8 essential Google Maps features to help you during the holidays

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8 essential Google Maps features to help y'all during the holidays

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Holidays are coming, and with information technology comes all the hustle and bustle of making sure everything is sorted for any festive plans you may have. Fortunately Google Maps has some new features to assist you out.

Whether you're going to be traveling for the holidays, or accept plenty to continue you occupied closer to dwelling, here are 8 Google Maps features that can help you lot maintain your sanity.

Go on abroad from crowds

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Google Maps' Busyness tool is a fantastic manner to go along away from the crowds, and has recently been updated to include larger areas instead of individual buildings or locations. That way you tin can do your best to avoid the spots absolutely teeming with people you're better off avoiding.

The best function is this feature now appears automatically on the app, so you don't demand to go searching for it. However it's always a good idea to check businesses and stores ahead of fourth dimension, which you lot tin do by tapping on the map and loading up the business contour.

Curlicue down the contour past the reviews and photos to see a graph of how busy the identify gets at specific times — including a real time view of how busy that spot is right now.

Curbside pickup back up

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Sadly it'due south not ever like shooting fish in a barrel to stock up on certain groceries, and the supermarkets are going to be packed in the run-upwardly to Christmas. Thank goodness for curbside pickup, right? While hardly sectional to Google Maps, Google does have a number of features (and partnerships) that will make picking up groceries much easier over the holidays.

Provided yous shop at partnered stores, Google Maps will at present let you identify and runway grocery orders from within Google Maps; ameliorate yet, the app volition send your ETA to the store so that it can be set when you make it. That mode there'due south no unnecessary waiting around, and no battling the crowds to get the final frozen ham.

Currently this feature is only available for Kroger-family stores at the moment, including Kroger, Fry'south, Ralphs and Marianos. But that doesn't make it whatever less useful, and we expect other grocery chains will get on board in the near futurity.

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Navigating inside is hard at the best of times, especially with those terrible directory maps. So getting effectually during the holidays? Sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. Fortunately Google has plenty of options to help you out.

Non only does Google Maps offer indoor directions for large and people-heavy locations like malls and airports, the app as well expanded its Directory tab recently. That way you can bank check out a spot and find out where all the important locations are, whether that's a specific store or restaurants, the bathroom, or something more than useful similar an information desk-bound.

What's more, select malls, airports and transit hubs in the U.S. now offer Indoor Live View directions. Prepare a route to your intended location, so hit Live View at the bottom of the screen. Once Google Maps has started off the AR directional view, simply scan your camera around the surrounding area so it tin effigy out where you lot are. Then, like magic, the app volition overlay directions on top of the real world to get you where you demand to go.

Rail your trip itinerary

(Image credit: Google Maps)

Even with everything booked, it can be a bit of a challenge keeping track of all the things you demand to do and when. Thankfully Google Maps tin can assistance you out by pulling information from your Gmail inbox and Google Calendar, and storing them in one easy-to-admission place.

Just hit the Saved button at the bottom of the screen, and and then Reservations. Google Maps will and then testify all the different things you lot have booked, so you don't need to become hunting around your inbox only to find out what time your table booking actually is.

Make restaurant and hotel reservations

(Image credit: Google Maps)

To spare you the problem of going through divide restaurant and hotel apps or websites, you tin can brand reservations correct through Google Maps. All you demand to do is find a eatery or a hotel on the map, and tap the Reserve or Availability option on the business concern contour page. From there you lot will be taken through the steps to become a visit sorted out, and without having to call and wait to speak to a person.

That's going to be incredibly handy at this time of year. Whether you need a place to stay during a holiday trip, or if you admittedly mangled dinner and need to be able to feed your extended family at very short notice.

Avert traffic jams

(Prototype credit: Google)

Traffic tin be a nightmare at the all-time of times, and holidays only makes it worse. And so what meliorate time to brand use of i of Google Maps' key features? Using a mix of historical and real time information from a range of sources, Google Maps has a pretty practiced idea of how bad traffic is — or is going to be — forth your road.

So it definitely pays to pay attention to what Google is telling you lot, peculiarly if it's suggesting a different route than you were expecting. It may not be equally extreme equally Waze in directing you around traffic, only believe me Google Maps can assistance you avoid some killer traffic jams you might not have realized were there.

If yous're traveling by public transit instead of by auto, don't forget that Google Maps can rails all that too. That mode you can go along tabs on delays, inflow times, and everything else that might happen.

Google Maps itself volition also highlight areas with increased levels of traffic, giving you the risk to brand a manual diversion if you find information technology before long enough

Salve on wireless data and avert deadspots

(Image credit: Google Maps)

Cell signal tin can be spotty, and the final thing you want is to lose access to your navigation halfway through a cross-country bulldoze. The solution? Download those directions then you tin can always access them, fifty-fifty if you're offline.

But hit the avatar in the right-hand side of the search bar, so select Offline Maps. From there Google volition give you a map of your region, and you need to make sure the highlighted expanse covers whatever route you lot want to accept. Then hit the download button, and you lot're all prepare.

Only be aware that if you plan on traveling super-long distances, i.e.crossing several country lines on your way, yous may need to repeat this process multiple times.

Let others know when yous'll be arriving

(Image credit: Google Maps)

If you're traveling somewhere over the holidays, chances are there'southward someone waiting for you at your destination. Then go on them in the loop past sharing your location and trip progress. Simply get-go the navigation, swipe upwardly from the bottom toolbar and hitting Share trip progress.

Your phone volition then inquire you lot which contact or app to share with, and doing and then will transport a link that lets someone else rail you in real fourth dimension.

Tracking ends automatically when y'all go far, or you lot tin can stop it manually by post-obit the same steps and selecting End sharing.

Tom is the Tom's Guide'south Automotive Editor, which means he can usually exist institute knee deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the tabular array. He'southward ordinarily plant trying to clasp another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very big cups of coffee, or lament that Ikea won't let him purchase the stuff he really needs online.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/8-essential-google-maps-features-to-help-you-during-the-holidays

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