Google Maps

Maps, navigation and much more in one essential application

Google Maps is a map app for Android whose main function is to help you get to your destination. Considering that it is an app full of services and that you can download it for free, we can already tell you that you are in front of an essential complement. However, it is not a perfect app. Far from it.

Your pocket GPS

Google Maps is a perfect tool to find out how to get from Point A to Point B. All you have to do is search for the address of the place you want to go to. Then you tell Google Maps how you want to get to your destination (on foot, by car or using public transport) and the app will offer you various routes and alternatives, as well as their approximate times. If you use Google Maps as a GPS for your car or simply need help to take the route without getting lost, you have at your disposal a step-by-step navigation function. The function will give you directions (by voice if you need them) according to your progress or you can select the specific section where you need a little more help. Google Maps for Android has a whole range of visual aids: the current traffic situation, the nearest public transport, available bike lanes and even satellite images or terrain relief. To speed up its use, Google Maps allows you to save common locations such as your home or work, save places in favorites to access them quickly, share your locations… You can also save maps for offline use although unfortunately this feature is not as useful as we would like (more on this later).

A clean interface, perhaps too clean!

The Google Maps interface is clear and clean. The map, its most important element, is the most prominent thing as soon as you start the app. Its functions, its search bar… the rest of the elements are minimized or directly hidden. The goal is to optimize all the available space to show you the way you should take. It is nice to have the virtual map “displayed” as if it were a map of yesteryear… until you need to use the other functions of the app. Google Maps has a bad habit of hiding its best features. Surely if we didn’t tell you you wouldn’t know that to save an offline map you must first search for the location in Maps (for example “Chicago”), hit the resulting box and there choose the option to save the map. And be careful because not all locations have an offline version that you can go to in case you don’t have a connection. The 3D view, the details of the facility you are investigating, the compass… are functions that are either unclear or disabled in certain regions. Google Maps has occasionally become inaccurate over time. The GPS signal is constantly lost for some users, the coordinates it provides can be misleading, and some updates have removed useful features such as saying street names aloud in “turn-by-turn direction” mode. A clarification: in 80% of the cases, Google Maps will work very well (tremendously well to tell the truth), but that means that in another 20% of the cases you will have problems. It is still the best free mapping app on the market BUT be prepared for some frustrations.

A pleasant travel companion

Google Maps is the best mapping app you’ll find for Android for free, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Go through its help section, load up with a little patience, and you’ll have the best possible company when you need directions, got lost, or want to explore the city you’re in. Google Maps is now perfectly adapted to Android Wear, offering full-screen maps and providing all the information you need with a simple flick of the wrist. In addition, the app has improved traffic-related aspects, with voice alerts about road congestion and accidents. In its latest update, city routes have also been improved, with a useful comparison option.

Changes

Google Maps is now perfectly adapted to Android Wear, offering full-screen maps and providing all the information you need with a simple flick of the wrist. In addition, the app has improved traffic-related aspects, with voice alerts about road congestion and accidents. In its latest update, city routes have also been improved, with a useful comparison option.