Google Maps

What Google Maps does

Google Maps is a travel and local search app for finding places, planning journeys and following routes. It supports directions for driving, walking, cycling and public transport, with route changes based on traffic and reported incidents. People can also use it to look up businesses, restaurants, landmarks and other nearby places before setting out.

Who it suits

It is suited to anyone who needs one general-purpose map for everyday travel, unfamiliar areas or local discovery. Families may find it useful on a shared phone because it combines place search and navigation in one app rather than requiring separate tools. Its wide coverage also makes it practical for users who travel between towns or countries.

Useful things to know

• Turn-by-turn guidance is available for several travel modes, including driving, walking, cycling and public transit.
• Street imagery and other visual map information can help users check a destination before arriving.
• Selected map areas can be saved for use when a data connection is unavailable.
• The app can use location services continuously during navigation, which may affect battery life.

Ratings and publisher

Google Maps is published by Google LLC in the Travel & Local category. It has a rating of 3.17 out of 5 from more than 19.3 million reviews. The listing reports 10,000,000,000+ installs, making it a very widely used option. The rating is mixed despite that large audience, so it is worth considering both its broad set of travel tools and how well those tools match the needs of the person using the phone.