Tricks and hidden functions of Google Maps

  • Launched in 2003, Google Maps has constantly evolved through acquisitions and advanced technologies.
  • It offers hidden features such as green routing and indoor navigation.
  • It incorporates artificial intelligence to predict traffic patterns and improve trip planning.
  • Test a new feature that indicates the entrance doors of complex buildings.

Tricks and hidden functions of Google Maps

Through smartphones we can access a large number of applications that make our daily lives a little easier thanks to their functionalities. But among all of them there is one that stands out especially and from which perhaps you are not getting the most out of it and, therefore, on this occasion we are going to talk to you about the hidden features of Google Maps.

Options that may have gone unnoticed by you and that turn out to be very useful when you have to get around using your vehicle, so take good note of them.

Google Maps, the story of a success

Discover the hidden features of Google Maps

Google launched Maps in 2003. It was initially a mapping program that worked as a downloadable desktop application, but it didn't take long for it to start evolving. Just one year after its market launch, Google acquired several geospatial visualization and real-time traffic analysis companies, and thus the Maps we know today began to develop.

The keys to its success are many, but we are going to highlight the following:

Intuitive and easy to use interface

Without a doubt, one of the reasons why this app has been most successful is because it has a clean interface and is very easy to use.

Users can interact directly with the maps: zoom or drag and drop to change locations.

Advanced technology integration

Although other traffic apps such as Waze later arrived, Google Maps has always been a pioneer in the integration of new technologies such as satellite view or augmented reality.

Constant data update

One of the reasons that explains its success is that it is a very reliable tool, something that is due to the fact that Google invests large amounts of money and time in updating the maps, in order to provide very precise information.

In fact, as users, we can report bugs and suggest changes that help this system continue to advance.

traffic service

With the acquisition of ZipDash, Google Maps took a leap in quality, by being able to provide information about traffic in real time and show suggestions for alternative routes to avoid traffic jams.

Global and cross-platform availability

One of its strong points is that it is available on almost all platforms. You can use Google Maps in its web version or in the app version for Android or iOS. And the best thing is that it offers you detailed maps of almost any place in the world.

Discover the hidden features of Google Maps

Discover the hidden features of Google Maps

If this app is already among your favorites, you will like it even more after knowing some tricks and hidden functions that will allow you to “squeeze” it to the maximum.

ecological route

If you are a person with great environmental awareness, you have to know that Google gives you the opportunity to use the most ecological route to reach your destination.

It tells you which is the most efficient path and the one in which you will consume the least fuel. Your pocket will notice it And, what is better, the environment will also notice it, because your level of emission of polluting particles will be reduced.

If you want to be even more ecological, remember that this app also tells you Where can you find rental bikes in your city.

Improved predictive traffic patterns

Google Maps has incorporated Machine Learning to improve its effectiveness, and can now predict traffic patterns more accurately.

What it does is analyze real-time traffic data and road conditions, so it can give you more precise information about the estimated time of arrival and provide detour suggestions in real time so you don't get delayed.

Get to know a neighborhood better

If you are thinking about moving, you want to see new places in your city or you are tourism, You can take advantage of Google Maps AI to discover the type of environment what's in a specific neighborhood.

Because through the app you can obtain information about the most popular places in that neighborhood, see photographs and even access opinions. This way you will know if a site may or may not be of interest to you.

Navigation through interior spaces

Among the hidden functions of Google Maps is the one that allows us to locate ourselves within large and complex interior spaces such as an airport or a shopping center.

Activate the app and let Live View do its job. It will provide you with step-by-step directions so you can get from one point to another without having to go around.

Smart personal travel assistance

One of the latest features that Google Maps has incorporated is the enhanced ability to assist in personal trip planning.

It is responsible for analyzing travel patterns through Artificial Intelligence and makes personalized suggestions about the best routes and schedules.

Entrance to buildings

Entrance to buildings

Although it is not yet available to everyone, Maps is testing a functionality that is not satisfied with taking us to a certain place, but rather tells us where exactly the door that interests us is located. Something especially useful when we visit large buildings that may have different access points.

The operation will be very simple and you will only have to click on the building in question to see an icon inside it that indicates an entrance. By clicking on said icon, the route to that access is directly traced.

Google Maps has been improving our mobility for more than 20 years, telling us how we can get to places, regardless of whether we travel on foot, in our private vehicle or by public transport. As a result, Now we all feel much more confident when we have to go to a place we have never been before, because we know that we are not going to get lost.

The hidden functions of Google Maps are further proof that the developers do not stop innovating in this app. Every so often improvements appear that make use easier and more intuitive. At the moment we know that they are working on the layout of routes to the entrance door of the buildings, but we are sure that very soon we will have more news about other developments that are yet to come.


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