How to Make the Most of Google Maps: Features Most People Don't Know

Disclaimer: This guide is for educational and informational purposes only. Google Maps features and interface may change over time. Data accuracy depends on your location and available mapping information. We are not affiliated with Google.

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Most people use Google Maps the same basic way: they search for a location, tap "Directions," and follow the route. That's like buying a smartphone and only using it to make calls. Google Maps is incredibly powerful, packed with features that can save you time, money, and frustration—if you know they exist.

Whether you're a student navigating an unfamiliar campus, a professional commuting daily through Accra traffic, or someone exploring new areas, Google Maps has tools that make life significantly easier. This guide reveals the features most people never discover, with practical examples showing exactly how to use them.

Why Google Maps Matters in Ghana (and Everywhere)

Let's be honest about Ghana's road situation. Street names aren't always clearly marked, addresses can be vague ("near the big tree by the old shop"), and roads change condition frequently. This is exactly where Google Maps becomes invaluable.

Real Problems Google Maps Solves:

• Finding locations with just a Ghana Post GPS address
• Avoiding roads that are currently flooded or damaged
• Getting accurate walking directions that show you shortcuts locals use
• Knowing real-time traffic conditions before you leave
• Discovering nearby facilities (pharmacies, banks, restaurants) when you're in an unfamiliar area
• Sharing your location with friends so they can find you easily

Google Maps isn't perfect in Ghana—some smaller roads aren't mapped, and traffic data isn't as comprehensive as in Western countries. But it's the best navigation tool available, and it's free.

Feature 1: Saving Locations for Easy Access

This is one of the most useful features that people overlook. Instead of searching for the same places repeatedly, you can save locations and access them with one tap.

How to Save a Location

On Your Phone:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Search for the location you want to save (your home, workplace, favorite restaurant, campus building, etc.)
3. Tap on the location name/card at the bottom
4. Tap "Save"
5. Choose a list:
   • Favorites: For places you visit most
   • Want to Go: For places you plan to visit
   • Starred Places: A general collection
   • Or create a New List (like "Campus Buildings," "Family Homes," "Study Spots")

On Desktop:

1. Go to google.com/maps
2. Search for your location
3. Click on the location card
4. Click "Save"
5. Choose your list

Creating Custom Lists

This is where organization becomes powerful.

Example Lists for Students:

• Campus Buildings: Library, lecture halls, administrative offices, cafeteria
• Study Spots: Coffee shops, quiet libraries, reading spaces
• Food Places: Affordable restaurants, waakye spots, chop bars
• Important Locations: Bank, hospital, police station, bus terminal

Example Lists for Professionals:

• Work-Related: Office, client locations, meeting venues
• Services: Mechanic, car wash, pharmacy, doctor
• Family: Parents' home, siblings' places, relatives' houses

How to Create a New List:

1. Tap "Save" on any location
2. Select "New List"
3. Name your list
4. Add description (optional)
5. Choose if it's private or public
6. Save

Now when you save other locations, you can add them to this list.

Accessing Saved Locations

Quick Access:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Tap your profile picture (top right)
3. Select "Your places"
4. Tap "Saved"
5. See all your lists and locations

When you need directions to a saved place, simply search for it by name or select it from your saved list—much faster than typing the full address every time.

Feature 2: Accurate Directions for Every Mode of Transport

This is where Google Maps truly shines. It doesn't just give you a route—it gives you the best route based on how you're traveling.

Setting Up Navigation

Basic Steps:

1. Search for your destination

2. Tap "Directions"

3. Choose your mode of transport:

   • 🚗 Driving (car, motorcycle, taxi)
   • 🚶 Walking
   • 🚌 Transit (bus, trotro, public transport)
   • 🚲 Cycling (bicycle, scooter)
   • ✈️ Ride Services (Uber, Bolt)

4. Review route options

5. Tap "Start" to begin navigation

Walking Directions: The Hidden Power

Walking directions in Google Maps are surprisingly sophisticated, especially in urban areas.

What Walking Directions Show:

• Pedestrian pathways that cars can't use
• Shortcuts through buildings or campuses (when mapped)
• Stairs vs. ramps (useful for accessibility)
• Estimated walking time adjusted for your pace
• Real-time position showing exactly where you are

Example: You're at the University of Ghana main gate and need to reach the library. Google Maps won't route you along the main road like a car would—it'll show you the footpath that cuts directly through campus, saving you 10 minutes.

Pro Tip for Students: When you're new to a campus, use walking directions even for places you can see. The app shows you the optimal path, including indoor routes through buildings if they're mapped.

Driving Directions: Traffic, Road Conditions, and More

This is where Google Maps saves you the most time.

What Driving Directions Consider:

• Real-time traffic conditions (red = heavy traffic, orange = moderate, green = clear)
• Road closures and construction (when reported)
• Accidents and incidents (from user reports and traffic monitoring)
• Alternative routes (often 2-3 options with time estimates)
• Speed limits (shown as you drive)
• Speed camera locations (in some regions)

How It Works in Ghana: Google Maps crowdsources traffic data from Android phones and people using Google Maps. When many phones are moving slowly on a road, Maps identifies it as traffic and routes other users around it.

Example: You're driving from Madina to Osu at 5 PM (rush hour). Google Maps shows:

• Route 1 (usual route): 45 minutes, heavy traffic on Tetteh Quarshie Interchange
• Route 2 (alternative): 38 minutes, moderate traffic via Spintex Road
• Route 3 (longest but clearest): 42 minutes, light traffic taking the ring road

You choose Route 2 and save 7 minutes. Over a year of daily commutes, that's hours of time saved.

Avoiding Bad Roads

While Google Maps doesn't explicitly label "bad roads," there are ways to identify them:

Indicators of Road Quality:

1. User reports: Maps shows icons for hazards, potholes, and road issues if users report them
2. Alternative route suggestions: If Maps keeps suggesting a longer alternative, the shorter route might have issues
3. Street View preview: Before starting your journey, drag the yellow Pegman icon onto the route to see Street View images of the road
4. Satellite view: Switch to satellite view to see if a road is paved or unpaved

How to Report Bad Roads: While navigating:

1. Tap the speech bubble icon
2. Select "Add a report"
3. Choose "Construction," "Road closure," or other relevant issues
4. This helps other users avoid the problem

Motorcycle/Motorbike Specific Directions

If you ride a motorbike (okada) or motorcycle, here's a trick:

Use Car directions but pay attention to shortcuts. Motorcycles can often use paths that cars can take but are narrow, and you can filter through traffic. The car directions will show you the main routes, but use common sense to identify motorcycle shortcuts.

Note: Google Maps doesn't have a dedicated motorcycle mode in Ghana yet, but car mode works well since motorcycles follow road rules similar to cars.

Feature 3: Real-Time Traffic Information

Understanding traffic conditions before you leave can change your entire day.

How to Check Traffic

Before Starting Your Journey:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Don't search for a destination yet
3. Tap the layers icon (looks like stacked squares) in the top right
4. Select "Traffic"
5. The map now shows traffic conditions with color coding:
   • Green: Free flowing traffic
   • Orange: Moderate traffic, some delays
   • Red: Heavy traffic, significant delays
   • Dark Red/Maroon: Stop-and-go traffic, severe delays

Pro Tip: Check traffic before you shower and get ready. If you see heavy traffic on your usual route, you can either:

• Leave earlier
• Wait 30 minutes for traffic to clear
• Take an alternative route
• Work from home if possible

For Regular Commutes: Google Maps learns your patterns. If you regularly travel from home to work at 7:30 AM, Maps will automatically show you:

• "20 min to work, typical traffic"
• Or "35 min to work, heavier traffic than usual"

This appears as a notification on your phone, helping you time your departure.

Live Traffic Incidents

Google Maps shows real-time incidents:

• 🚗 Accidents
• 🚧 Construction
• 🚨 Road closures
• ⚠️ Hazards

These appear as icons on the map. Tap them to see details and estimated delays.

Feature 4: Offline Maps for Areas Without Internet

This feature is a lifesaver when you're traveling to areas with poor network coverage or want to save mobile data.

How to Download Offline Maps

On Mobile (Recommended):

1. Open Google Maps
2. Search for the area you need (e.g., "Kumasi" or "Cape Coast")
3. Tap on the area name card at the bottom
4. Scroll down and tap "Download offline map"
5. Adjust the map area if needed (pinch to zoom and pan)
6. Tap "Download"
7. Name your map (e.g., "Kumasi Trip Feb 2026")
8. Wait for download (size varies, typically 50-200 MB per city)

Alternative Method:

1. Tap your profile picture
2. Select "Offline maps"
3. Tap "Select your own map"
4. Choose the area and download

What Works Offline

With offline maps, you can:

• ✅ Search for locations within the downloaded area
• ✅ Get turn-by-turn directions (driving, walking, cycling)
• ✅ View business information (names, addresses, hours)
• ✅ See your current location on the map

What Doesn't Work Offline:

• ❌ Real-time traffic information
• ❌ Public transit directions
• ❌ Live updates (new businesses, road closures)
• ❌ Street View

Pro Tip for Students: Before traveling home during holidays, download offline maps of:

• Your home region
• Any cities you'll pass through
• Your campus area (in case you lose data while there)

Storage Management: Offline maps expire after 30 days (to keep them updated). Google Maps will remind you to update them. You can manually update by:

1. Profile picture → Offline maps
2. Tap on a map
3. Select "Update"

Feature 5: Sharing Your Location in Real-Time

This feature is essential for safety and coordination.

How to Share Your Live Location

Method 1: Quick Share

1. Open Google Maps
2. Tap your profile picture (blue dot on the map)
3. Select "Share your location"
4. Choose how long to share:
   • 15 minutes
   • 1 hour
   • 3 hours
   • Until you turn it off
5. Choose how to share:
   • Contacts: Select people from your phone
   • WhatsApp: Share directly in a WhatsApp chat
   • SMS: Send via text message
   • Copy link: Share link anywhere

Method 2: From Directions (While Navigating)

1. Start navigation to your destination
2. Tap "Share trip"
3. Choose recipient
4. They'll see:
   • Your current location
   • Your destination
   • Estimated arrival time
   • Your route
   • Your battery percentage

Practical Use Cases

For Students:

• Share location when walking back to hostel late at night (safety)
• Let friends know when you're arriving for group study
• Show parents you've reached campus safely after traveling

For Everyone:

• Let someone know you're on the way to meet them
• Allow family to track you during long trips
• Coordinate pickups (they can see exactly where you are instead of calling repeatedly)

Privacy Note: Location sharing stops automatically when the time expires or when you manually turn it off. You can stop sharing anytime by:

1. Opening Google Maps
2. Tapping profile picture
3. Selecting the active share
4. Tapping "Stop"

Feature 6: Exploring Nearby Places

When you're in a new area or just want to discover options, the Explore feature is powerful.

How to Use Explore

Quick Search for Categories: In the search bar, you don't need to type full names. Just type:

• "Restaurants" → Shows nearby restaurants with ratings
• "Gas station" → Finds closest fuel stations
• "ATM" → Locates ATMs near you
• "Pharmacy" → Shows nearby pharmacies
• "Hospitals" → Finds medical facilities

Explore Tab:

1. Tap the "Explore" tab at the bottom of Google Maps (between "Go" and "Saved")
2. See categories:
   • Restaurants
   • Coffee
   • Bars
   • Hotels
   • Attractions
   • Shopping
3. Tap any category to browse options
4. Each place shows:
   • Star rating
   • Price level ($, $$, $$$)
   • Distance from you
   • Current status (Open now, Closed, Opens at...)

Finding Specific Amenities

Example Searches:

• "Cheap food near me"
• "24-hour pharmacy near me"
• "Coffee shops open now"
• "Vegetarian restaurants near me"
• "Free WiFi spots near me"

Google Maps filters results based on:

• Your current location
• Star ratings
• Open hours
• Price range
• User reviews

Feature 7: Street View for Previewing Routes

Before visiting an unfamiliar place, preview what it looks like.

How to Use Street View

On Mobile:

1. Search for a location
2. Tap on the location card
3. Look for preview images at the top
4. Tap the images or look for "Street View" option
5. You can now "walk" through the area virtually:
   • Swipe to look around 360°
   • Tap arrows on the ground to move forward/backward
   • Pinch to zoom

On Desktop:

1. Search for a location
2. Drag the yellow Pegman icon (bottom right) onto the map
3. Blue lines appear showing where Street View is available
4. Drop Pegman on a blue line
5. Navigate using arrow keys or clicking arrows on the ground

Practical Uses

Before Visiting:

• See what the building looks like so you recognize it
• Check if there's parking nearby
• Identify landmarks near the location
• Verify the business is where Google says it is

For Students:

• Preview exam centers before WASSCE or university exams
• Check out potential hostel locations before committing
• See what areas around campus look like for apartment hunting

Feature 8: Saving Your Parking Location

Ever forget where you parked? Google Maps has you covered.

Manual Parking Reminder

How to Set It:

1. When you park, open Google Maps
2. Tap the blue dot (your location)
3. Select "Save your parking"
4. Add notes if needed:
   • Parking level (e.g., "Level 3")
   • Parking spot number
   • How long you can park
   • Photos of the spot
5. Save

To Find Your Car:

1. Open Google Maps
2. You'll see a "P" icon where you parked
3. Tap it and select "Directions"
4. Walk back to your car

Note: The parking reminder expires after 8 hours automatically.

Auto-Save Parking (New 2025 Feature)

If you connect your phone to your car via Bluetooth, Android Auto, or CarPlay, Google Maps can automatically detect when you park and save the location. It keeps this for 48 hours, then deletes it when you drive again.

To Enable:

1. Go to Google Maps Settings
2. Select "Navigation"
3. Turn on "Detect parking location"

Feature 9: Adding Multiple Stops to Your Route

Need to make several stops on one trip? Add them all at once.

How to Add Multiple Destinations

Before Starting Navigation:

1. Enter your final destination
2. Tap "Directions"
3. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the top right
4. Select "Add stop"
5. Search for your second destination
6. Tap "Add stop" again for a third destination
7. Add up to 9 stops total
8. Drag stops to reorder them for optimal routing
9. Tap "Start" when ready

Example: You need to:

1. Drop a friend at their house
2. Stop at an ATM
3. Buy food at a restaurant
4. Reach campus

Add all four as stops. Google Maps calculates the most efficient order and gives you one continuous navigation session with all stops.

During Navigation

You can also add stops while already navigating:

1. Tap the search bar while navigating
2. Search for "gas station," "food," etc.
3. Select a place
4. Tap "Add stop"
5. Maps adds it to your route

Feature 10: Reporting Issues and Contributing

Google Maps improves because users report problems. You can contribute too.

What You Can Report

While Navigating:

1. Tap the speech bubble icon
2. Select "Add a report"
3. Choose what to report:
   • 🚧 Construction
   • 🚗 Crash
   • 🚨 Speed trap (police checkpoint)
   • 🛑 Road closure
   • 🚙 Disabled vehicle
   • 🕳️ Pothole

For Places:

1. Search for a business or location
2. Tap "Suggest an edit"
3. You can correct:
   • Name spelling
   • Address
   • Phone number
   • Business hours
   • Website
   • Other details

Why This Matters: When enough users report an issue, Google updates the map for everyone. Your report might help thousands of people avoid a problem you encountered.

Advanced Tips and Hidden Features

1. Measuring Distances

Want to know how far it is between two points "as the crow flies"?

On Mobile:

1. Long-press on the map at your starting point
2. Tap "Measure distance"
3. Tap additional points to measure
4. See total distance at the bottom

Use Case: Check if a hostel is truly "5 minutes from campus" as advertised.

2. Seeing Your Timeline (Location History)

Google Maps tracks places you've been (if you allow it).

To View:

1. Tap profile picture
2. Select "Your timeline"
3. Choose a date
4. See everywhere you went that day

Privacy Control:

• You can delete specific days or your entire history
• Turn off location history in Settings → Personal content

3. Avoiding Tolls, Highways, or Ferries

To Set Route Preferences:

1. Get directions to your destination
2. Tap the three dots (⋮)
3. Select "Route options"
4. Toggle preferences:
   • ☐ Avoid tolls
   • ☐ Avoid highways
   • ☐ Avoid ferries
5. Save

Google Maps will then avoid these on future routes.

4. Speed Limits and Speedometer

Speedometer (Shows Your Current Speed):

1. Start navigation
2. Your current speed appears on the bottom left
3. If you exceed the speed limit, the number turns red

Speed Limits: While navigating, the speed limit for your current road appears on the screen. This feature isn't available everywhere in Ghana yet, but it's rolling out.

5. Voice Commands (Hands-Free Navigation)

While navigating, you can say:

• "OK Google, what's the traffic ahead?"
• "OK Google, show alternate route"
• "OK Google, mute voice guidance"
• "OK Google, what's my ETA?"
• "OK Google, report traffic"

This keeps your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: "Your Location Is Approximate"

Causes:

• GPS signal is weak (you're indoors or surrounded by tall buildings)
• Location services are disabled

Solutions:

• Move to an open area
• Ensure Location is enabled in phone settings
• Check that Google Maps has location permission
• Restart the app

Issue 2: Offline Maps Not Working

Solutions:

• Ensure you downloaded the correct area
• Check if the map expired (they last 30 days)
• Update the offline map
• Make sure you're within the downloaded boundary

Issue 3: Directions Keep Rerouting

Cause: You're not following the suggested route, or GPS signal is jumping.

Solutions:

• Stay on the suggested path
• Enable "Play voice during phone calls" in settings so you hear turns
• If GPS is inaccurate, recalibrate by moving in a figure-8 pattern

Issue 4: Battery Draining Quickly

Solutions:

• Lower screen brightness
• Use battery saver mode on your phone
• Close other apps running in background
• In Google Maps settings, disable unnecessary features like "Show speed limits"

Final Thoughts

Google Maps is far more than a basic navigation tool. It's a comprehensive location platform that, when used fully, can save you time, reduce stress, prevent getting lost, and make navigating Ghana's complex road networks significantly easier.

The key is moving beyond basic usage:

• Save locations you visit frequently
• Check traffic before leaving, not after you're stuck in it
• Download offline maps before traveling
• Share your location for safety and coordination
• Explore nearby options instead of always going to the same places
• Use walking directions to discover shortcuts

Start with one or two features from this guide. Maybe today you save your five most-visited locations. Tomorrow, you download an offline map of your region. Within a week, you'll wonder how you ever navigated without these tools.

The best part? All of this is completely free. Google Maps doesn't charge for any features mentioned in this guide. It's supported by advertising and data collection, but for users, it's a powerful tool at no cost.

Whether you're a student finding your way around a new campus, a professional optimizing your daily commute, or anyone navigating Ghana's roads, Google Maps has features designed to make your life easier. You just needed to know they existed.

Now you do. Start exploring.