Most people use Google Maps wrong because they use it alone

Although there are many alternatives on the market, when we talk about navigation, the first app that comes tomind is Google Maps. It is used by hundreds of millions worldwide for its familiar interface, and, well, it comes pre-installed on the majority of phones out of the box. The thing with Google Maps is that you type in an address, prop your phone on the dashboard or connect via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and drive. But treating Google Maps like a basic navigation app is just a massive waste of its potential.

Over the years, Google has introduced many new features to Maps, making ita highly collaborative, community-driven ecosystem. So, if you’ve been using Google Maps just for navigation, then you are missing out on a lot of amazing stuff.

Stop keeping your live ETA a secret

Instead of texting, share your trip directly

This might be the single-most underused feature in Google Maps, and the reasons people skip it are almost always the same — “It feels too invasive” or “I did not know you could do that.” However, real-time location sharing isn’t surveillance; it is coordination.

To share your live location in Google Maps, tap on your profile picture in the top right corner and select Location Sharing. From there, tap Share location, choose how long to share for, then select the contacts. If you share via link rather than directly to a contact, recipients can view your real-time position in a browser without downloading anything — though note the link expires after 24 hours. You can stop sharing at any time.

Imagine a bunch of friends deciding to meet at a particular café. Instead of someone arriving early and waiting around, everyone can share their real-time location directly from Google Maps — so the group always knows where each other is.

This can also come in handy when you are meeting someone in a crowded market, picking up a friend from the airport, or just letting your family know that you are on your way to your destination, safe and sound. Real-time location sharing is more useful than just a normal text, “I am 10 minutes away.”

Group vacations should not be buried in chat threads

Turn saved places into a collaborative, votable itinerary

When you are planning a trip, you often create a WhatsApp group filled with chats and random links to hotels, restaurants, and places to visit. Trying to track every restaurant, beach, and must-visit place shared by everyone is a nightmare.

Instead of this messy chat thread and missed links, you can create a shared itinerary right on Google Maps. Launch the map and tap the You tab. Create a new list and set it to Shared. Send the invite link to your travel partners, and everyone can start adding new locations right on one unified map.

One thing I like about this shared itinerary feature is the voting system. Anyone on your shared list can react to places with emojis (like thumbs up or down), and you can decide to visit the place with the most votes.

Sharing custom lists in Google Maps turns a messy chat thread into a democratic travel-planning process, where everyone can contribute much more easily.

Don’t go to a random place, ignoring the community

Let crowdsourced reviews and filters guide your stops

When you search for “restaurant near me” or “coffee near me,” and blindly pick the result that is nearest to you, then you are missing out on one great feature Google Maps has on offer: the massive community of Local Guides who have already done the scouting for you. Google Maps is essentially a massive, crowdsourced search engine where people leave reviews of places. Ignoring that data can lead to subpar experiences.

Instead of picking up random places you see first in the search results, use the filter icon at the top of the search results to narrow down places by ratings, opening hours, and other specific options. Read the recent reviews and look at user-uploaded photos rather than something uploaded by the owner.

The community will tell you whether that restaurant serves good coffee, Dosa, and Chole Bhature. It is just an easy way of letting each other know if that place is good or not, so that you don’t fall into a tourist trap again.

Avoid traffic and road hazards in your way

Be a team player by reporting crashes and speed traps

Have you ever wondered how Google Maps knows there is a 15-minute delay ahead of you, or there is a traffic jam up ahead? That isn’t just satellites; it is also thanks to other drivers. The app relies on crowdsourced data to predict traffic and find faster routes.

If you are only consuming data and never contributing, you aren’t playing your part in the ecosystem. If you are stuck in a jam or spot a sudden road closure, report it in real time.

While navigating, tap the Report button and select the issue: crash, speed trap, or road obstruction. Your simple selection will help thousands of fellow drivers on the same route to avoid the hassle.

Stop suffering through incorrect map data silently

Be the one to add missing information to help others

There is nothing more frustrating than driving about 20 minutes to a highly rated bakery only to find out it closed about an hour ago. You cross-check the opening hours and see that it still says open.

Most people would simply walk out, open the search bar, and look for the next bakery. But leaving bad data on the map just sets the next person up for the same failure. And if everyone starts ignoring the need to feed Google Maps accurate data, it would be a nightmare of misinformation all over the map.

So, if you see something wrong, don’t just walk away — fix it. If you notice a business has different operating hours, a different phone number, or a slightly off-pin location than what is listed on Google Maps, you can easily correct it.

Tap on the business, tap on Edit, and in the Suggest an edit section, update the information. You can even add completely new places. If you stumble upon a hidden food truck not there on the map, drop a pin and select Add a missing place.

OS

Android, iOS

Developer

Google

Use Google Maps in multiplayer mode

When you use Google Maps simply for navigation, you are leaving some of its best features on the table. But this app can fix your unorganized group travel itinerary, eliminate the danger of texting a late arrival while driving, and save the annoyance of driving several kilometers to a closed restaurant.

By using Google Maps in this way — sharing your live location, reporting road incidents, updating business info, and building a communal travel list — you take the unnecessary friction out of your travel. The next time you hit the road, be sure to use all these and other tricks that Google Maps has up its sleeves. Think we missed some? Comment down below and let everyone know.