Maps are one of the Google services that had a faster acceptance. A click of a button tells you how and how long it takes to get from one place to another. But not only that. It has other functions unknown to most but that can be useful. These are some of them:
A 3D tour
It allows the viewing of satellite images in three dimensions in large cities. To have this vision, in the computer version you have to choose the satellite view and, among the icons that appear on the right side of the screen, click on the one that indicates ‘3D’. Holding down the ‘Control’ button while clicking the map and moving the mouse changes the tilt of the view. On the mobile, this 3D view is also available in the standard display and to activate it you just have to place two fingers slightly apart on the screen and move them upwards at the same time. The inclination is also changed using two fingers simultaneously.
Have a travel history
Unless the ‘history’ option is deactivated, Maps records the most visited trips and places. To see them, you have to go to the menu of the three lines in the upper left and choose ‘Your chronology’. At the bottom of the screen are the sites that the mobile has registered, with the date of when you were there (this is information that only each user can see), and if selected, that location appears on the map. Here you can also set some frequent addresses such as home or work. In the mobile application, access to these options is in the menu at the bottom, in the ‘saved’ icon.
Find establishments
One of the most interesting utilities currently in Maps is that it tells you where the nearest pharmacy, gas station or ATM is. In the computer version, this option is directly in the menu at the top left, by clicking on the three horizontal stripes –the main establishments that may be needed appear– or you can also write which establishment or service we are looking for after having marked with a point in red a location on the map. In the application, the easiest thing is to choose a location and then, in the search box, indicate what we are looking for: pharmacy, supermarket, parking … The closest ones will appear with the opening hours and the distance from the current point.
Create custom maps
From the browser, you can create maps that mark specific sites in different layers, with annotations, measurements, or import data and images. To do this, you have to enter the three lines in the upper left, choose ‘maps’, and, at the bottom, ‘create map’.
See Street View on mobile
When we arrive at a site that we have seen on Street View, it is sometimes difficult to recognize it, but not everyone knows that on mobile there is also the option of seeing real images of each street. You just have to create a marker by briefly clicking on the desired location on the map and then, by tapping on that marker, a small image appears in the lower left. By clicking on it, the screen is divided into two: above, Street View; below, the map of the area.
Measure distances
Maps indicate when choosing the way to get to a site the time it will take and the meters or kilometers that separate them, but it also gives the option of measuring distances without creating routes. On the computer, you have to click with the right mouse button at any point on the map where you want to start editing and choose ‘measure distance’ from the menu that appears. Each click on the map below will add a segment with the exact measurement for the previous point and to the total of all marked.
‘Travel back in time’
As with Google Earth Timelapse, you can see how an area has changed in the last four decades with satellite images, in Maps it is done with Street View. You have to place the orange doll at the bottom right of the screen over the area you want to view and thus enter Street View. At the top left of the screen, there is a window indicating the direction and at the bottom, there is a symbol of a clock next to the words ‘Street View’. When you click on that clock, a timeline will appear with different points that indicate what year there is a photo of in Google Maps of that area.
Download maps ‘offline’
To travel to those countries where there is no roaming and it is not advisable to use phone data or for those areas where the phone does not have coverage, having a map of the area that interests us on the mobile can be very convenient. You have to press on the phone on the name of the city or area that you want to download and the screen will show information about the area. Among the options will be to ‘download’. You have to be careful because these maps take up a lot, so adjust to the area you will need.
To remember where to leave the car
When you open the ‘app’ you have to wait for the blue dot that indicates the position of the phone to appear and click on it. The option ‘save where you have parked your car’ appears. If we then move our finger up the menu at the bottom of the screen, we see the exact address, we can write notes or the time remaining to renew the regulated parking ticket, add a photo of the exact place or even share the location.
