lens is now available in Google Maps. That’s right,
you can literally point your phone at something and know what it is and where you are.
Once you get somewhere, and need to orient yourself, simply tap on the camera icon in
the search bar at the top. This is Lens in Maps - which used to be called Search with
Live View - It uses AI and augmented reality to help you quickly acclimate yourself. You
lift your phone and can pan around to find information about nearby ATMs,
transit stations, restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. How cool is this?
And my last Google Maps tip is to find inspiration with photo-first search results.
This is another new AI feature that may still be rolling out to you based on your location.
Now, when you search in Google Maps for specific things, say like Cherry blossoms,
or dog-friendly hikes, you’ll notice a new ‘discover through photos’ section. Simply scroll
through the results and tap on a photo to learn more and to navigate straight there if you wish.
So remember, this is a quick highlight list of the best Google Maps features. There are a ton
of other great features you’ll want to check out in the links in the description below.
So those are my picks for the best Google Maps features 2024. Now I want to hear from you! What
are your favorite Google Maps tips and tricks? Let everyone know in the comments below. As always,
thanks so much for watching, if you liked this video, I want to know so give it a like,
a share or leave that comment below. You can click right about here to subscribe to my channel and
right here and here for more Google Maps content. Thanks for watching, and see ya next time!