Wherever you go, Google Maps can provide a snapshot of what you’ll find when you get there, from real-time crowd numbers to menus, pricing and contact information.
Angela Lang / CNET
I rarely use Google Maps to get directions, but for other reasons I can open the app almost every day which may not be obvious. Truth be told, Google Maps is much more useful than showing how to get from point A to point B, hiding all those Christmas colored traffic patterns below and high resolution satellite images a powerful search tool that provides real-time crowd source. Is. Restaurant Rents, Retail Stores, Commercial Office Fees, Public Parks and Practically Elsewhere
Included in some recent updates to Google Maps Adding a coronavirus data layer, Pay for parking, Improved images and sidewalk maps, And Improve location sharing. There are simultaneous directions So The last decade, speaking comparatively. If you’re already familiar with this app as a navigation tool, you can simply tap, press, or swipe with these and more Google Maps superpowers.
To unravel the hidden potential of the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet, take a look at five ways I use Google Maps almost every day that have nothing to do with guidelines.
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See how long the line is everywhere from Walmart to DMV
In the Google Maps app, real-time information about lines, crowds, and waiting times is red, but you can tap on any other hour of the day to see what you can expect later.
Screenshot by Dale Smith / CNET
Before I walk out the door, I’m going to Walmart, a grocery store, a doctor’s office for a fee to renew my driver’s license, always check Google Maps to see what I can expect from my map. Here’s how you can find that information.
In the Google Maps app, tap on the business or location you want to visit and scroll down until you see the graph label Popular time. Tap the day of the week if you are planning a trip after that week.
Tap on the red column column to view existing foot-traffic data, or to summarize how you can expect one of the blue column columns to exist at another time: Not busy, Not too busy, A little busy Or As busy as it gets.
Next, under the title Plan your visit, You’ll find general information such as peak weight times (“6am to 12pm to 5pm”) and average visit length (“People usually spend 20 minutes here”). Now you know whether to flash or come out, or if you need to pack a good book or plan to visit you for another day when the wait is not long.
Wait until the line at the cafe is shortened? Watch under “Popular Time” to see if the crowd usually dies.
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Check out menus, photos and customer reviews
In addition to its search tools, like Google Maps, Yelp or TripAdvisor, there is also a fully developed crowd resource review app, so you can get a good idea of what kind of options are available for your destination, as well as price, presentation and so on. ‘Affordability will require a loan.
This feature is just as useful for restaurant withdrawals and deliveries as it is for previewing menu options and prices – not to mention the good looks in the dishes. It could be to try something new somewhere or break your decision. For those who believe in the wisdom of the crowd, it also shows a five star average of rest restaurants rentals as well as personal reviews for weight loss in your decision.
On most restaurant listings, you’ll see a navigation bar at the top Overview, Menu, Reviews And Photos Listed as options (you may need to side-scroll to see them all). Tap any of them or just scroll down. Menu labeled links are often listed below operating operating hours, but keep scrolling until you see the header Popular recipes To see food photos. Keep going to the past Popular time The restaurant’s five-star average and almost to the very bottom to find user reviews.
Experience the type of restaurant food served by browsing the menus, photos and reviews in the Google Maps app.
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Book a table or place a place for transportation
Once you’ve gotten a sneak peek at all your restaurant options, most of the time you don’t even leave the Google Maps app to make a reservation. If you go home instead, you can usually also carry out or order a delivery from the app.
The restaurant you have chosen uses the booking service Opentable, You will see a tab below Menu Option that says either Find a table Or Reserve a table. You do not actually need to log in to the booking service to make a reservation (if you collect bonus points or actively use the service the way you want).
For carrying or delivery, find the labeled option Place an order. A pop-up popup will give you a list of available services, such as Dordesh or Postmates, but you’ll need to sign in to complete your order, so if you have an account with one of them, you’ll probably want to choose that.
Hey, Google Assistant, how do you get to my iPhone?
I spend most of my digital life in the famous walled garden of the gpel ecosystem with one obvious exception: I use a Google home (Wal 99 at Walmart) With Google Assistant to control my smart home.
Google Assistant is not baked in iOS Apple’s less capable voice assistant Siri But a setting in Google Maps lets you turn Siri to the side so you always have access to Google Assistant when navigating.
To set up the Google Maps app on your iPhone to hear “, or, Google” while navigating, open the Google Maps app and tap on Menu icon (Three horizontal lines on the left side of the search bar), then tap Settings. Under the title, at the top of the page Getting around, Tap Researcher, Then scroll to the labeled option Access your assistant with “OK Google” And turn on the tug.
Google home devices like this Nest Hub come with Google Assistant back-in, but on the iPhone you have to use a Google app like Google Maps to call a digital sidekick.
Dale Smith / CNET
Admittedly, this function is a bit vague – you have to set Google Maps to navigate to a specific destination to make this command “OK, Google” and voice work, and despite this feature you can’t call Siri with “Oops, Siri”. . Ongoing. But as long as Android can’t take me away from my iPhone, it’s nothing better.
Find operating hours, phone numbers, zip codes and more
Whenever I need to know when a store or business will open or close, or I need to call the place and I don’t have a number, or on rare occasions when I need a zip code for a business that So the street name and number is all I know from the top of my head (say, for a job app), I go straight to Google Maps to get these answers and more.
Here’s a quick and easy way to find basic information about places listed in Google Maps:
Operating time: Business hours management, displayed immediately below the address. You can tap Down arrow Next to today’s closing time to see the hours of other days of the week. Most lists are updated with any special holiday hours, highlighted in red font.
Find zip codes for almost any business in the United States on Google Maps.
Angela Lang / CNET
Phone number: You will find the phone number below the hours operation in most lists. To call it without leaving Google Maps, tap the number, then tap the pop-up that displays the prompt. Call After the number.
Website: If the business has a website, it will be listed below the phone number. Tap it to open the website in the Google Chrome powered tab in the Google Maps app.
Zip code: This one is less common, but when I need it, Google Maps has saved me a lot of time. Enter either street name and number or business name and search tape. At the top of the list next to the street address, you will now see the zip code.
For more Google tips and tricks, check this out Six Google Maps Tricks You May Not Know About, This Seven hidden Gmail features And How to use redeemed bike routes from Google Maps.
