8 essential Google Maps features to help you during the holidays
viii essential Google Maps features to aid you during the holidays
Holidays are coming, and with it comes all the hustle and bustle of making sure everything is sorted for whatever festive plans y'all may have. Fortunately Google Maps has some new features to help you out.
Whether you're going to be traveling for the holidays, or have plenty to keep you occupied closer to habitation, here are eight Google Maps features that tin can assistance you maintain your sanity.
Keep away from crowds
Google Maps' Busyness tool is a fantastic way to keep abroad from the crowds, and has recently been updated to include larger areas instead of private buildings or locations. That fashion you can do your all-time to avoid the spots admittedly teeming with people you're better off avoiding.
The all-time function is this feature now appears automatically on the app, then you don't demand to become searching for information technology. Still it'due south always a adept thought to check businesses and stores ahead of time, which you can do by tapping on the map and loading up the business concern profile.
Curl downwards the profile by the reviews and photos to see a graph of how busy the place gets at specific times — including a real time view of how busy that spot is right at present.
Curbside pickup support
Sadly information technology's not always easy to stock up on certain groceries, and the supermarkets are going to be packed in the run-upward to Christmas. Give thanks goodness for curbside pickup, right? While hardly exclusive to Google Maps, Google does have a number of features (and partnerships) that will make picking upward groceries much easier over the holidays.
Provided you shop at partnered stores, Google Maps will at present let y'all place and track grocery orders from inside Google Maps; ameliorate still, the app volition send your ETA to the store so that it can be ready when you arrive. That way there's no unnecessary waiting around, and no contesting the crowds to get the last frozen ham.
Currently this feature is only available for Kroger-family stores at the moment, including Kroger, Fry's, Ralphs and Marianos. But that doesn't brand information technology any less useful, and we expect other grocery chains will get on board in the near future.
Navigating inside is hard at the best of times, especially with those terrible directory maps. And then getting around during the holidays? Sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. Fortunately Google has enough of options to aid you out.
Not only does Google Maps offer indoor directions for large and people-heavy locations like malls and airports, the app as well expanded its Directory tab recently. That way y'all can check out a spot and find out where all the of import locations are, whether that'south a specific shop or restaurants, the bathroom, or something more than useful like an information desk.
What's more, select malls, airports and transit hubs in the U.South. now offering Indoor Live View directions. Prepare upward a route to your intended location, then hit Live View at the bottom of the screen. Once Google Maps has started off the AR directional view, simply scan your photographic camera around the surrounding expanse so information technology can figure out where you are. Then, like magic, the app will overlay directions on top of the real earth to become you where you demand to go.
Track your trip itinerary
Even with everything booked, it can be a bit of a challenge keeping track of all the things you need to do and when. Thankfully Google Maps can help you out by pulling information from your Gmail inbox and Google Calendar, and storing them in i like shooting fish in a barrel-to-access place.
Just hit the Saved push at the bottom of the screen, and so Reservations. Google Maps will then show all the dissimilar things yous have booked, so you don't need to go hunting around your inbox just to find out what fourth dimension your tabular array booking really is.
Make restaurant and hotel reservations
To spare you the trouble of going through separate restaurant and hotel apps or websites, you can make reservations correct through Google Maps. All y'all need to do is detect a eatery or a hotel on the map, and tap the Reserve or Availability choice on the business profile page. From there you will exist taken through the steps to become a visit sorted out, and without having to call and wait to speak to a person.
That'southward going to be incredibly handy at this time of year. Whether you need a place to stay during a vacation trip, or if y'all absolutely mangled dinner and need to be able to feed your extended family at very short notice.
Avoid traffic jams
Traffic can be a nightmare at the best of times, and holidays merely makes it worse. So what better time to make apply of one of Google Maps' key features? Using a mix of historical and existent time information from a range of sources, Google Maps has a pretty good idea of how bad traffic is — or is going to be — along your route.
Then it definitely pays to pay attention to what Google is telling you, especially if information technology'due south suggesting a unlike route than you were expecting. It may not be as extreme as Waze in directing you around traffic, just believe me Google Maps can help you avoid some killer traffic jams you might non have realized were there.
If you're traveling by public transit instead of past motorcar, don't forget that Google Maps tin track all that too. That way you can continue tabs on delays, arrival times, and everything else that might happen.
Google Maps itself will besides highlight areas with increased levels of traffic, giving y'all the chance to make a transmission diversion if you detect it before long plenty
Salvage on wireless data and avoid deadspots
Cell signal can be spotty, and the last matter you want is to lose access to your navigation halfway through a cross-land drive. The solution? Download those directions and so yous can ever admission them, even if yous're offline.
Simply hit the avatar in the right-hand side of the search bar, so select Offline Maps. From in that location Google will give you a map of your region, and y'all demand to make certain the highlighted area covers whatever road y'all want to take. And so striking the download push button, and you're all gear up.
Merely be aware that if yous plan on traveling super-long distances, i.e.crossing several state lines on your fashion, y'all may need to repeat this process multiple times.
Let others know when y'all'll be arriving
If you're traveling somewhere over the holidays, chances are in that location's someone waiting for y'all at your destination. Then go along them in the loop by sharing your location and trip progress. Simply starting time the navigation, swipe up from the lesser toolbar and striking Share trip progress.
Your phone volition so inquire y'all which contact or app to share with, and doing and so volition send a link that lets someone else track you in real time.
Tracking ends automatically when yous go far, or y'all tin terminate it manually by following the same steps and selecting Terminate sharing.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/8-essential-google-maps-features-to-help-you-during-the-holidays
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