Twenty things you didn't know you could do with Google Maps as app celebrates two decades

Google Maps has turned 20-years-old. The present ubiquitous instrumentality has enactment 250 cardinal places and businesses connected the map, with much than 500 cardinal radical having contributed to it successful immoderate way.

Whilst searching and reviewing businesses connected Google Maps whitethorn beryllium obvious, determination are immoderate features that are adjuvant hidden gems you mightiness person missed implicit the years.

Drive successful benignant (new)

One of Google Maps' latest features allows users to customise their navigation icon with caller car types and colours, for erstwhile they are driving. Depending connected your mood, you tin take betwixt a pickup truck, a stylish SUV, a roaring contention car and much successful 8 colours.

Ask Maps for inspiration with Gemini

For those looking for thing to do, but not definite what, users tin inquire Maps a question specified arsenic 'things to bash with friends astatine nighttime successful New York' oregon 'interactive day nights successful London' and Gemini volition springiness you immoderate inspiration. The results are made from Maps' information and users tin besides inquire questions astir a place, similar what the formal codification is oregon if determination is parking astatine a venue, and they volition person drawback answers.

Get paper highlights

Users tin besides usage Maps to enactment retired paper highlights astatine restaurants successful advance. Just hunt for the edifice you deliberation you would similar to devour at, and scroll down to 'menu highlights' - present users volition spot photos and reviews of the apical dishes from the Maps community.

Understand an country astatine a glimpse with AR

Navigating astir cities and places you haven't visited earlier tin origin a batch of accent and issues. With Lens successful Maps, users tin pat the camera icon successful the hunt bar, assistance their telephone and they volition get an augmented world overlay with adjuvant information. The accusation presented tin beryllium thing from the sanction of a spot to however engaged it is and whether it is highly rated oregon not.

See HOV lanes on your route

Traffic is often the astir hated happening astir driving, but Google Maps allows drivers to spot the heavy occupied conveyance lanes erstwhile getting directions. This helps drivers determine which way is champion for them, particularly if they privation to debar agelong queues.

Time question with Street View

Time travelling is simply a superpower galore of america imagination astir - but with Google Maps you tin spell backmost successful clip - benignant of - with Street View.

When you spell connected Google Maps and crook connected the Street View layer, you tin research destinations crossed the satellite specified arsenic your aged schoolhouse oregon puerility home. When astatine a destination of your choosing, you tin past pat 'see much dates' and scroll done images of the venue implicit the years.

Make reservations close from Maps

Making reservations is besides elemental with Maps. Just hunt for the edifice you privation to devour at, and if it works with a booking partner, you tin pat connected 'Reserve' to publication your reservation.

Plan radical hangouts with lists

Many radical already cognize astir Lists and usage them to prevention question inspiration destinations, yet the diagnostic is besides large for person groups trying to prime a spot to bent retired oregon conscionable up. By creating a collaborative list, everyone successful the radical tin prevention places, spot the different places that person been saved, and past ballot connected them with an emoji so the radical tin decide wherever to go.

Arrive with confidence

Sometimes, particularly successful cities, it tin beryllium truly hard to find the close entranceway to a venue oregon attraction. With accomplishment guidance, Maps highlights the entrance, arsenic good arsenic adjacent parking. Once parked, Maps volition besides springiness walking directions from the car to the entrance, and tin adjacent participate Street View oregon AR to orient you quicker.

Know earlier you go

With Immersive View, users tin acquisition what stadiums, parks and routes look similar and adjacent cheque the weather and postulation truthful they tin beryllium acceptable successful advance. For example, if you are driving, you volition beryllium capable to spot wherever the nearest parking is and if determination are immoderate choky turns connected the route.

Send your travel from your telephone to your car

If you’re successful a rush, you tin program your travel from your telephone and nonstop it consecutive to your car if it has Google built-in. This volition prevention you from re-entering the code into your Sat Nav.

Check aerial quality

Whether you are wanting to caput retired connected a hike oregon tally oregon unrecorded successful a metropolis and are acrophobic astir the weather, Google Maps uses information from Government stations, assemblage sensors, upwind patterns and unrecorded traffic, to amusement the prime of the air. To entree the feature, users conscionable request to pat the layers icon and prime 'Air Quality' to spot a colour-coded representation with aerial prime levels.

Find the hottest restaurants successful town

Whether connected vacation oregon exploring your section area, knowing wherever to devour tin beryllium difficult. Google Maps' edifice lists tin assistance users find the cleanable spot including a trending list, a apical database for the tried-and-true favourites and the gems list, which shows the adjacent hotspots earlier they get busy.

Avoid the crowds

On Google Maps users tin hunt for a spot and find retired whether it is engaged oregon not, by scrolling down and looking astatine 'popular times'. The graph shows users however engaged the venue they are searching typically is and erstwhile it volition get busy. It besides shows however engaged the determination is astatine that nonstop moment, helping much spontaneous plans.

Don’t get mislaid — adjacent erstwhile you’re disconnected the grid

One of the biggest issues with modern exertion is the request to beryllium connected to signal, information oregon Wi-Fi to beryllium capable to hunt things connected your phone. However, Google Maps tin beryllium utilized offline to entree indispensable navigational information. Users tin hunt for an area, pat the sanction oregon code and prime 'Download' to springiness yourself entree to navigation and cardinal details without a connection.

Alleviate scope anxiety

If you thrust an electric vehicle, scope anxiousness is real. However, connected Google Maps you tin adhd your electrical vehicle’s marque and exemplary into and it volition automatically amusement you compatible charging stations adjacent you oregon on your route. To prevention adjacent much time, you tin usage the 'speed' filter to find stations that tin complaint successful arsenic small arsenic 40 minutes and spot whether they are available.

Get accessibility accusation anywhere

For those with accessibility needs, users tin crook connected the 'Accessible Places' diagnostic successful settings and a wheelchair icon volition amusement if a spot has accessible entrances, seating, restrooms and parking. Those with ocular impairments tin besides get elaborate dependable guidance portion walking, which tin springiness alerts astir routes, upcoming turns and adjacent intersections.

Minimise airdrome accent with the 'Directory' tab

Airports are stressful places astatine the champion of times, but adjacent clip you are flying, effort searching for your airport and tapping connected 'Directory'. This should amusement you what is disposable astatine the airport, specified arsenic shops, lounges and restaurants.

Save wealth and gas

Fuel-efficient routing successful Google Maps is present disposable globally and uses AI to amusement users the astir substance oregon energy-efficient way to a destination.

Have amusive with Pegman!

Pegman is Google Maps' Street View mascot that we each usage to plonk down connected the thoroughfare astatine a determination erstwhile we privation to spot from his view. However, for immoderate locations helium transforms - for example, successful Loch Ness, Scotland helium changes into the Loch Ness monster.