Apple Maps Without Fear

The 60-Second Version

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

• Open Maps (the folded-map icon), tap the search bar, and type or say where you want to go.
• Tap Directions, then the green Go button, and the phone starts 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 that looks like a little folded map with a road on it. Tap it once. If you cannot find it, swipe down the middle of your Home Screen to open Search, type Maps, and tap it.

• The blue dot is you — where you are right now on the map.
• The search bar (usually at the bottom) 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 arrow or compass 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 with the place's name, address, hours, and phone number, plus a button for directions.

• Tap the search bar.
• Type a full address, like 123 Main Street Ravenna.
• Or type a name, like Walmart or Robinson Memorial.
• 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 (not walking or transit).
• Tap the green Go 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 Go.

• After tapping Directions, look for more than one route 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 Go.
• A route marked in a lighter color is the slower alternate.

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 audio button to check it is not muted.
• If it is too quiet, you can raise the navigation volume in Settings under Maps.
• In the car, the voice usually plays through your car speakers if the phone is connected.

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 Go, and slip the phone in a pocket if you like.
• The voice tells you when and where to turn as you walk.

Sharing Your Arrival Time

Here is a feature families love. With one tap, 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 Go so you are navigating.
• Swipe up on the banner at the bottom to see more buttons.
• Tap Share ETA (ETA means estimated time of arrival).
• Choose the person, like Susie. They get a message with your arrival time.

Finding Parking

Getting to the neighborhood is one thing; finding a spot is another. Maps can help you find parking near where you are headed.

For a hospital, a ballgame, or downtown, it helps to look up parking before you leave home, while you are parked and unhurried. Pick a lot, and let Maps guide you straight to it instead of circling the block.

• 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.

Remembering Where You Parked

We have all wandered a parking lot looking for the car. Your phone can quietly remember the spot for you.

If your iPhone is connected to your car by Bluetooth or CarPlay, it can automatically drop a Parked Car pin when you get out. Later, you open Maps and it can walk you right back to the car — no more hunting.

• Before you walk away, open Maps and note the blue dot's location.
• You can also tap the blue dot, then Mark My Location, to drop your own pin.
• To find the car later, open Maps and look for the Parked Car marker.
• Tap it and choose Directions to walk back.

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.

You can also skip highways for a single trip. After you tap Directions but before you tap Go, look for options at the top or on the route to avoid highways or tolls for that route only. Your everyday setting stays as it is.

• Open Settings — the grey gear icon.
• Scroll down and tap Maps, then tap Driving.
• Turn on Avoid Highways and Avoid Tolls if you wish.
• From now on, Maps plans routes that 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, swipe up on the bottom banner.
• Tap the button for adding a stop, or tap a category like Gas Stations or Food.
• Maps shows choices along your route with how much time each adds.
• Tap one to add it; 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 fun 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 layers or an (i), usually top right.
• Tap it to see view choices.
• Choose Explore (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 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 you remove it.

• In Maps, tap your name or picture (your profile) near the search bar.
• Tap Offline Maps.
• Tap Download New Map and search for the area, like Portage County.
• Adjust 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 or start over 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 start guidance 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.

Saving Home and Favorite Places

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 asking Siri "Take me home." That is a real comfort at the end of a long day or an unfamiliar trip.

• Search for a place you visit often, like your doctor or a family home.
• On its card, look for Add to Favorites or the heart, and tap it.
• To set Home, tap your profile, then find Home under your addresses.
• Next time, your Favorites appear the moment you tap the search bar.

If You Feel Lost or Confused

Even with the phone, a moment may come when you feel turned around. Here is how to get your footing calmly, without fear.

As long as the phone shows the blue dot, it knows where you are and can guide you home. Take a breath. Being unsure of a road is ordinary and fixable — it is not a failure, and it is not an emergency.

• Find a safe place to pull over and park — a lot, a shoulder, a side street.
• Once stopped, open Maps and look at the blue dot to see where you are.
• Search your destination again and tap Directions for a fresh start.
• If you are still unsure, that is exactly when to call for a friendly voice.

Save Your Home & Favorite Places

The best trick in Maps is teaching it the places you go all the time. Do it once and getting there becomes a single tap.

Tap the search bar, then look for Home under Favorites. Tap Add, type your home address, and save it. Now you can say "Take me home" and the phone does the rest — no typing while you are tired or turned around.

What's in the 27-page PDF

• Finding a place and getting directions (pages 3-6)
• Letting the phone talk you there, and walking directions (pages 7-8)
• Sharing your arrival time with family (page 9)
• Parking, avoiding highways, and stops along the way (pages 10-13)
• Views, offline maps, rerouting, and staying safe (pages 14-20)
• 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