How to Use Google Maps for More than Directions
Google Maps doesn't just make it easy to find directions — it can do so much more! Here are three things you might not know you can do with Google Maps.
If you're meeting a friend in a busy place, you can use Google Maps to share your exact location. Your friend will then be able to see where you are on their phone, and even see where you go if you move.
Tap on the blue dot showing your location and select "Share your location." You can then choose how long Google will share your location for, and whom you would like to share it with.
Have you ever parked your car only to forget where you left it? Next time — before you leave your car — open Google Maps and tap on the blue dot showing your location. Then select "Set as parking location." This will drop a "P" pin so you can get directions back to your car when you're ready to leave.
Sometimes you may want to find the distance between two places — and not just the distance using roads or how long it will take to travel there.
If you're using Google Maps on a computer, right click on a point and select "Measure distance." Then click on another point to measure the distance between them.
If you want to do this on your phone, press and hold on a point to drop a pin. Then select "Measure distance" from the menu at the bottom before choosing your second point by tapping "Add point."
