All Google Maps widgets on Android and what is each one for

Over time, Google Maps has been gaining widgets or shortcuts, as they are all icons that do not show information per se. Nowadays Google Maps has five widgets with which you can access specific functions of the application with one touch.

We tell you what are these five widgets or shortcuts and what they are for, so you can take advantage of it and waste less time navigating between menus and submenus to get to the functions you use the most, such as driving mode or the nearby traffic.

How to get

The widget How to get It is one of the most interesting, as it allows you to customize it more than others. After choosing it, a selection window is displayed where you must choose the route destination, mode of transport and additional options, as if you want to avoid tolls or ferries.

After creating the widget, tapping on it the route is opened directly in Google Maps, from the current place and with the means of transport you will select (car, motorcycle, public transport or on foot). You can create as many accesses to different routes as you want, to have a quick way of start a route to your favorite places.

Share location

Share location is a widget with which you can do just that, share your location in real time with other people. This widget has no options but works more like a quick access to the location sharing feature.

The widget is the equivalent of opening Google Maps, tapping on your profile picture icon, and entering Share location. If you are not sharing your location with anyone, you can do so by pressing Share location and then choosing with whom, whether they are contacts from Google Maps or in other applications.

Driving mode

In addition to being able to make routes from a place A to a place B, in Google Maps it is possible to activate driving mode, which works like a GPS without a specific heading (although you can also add it, easily).

When Google introduced driving mode, using it was as easy as using the floating Go button, although that button has been changed to the route selector. A new start mode driving mode it is with the widget.

Traffic

If you want to see the traffic on Google Maps, you just need to activate the layer in this regard, so that it is shown superimposed on the map. However, Google Maps has a specific section for traffic, with cards with traffic jams in the area. After the latest redesigns of Google Maps, this section is virtually hidden, but you can continue to access it through its widget.

Friend location

Finally, we have Friend Location, a widget where you can add to one of your google contacts. Tapping on it opens and shows their location on Google Maps, as long as that person is already sharing their real-time location with you.

If that person is not sharing their location with you, from this widget you can ask him to do it. They will receive a notification that you have asked to share the location and, if they accept, you will see where it is on the map.

–
The news

All Google Maps widgets on Android and what is each one for

was originally published in

Xataka Android

by
Ivan Ramirez

.