Google Maps Without Fear

The 60-Second Version

If you only remember a handful of things about Google Maps, make it these.

• Open Maps (the colorful pin icon), tap the search bar, and type or say where you want to go.
• Tap Directions, then the blue Start button, and the phone begins guiding you.
• Turn the volume up so you can hear the spoken directions, and keep your eyes on the road.
• Set everything up before you put the car in gear — never while driving.
• If you miss a turn, do not panic. The phone quietly makes a new plan for you.

Opening Maps and What You See

Let's get our bearings before a real trip. Knowing the layout takes the mystery out of it.

Look for the icon shaped like a colorful map pin — a little teardrop marker in red, yellow, green, and blue. Tap it once. If you cannot find it, swipe up from the bottom to see all your apps, or type Maps in the search box at the top of that list.

• The blue dot is you — where you are right now on the map.
• The search bar across the top is where you type or say a destination.
• Pinch two fingers apart to zoom in, or together to zoom out.
• Drag one finger to slide the map around and look elsewhere.
• Tap the small compass or crosshair button to re-center the map on yourself.

Searching for a Place

Getting somewhere starts with telling Maps where you want to go. You can be as exact or as loose as you like.

As you type, Maps shows a list of matches underneath. Tap the one that looks right. A card slides up from the bottom with the place's name, address, hours, and phone number, plus a button for directions.

• Tap the search bar at the top.
• Type a full address, like 123 Main Street Ravenna.
• Or type a name, like Walmart or University Hospitals.
• Or type a kind of place, like pharmacy or diner.

Driving Directions

This is the heart of it. Once you have found your place, getting turn-by-turn directions is two taps away.

The map shows your route as a blue line, and a banner at the top tells you the next turn. A voice announces each turn ahead of time so you are never caught by surprise. It also shows your arrival time so you know when you will get there.

• On the place's card, tap Directions.
• Maps shows one or more routes; the top one is usually the fastest.
• Check that the little car icon is selected at the top (not walking or transit).
• Tap the blue Start button to begin.

Choosing a Better Route

Sometimes the fastest road is not the one you want. Maps usually offers choices, and you get to pick.

You might prefer back roads over the interstate, or a way that avoids a bridge or a busy intersection you dislike. There is no wrong choice — pick the route that feels comfortable to you, then tap Start.

• After tapping Directions, look for more than one route line on the map.
• Each route shows its time and distance in a little bubble.
• Tap a different route line to choose it before you tap Start.
• A route drawn in a lighter grey is the slower alternate.

Walking Directions

Maps guides you on foot as well as by car — handy in an unfamiliar town, a big parking lot, or a fair or hospital campus.

Walking directions show distances in shorter steps and often point out landmarks. Hold the phone flat and turn your body; the map turns with you so the direction you face matches the screen. That makes it easy to know which way to start.

• Search for your place and tap Directions.
• At the top, tap the little walking-person icon.
• Tap Start, and slip the phone in a pocket if you like.
• The voice tells you when and where to turn as you walk.

Bus and Train Directions

If you take a bus, or you are visiting a bigger city, Maps can plan a trip using public transit and tell you which stop to use.

The plan reads top to bottom: walk to a stop, board a certain bus or train, ride so many stops, then walk the last bit. Maps shows the next departure time, so you know whether to hurry or relax.

• Search for your place and tap Directions.
• At the top, tap the little bus or train icon.
• Maps lists trips with departure times and how long each takes.
• Tap a trip to see the stops, transfers, and the walk to each stop.

Letting the Phone Talk You There

The spoken directions are what make this safe and easy. You keep your eyes on the road while the phone tells you what is coming.

The voice gives you plenty of warning: "In half a mile, turn right onto Route 14," then again as you get close. You do not need to watch the screen — just listen and drive.

• Turn the phone's volume up with the buttons on the side before you start.
• During guidance, tap the small speaker or sound button to check it is not muted or set low.
• If it is too quiet, tap the speaker and choose the louder setting (not Mute or Alerts only).
• In the car, the voice usually plays through your car speakers if the phone is connected.

Sharing Your Trip and Arrival Time

Here is a feature families love. With a couple of taps, your phone tells a loved one when you will arrive — and updates them as you go.

Your family member gets a note that you are on your way and when you should arrive. If you hit traffic and slow down, the time updates for them automatically. When you get there, the sharing stops on its own.

• Start your directions and tap Start so you are navigating.
• Swipe up on the banner at the bottom to see more buttons.
• Tap Share trip progress.
• Choose the person, like Susie. They get a link showing where you are and your arrival time.

Ongoing Location Sharing

Sharing a trip stops when you arrive. If you want, you can also share your location with a trusted family member all the time — a comfort for many families.

This is entirely your choice, and you can stop it any time by returning to Location sharing and tapping Stop. Only share with someone you trust completely, like a spouse or a grown child who worries.

• Tap your picture or the round initial in the top right of Maps.
• Tap Location sharing.
• Tap New share (or Share location), and pick how long — for an hour, or until you turn it off.
• Choose the person from your contacts and tap Share.

Saving Home and Work

You will drive to a few places over and over. Save them once, and getting directions there becomes a single tap.

Once Home is saved, you can always get back with one tap on Home, or by saying "Hey Google, take me home." That is a real comfort at the end of a long day or an unfamiliar trip.

• Tap Saved at the bottom, or tap your picture, then Your places.
• Tap Home and type your home address, then save it.
• Tap Work (or Add) and enter another everyday spot if you like.
• Now Home and Work appear the moment you tap the search bar.

Saving Favorite Places

Beyond Home and Work, you can save any place you like into a list, so it is always a tap away and easy to find again.

Tap Saved at the bottom to see your lists. Tap a list to see the places in it, then tap any place to get directions. Give lists names that make sense to you, like "Doctors" or "Family."

• Search for a place and tap it so its card shows.
• On the card, tap Save.
• Choose a list — Favorites, Want to go, or Starred places.
• The place now appears under Saved whenever you need it.

Finding Parking and Remembering the Spot

Getting to the neighborhood is one thing; finding a spot and then finding your car again is another. Maps helps with both.

• With your destination on screen, tap the search bar again.
• Type or say parking.
• Maps drops pins for lots and garages near your destination.
• Tap one to see details, then tap Directions to drive to it.

Avoiding Highways and Tolls

If big highways make you nervous, or you would rather skip toll roads, you can tell Maps to plan around them.

On some phones the same Route options can be set to stick for every trip. If you always want to skip highways, turn it on there. If you do not see an everyday setting, just set it per trip — it only takes a moment while parked.

• Search your place and tap Directions.
• Tap the three dots in the top corner, then Route options.
• Turn on Avoid highways and Avoid tolls, then tap Done.
• Maps replans that route to steer around them when it can.

Food, Gas, and Rest Stops on a Trip

On a longer drive you do not have to guess where the next gas station or restroom is. Maps can add a stop without ending your trip.

The calmest way is to plan a stop before you start, while parked. But if you find you need gas mid-trip, remember: pull over safely first, then tap. Never hunt for a stop while the car is moving.

• While driving directions are running, tap the little magnifying glass or search button on the side.
• Tap a category like Gas stations, Restaurants, or Coffee.
• Maps shows choices along your route with how much time each adds.
• Tap Add to a stop; the phone guides you there, then on to your destination.

Map View vs. Satellite View

Maps can show you a clean drawn map or real photographs from above. Each is useful at different times.

The standard map is easiest for driving — clear roads and labels. Satellite is useful for seeing what a place actually looks like, like spotting a building's roof or a driveway before you arrive somewhere new.

• Look for the small button that looks like stacked diamonds or layers, usually near the top right.
• Tap it to see view choices.
• Choose Default (the standard clean map) or Satellite (real photos from the sky).
• Tap the map to close the menu.

Offline Maps for Spotty Signal

Out in the country or where cell service is weak, you can download a map ahead of time so it still works with no signal.

Once downloaded, that area's map and driving directions work even with no internet — handy for rural drives, the lake, or a trip where you are not sure about coverage. The download sits on your phone until it expires or you remove it.

• Tap your picture or the round initial in the top right.
• Tap Offline maps.
• Tap Select your own map.
• Move and pinch the box to cover where you are going, then tap Download.

When You Miss a Turn

Everybody misses a turn now and then. This is the moment people fear most — and it is the moment Maps handles best. Do not panic.

The worst thing to do is grab the phone or stop in the road. Just keep driving safely and wait a moment. Maps calls this rerouting, and it happens automatically. It will guide you the rest of the way from your new spot.

• The phone notices you went a different way within a few seconds.
• It quietly figures out a new route from wherever you are now.
• The voice comes back with your next turn — no scolding, no fuss.
• You never have to turn around unless it tells you to.

Eyes on the Road, Not the Phone

This is the most important page in the book. Maps is meant to let you look at the road more, not less. Used right, it makes you a safer driver.

If someone is riding with you, hand them the phone for any searching or changes. Two seconds looking at a screen at highway speed covers the length of a football field. There is nothing on that screen worth that risk.

• Set your destination and tap Start before you shift into drive.
• Turn the volume up and let the voice do the work while you drive.
• Mount the phone where you can glance at it, or just listen.
• If you must change anything, pull over safely and park first.

What's in the 27-page PDF

• Opening Maps, searching, and getting driving directions (pages 3-6)
• Walking and bus or train directions, and voice guidance (pages 7-9)
• Sharing your trip and location with family (pages 10-11)
• Home, favorites, parking, settings, and stops (pages 12-16)
• Views, offline maps, rerouting, and staying safe (pages 17-20)
• A cheat sheet and a plain-English word list at the back (pages 21-22)

Why I wrote this

I write these as printable handouts because a guide you can keep in a drawer beats a web page you have to find again. No jargon, no judgment, no rushing. If you'd rather have someone sit beside you and go through it together, that's a flat $99 first visit with the 30-day follow-up included — serving Portage County from Atwater, Ohio. — Bill