Google Maps has changed how we navigate the world. Its desktop and mobile navigation apps have become more than just a way to get from point A to B via car, through public transportation, or on foot. Now in 2026, the ubiquitous Google service is also a geographical search engine for the world around us.
Google continues to revamp and improve Maps, but many customizable tools and hidden functions are already baked into the service, some of which you may not even know about. Google Maps serves drivers and pedestrians; we have tips for both groups. Note that it pulls a number of driver-focused features from sibling app Waze, so read our feature on Google Maps versus Waze for a deep comparison between the two services. But to maximize your Google Maps power, check out our helpful tips below.
3 Tips for Using Google Maps More Effectively (PCMag)
1. Sign in With Your Google Account
You don’t have to sign in to use Google Maps. But if you don’t, the app is now less useful. With “limited view” mode, you’ll still get directions and see all locations, such as nearby hotels or restaurants. However, you won’t be able to check out built-in menus, see if an establishment offers delivery, or read user reviews.
To confirm that you’re logged in to the Maps website or the mobile app for Android or iOS, just tap your profile icon at the top. You should see your name, image, and email address. If not, you can sign in from this same screen.
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2. Unlock Your Directions
Instead of leaving Google Maps open while you go from point A to point B, you can use Glanceable Directions to see your route, ETA, and upcoming turns on your phone’s lock screen. To turn it on, open Google Maps, go to Settings > Navigation, and enable Glanceable Directions While Navigating. They’ll appear as system notifications on Android and Live Activities on iOS.
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3. Go Live With Maps
You can get an augmented reality view of the street you’re on if that road is in Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, or Venice. You simply open Maps, click the camera icon at the top, and hold your phone up to scan your location. You’ll get an overlay of all the places you’d see on Maps, so you can easily find restaurants, shops, and other destinations.
Meanwhile, Immersive View gives you a bird’s-eye view of your route, complete with 3D imagery along the way, whether you’re walking, cycling, or driving. Look for it in select cities, including Amsterdam, London, New York, and Tokyo.
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4. Inside Access
Google Maps isn’t just for the great outdoors. You can navigate through malls, airports, and other big buildings by finding your desired location in Maps, clicking it, and then swiping to Directory. You’ll never get lost looking for a Cinnabon again. Some places even support Live View inside, where animated arrows will guide you around airports, train stations, and malls.
Google states that this feature is available in more than 10,000 locations worldwide, including Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Paris, Prague, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, the United States, and Zurich. Just lift your phone up in a supported region to jump into Live View.
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5. Plot Multiple Locations on Google Maps
Rarely do car trips consist of going from point A to B; more often, they’re something like A-to-café-to-library-to-Joe’s-house-to-B. Thankfully, Google makes it possible to anticipate real trips. To add multiple destinations in the Google Maps mobile app, enter your starting point and your ultimate destination, then click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose Add Stop in the pop-over menu to create your route. You can even drag and drop stops within your itinerary. Note that this doesn’t work when you’re using the mass-transit option.
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6. Customize Your Vehicle Icon
When driving, Google lets you choose what kind of car shows up on your navigation in the mobile app. To begin, plug in your destination and start up driving directions. You can then tap the button that shows your current location, which opens a pop-up menu with several car icon options. Choose among a sedan, pickup truck, or SUV to see it appear on the map.
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7. Ask Google for Directions
You might want to interact with Maps while driving but you don’t want to take your eyes off the road. With “OK Google” voice commands in the Google Maps Android app, you don’t have to. For example, if you notice you’re running low on gas, say “OK Google, find gas stations,” and it will show gas stations on the map (which you can look at when you’ve come to a red light or pulled over).
You can also ask questions like “What’s my next turn?,” “What’s my ETA?,” and “How’s traffic ahead?” On Android, set up Google Assistant, and you’re good to go. On iOS, tap the microphone icon at the top right, then ask your questions via voice.
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8. Access Google Maps Offline
Maps is most useful on mobile, which brings up a problem: When you need it, you may find yourself somewhere with limited or nonexistent coverage. To help, Google Maps supports offline access. Type in a destination, swipe up on the menu at the bottom of the screen, tap the ellipsis icon on the top right, and select Download Offline Map.
If you have enough storage on your phone, the map in question will be saved. To access it later, tap your avatar icon and head to Offline maps. You can then get information about businesses in the region and turn-by-turn directions within the download section.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
9. Get Your Groceries
Google has incorporated grocery ordering and pickup functionality into Maps for select brands. This kicked off during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains an option today. For example, in early 2023, Google touted the improvements it’s made to the ETA function inside Google Maps for Kroger pickups. But grocery stores can also add a Place An Order option to their Maps business profiles. In addition to Kroger stores (which include Fry’s, Mariano’s, and Ralph’s), the feature is available for Albertson’s and Fred Meyer locations.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
10. Hail a Ride
Ride-sharing services are a big part of the modern transportation mix, so Google added ride options from companies such as Lyft and Uber to its mobile app. Once you enter your destination, select Directions, and tap the little figure hailing a taxi. You’re then presented with nearby rideshare options, along with the estimated time of arrival and fare. Tap Open App to book your ride.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
11. Find Accessible Transit Routes and Locations
People with mobility issues can search for wheelchair-accessible transit routes. To try this, fire up train or bus directions to your destination. At the Public Transport screen, tap the tools icon and then select Wheelchair Accessible. When you reach your destination, the Accessible Places setting offers up wheelchair-accessibility information about that location.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
12. Remember Where You Parked
Remember when the Seinfeld gang spent the whole half hour wandering around a parking garage looking for their parked car? That episode (along with many others) would not work in 2026, thanks to Google Maps.
At your destination, tap the blue location dot, and select Save Parking, which adds a label to the Maps app identifying where you parked. On Android, you can tap that icon to add details like the parking garage level, spot number, or time left before a meter expires. You can also set meter reminders, add a photo of where you parked, and send your parking location to friends.
To find it later, tap the search bar at the top and select Parking Location (Android) or Saved Parking (iOS). Google will automatically delete the parking reminder after eight hours. (On iOS, Google Maps can also automatically remember where you parked for up to 48 hours if you connect to Bluetooth or CarPlay.)
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13. Find a Parking Spot
Google Maps can provide turn-by-turn directions based on live traffic data, but it can also provide you with a glimpse of the parking situation. When you search for driving directions on mobile, you might see a P logo at the bottom of the screen and one of three designations: Easy, Medium, or Limited (plus On-Site for retailers with large parking lots). This can help you decide how much time you’ll need to allocate for parking, or even if another form of transportation is preferrable.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
14. Share Your Location
Google Maps lets you share your current location with people for specified periods of time. When you share your location with a certain contact, they’ll see your icon moving in semi-real time on their map. On mobile, tap your Google Maps profile icon, select Location Sharing, and then choose with whom you want to share and for how long. Note that you may need to first allow notifications from Google Maps in your phone’s settings menu.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
15. View (and Delete) Your Google Maps History
Google maintains a detailed record of your digital activities, but you can erase your Maps data. On a desktop, go to the Maps website. Click the hamburger menu, and select Your Data In Maps to see a page called Google-wide info & controls. From there, go to Web & App Activity > See & Delete Activity. You’ll see a map with a timeline of your activity. Click the X next to a specific location to remove it. Otherwise, click the Delete button to remove all activity for today, for a custom range, or for all time.
When you first turn on location history, Google will auto-delete your history every three months by default. To adjust that, head to your Google Activity page. Select Timeline, click the Turn off button, and then choose whether you want to turn off the location collection or turn it off and delete all activity.
In the Maps mobile app, go to Settings > Location & privacy > Maps history to launch the Maps Activity page. Look for the Delete drop-down menu, where you can opt to delete your history from today, all time, or a custom range. Tap Auto-Delete to select a timeframe to determine when Google will automatically scrub your Maps data.
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16. Go Incognito
For a quick way to poke around Google Maps without leaving any obvious footprints, go Incognito. Google Maps won’t save your browser or search history in your account or send notifications; your searches and movements won’t be added to location history or shared location; and Google won’t use your activity to personalize Maps.
This mode has advantages when you want to peep at a location without it getting tangled with your search history. However, just as on web browsers, this option doesn’t make you invisible. To turn the mode on, tap your Google Maps avatar and select Turn On Incognito Mode. This causes the Incognito icon to appear in the search bar. Tap it and select Turn Off Incognito Mode to deactivate it.
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(Credit: Google/PCMag)
17. Time Travel With Google Maps
Street View has amassed a huge collection of street imagery over the years. In 2014, Google introduced Time Travel, a way for users to see how Street View has changed over time. And in 2022, the feature expanded from the desktop to mobile. To look back at a particular address, enter Street View and tap anywhere on the screen. At the bottom, tap See More Dates. Where available, this should produce a series of photos. Scroll through and select the date you want to see.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
18. Add Some Music
If you always have Google Maps navigation open while driving (or walking), you can add music to your trip without leaving the app. To link music streaming apps such as Apple Music or Spotify, open the menu and navigate to Settings, then go to Navigation > Music Playback Controls (iOS) or Navigation Settings > Assistant Default Media Provider (Android).
Once you do, a pop-up to your app of choice should appear. Tap to kick off your music as you’re driving or walking. Be sure to create your playlists beforehand so you can keep your eyes on the road!
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
19. Find Electric-Vehicle Charging Stations
More and more electric vehicles (EVs) are taking to the road, and Google Maps is adapting. You can search “EV charging” or “EV charging station” in Google Maps, and the app suggests the best station for you based on traffic conditions, your charge level, and the expected energy consumption. You can filter by types of plugs, and if you’re in a rush, select Fast Charge to find the charging stations with the most voltage. In a nice touch, Android Auto no longer shows gas stations if you’re in an EV.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
20. Request Fuel-Efficient Routes
Want to make sure that your next road trip is fuel-efficient? Turn on Google Maps’ eco-friendly setting to prioritize fuel- or energy-efficiency over other factors, such as real-time traffic and road conditions.
Go to Settings > Navigation and turn on Prefer Fuel-Efficient Routes. Here, you can also tell Google Maps your engine type: gas, diesel, electric, or hybrid. Google will then serve up routes based on that engine type to help you save fuel.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
21. Find Safe Drug-Disposal Locations
Google Maps is doing its part to fight the opioid crisis with a search tool to help users find safe drug-disposal locations. Type “drug disposal” into the search bar to pull up pharmacies, medical centers, and local authority locations where you can safely dispose of excess pills.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
22. Share Your Favorite Places
Google Maps lets you share some of your favorite places with a friend. Just tap the share icon on the location’s Google Maps card to send it to them via text, email, or your app of choice. Save favorite places by tapping the Save icon; they then show up in the Saved option in the menu bar.
If you want to share more than one favorite location, you can create a Pinterest-like list within Google Maps. When you save a favorite place, tap New List to create a collection (like “Thai restaurants in Brooklyn”) or add it to an existing collection. You’ll find them in the Saved tab under Your lists; tap the three-dot menu and then select Share List to send a link to friends.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
23. Become (or Consult) a Local Guide
Think you know your neighborhood better than Google’s algorithm? Consider becoming a Local Guide. Although anyone can leave reviews and tips in Google Maps, being a Local Guide lets you earn points for leaving more insights and data, which—as you go up the ladder—can result in rewards and early access to new Google features.
24. Find the Nearest Restroom (Only in NYC)
The only thing worse than being lost is being lost when nature calls. Fortunately, Google Maps can help you find a toilet when you desperately need one. You can view a Google Maps layer showing public restrooms in libraries or parks. Clicking the link to the bathroom layer brings it up on your device, and you can then save it for fast access. Currently, the bathroom layer is only available in New York City, since it’s created by the city, not Google itself.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)
25. Summarize Recommendations With Gemini
Unsurprisingly, Google’s ubiquitous Gemini AI tool has a home in Google Maps. Gemini lets you use more natural language when searching for things to do, and it aggregates and summarizes countless user reviews, as well as context cues like time of day, to offer more holistic recommendations for nearby activities. Gemini is now embedded in Google Maps search, so you activate it by tapping the microphone icon and asking for “cool activities in Los Angeles tonight.”
Chandra Steele contributed to this article.
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