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Maps Minutes Hack #9: Get home quickly and safely on New Year’s Eve
December 29, 2015
Part of our
series
on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.
Whether you’re heading to a friend’s house for a cozy gathering, going to watch the ball drop in Times Square or attending an extravagant masquerade ball, the last thing you want to worry about on New Year’s Eve is driving.
With the Google Maps app, you can get where you’re going without ever getting behind the wheel. Earlier this year we launched a
new feature
that allows you to see various transportation options and compare travel times–all on one screen.
Once you enter your destination in the Google Maps app, you’ll see four options to get there: driving, walking, biking or transit (bus/train). You can quickly compare ETAs and switch between the transportation modes for more details and up-to-date information for each option.
If you’re heading to a casual celebration not so far from home, walking or public transit might be your best option. The Google Maps app will give your walk time ETA along with a few transit route options with real-time schedules, updates and fares.
Google Maps can also help you grab an Uber, if arriving by bus or train isn’t your holiday style. You can see the estimated trip duration, pickup time and estimated cost once you scroll down to the bottom of the app's transit option screen.
Stay safe with Maps Minutes Hacks and enjoy your New Year’s celebrations wherever they take you.
Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing
Maps Minutes Hack #8: Set your home and work addresses for easy navigation
December 23, 2015
Part of our
series
on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.
It’s crunch time. There are holiday parties to attend and last-minute gifts to be bought and wrapped. When the holidays are only days away even the small things can make a difference. So here’s another helpful trick for how you can save a few extra minutes every time you use Google Maps for directions or navigation.
You can save your home and work addresses in Google Maps, and then select “home” or “work” rather than typing the locations every single time. Just go to “your places” on the side menu and you’ll see “home” and “work” under “labeled places”. Enter the address for each and next time you’re navigating to or from home or work, you can get your directions a little quicker and easier than before.
Every minute matters. Save more every day with Maps Minutes Hacks. Next up: how to get home fast and safe on New Year’s Eve.
Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps
Maps Minutes Hack #7: No signal, no problem. Navigate your holiday travels with Google Maps offline
December 22, 2015
Part of our
series
on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.
This time of year, millions take a road trip home for the holidays or adventure to faraway places all over the world. Whether you’re traveling abroad or rediscovering your own hometown, it helps to be able to navigate quickly and easily, even with limited mobile data or a spotty internet connection.
Google Maps offline
, now available on iOS and Android, can help you get the most out of your holiday travels. You can browse pre-downloaded map areas, search for places, get directions and turn-by-turn navigation–all offline. Because exploring the world shouldn’t require a data connection or excessive roaming charges.
To navigate offline, simply open the Google Maps app and save any area on the map while you have a connection. Search for a place like San Francisco or Mexico City, open the place card and tap the download button. You can adjust the size of the map area you want to download and name it. Once downloaded, that area will be automatically added to your Offline areas in the side menu.
Once you’ve saved a map area, you can search for places and get directions offline. Looking for that famous art gallery or a neighborhood watering hole? You can check out addresses, opening hours, phone numbers and even navigate there–all without internet access.
To explore and navigate the world offline, install the
Google Maps app
on your iPhone before your holiday journey, or open it on Android along the way.
Get the most of your holiday time with Maps Minutes Hacks. Next up: how to get around faster and safer.
Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing
Maps Minutes Hack #6: Find holiday hot spots with Explore on Google Maps
December 18, 2015
Part of our
series
on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.
If you're headed out on vacation, visiting friends and family in a new city or re-discovering your old favorite places over the holidays, this one's for you. With the Explore feature, available on both Android and iOS, you’ll feel like a local no matter where you are this holiday season.
Android experience
Android users in the U.S. can simply open Google Maps and tap “Explore food & drinks near you” at the bottom of the screen to see local recommendations. You can get results for breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner and drinks among curated lists like “Where the locals go” or “Best spots for dinner with kids.” Once you’ve tapped on a list, you can swipe through place cards with more details like ratings, review snippets and distance from your location. Pick a place to see the address, up-to-date open hours, popular times, Street View imagery and more.
iOS experience
On iOS, just open the Google Maps app and tap on “Explore around you” at the bottom of the map to see recommendations of places to indulge and imbibe along with places to see and things to do. iPhone users can sort their options by how long it would take to walk or drive to the destinations as well as time of day. Curated lists range from “Local favorites” to “Quick bites” to a special “Featured by Zagat” option. The “Play & see” list will show you places to go like museums, historical monuments, live music venues and more. Simply scroll through the place cards to see abbreviated info and tap on your favorite to get more details.
Whether you’re using Android or iOS, save time this holiday season by checking the up-to-date open hours to make sure you don’t arrive to find a closed sign in the window and reviewing the popular times to avoid holiday crowds.
Make the most of your time with Maps Minutes hacks. Next up: searching for places and getting turn-by-turn directions—all while offline.
Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps
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