Andy Walker / Android Authority
Many believe in the idea that you should critique what you love. If that’s true, then I must have a strong affection for Google Maps. I use this navigation app on Android and Android Auto almost daily, and each day I’m reminded of its missing features. This is particularly evident when I’m on a longer drive.
Google Maps isn’t the ideal road trip companion for all intents and purposes. Sure, it gets you from A to B (eventually), estimates travel time, and provides turn-by-turn directions, but that’s the bare minimum I’d expect from any long-distance navigation tool. It offers the basics and stops there. With a few tweaks and additions, Maps could become a more effective planning, navigating, and discovery tool for road adventurers.
What feature do you think would enhance Google Maps as a road trip tool? 21 votes A distance radius tool 10 % Smarter custom maps integration 14 % Better list management 5 % Simple navigation improvements 19 % Context-aware recommendations 14 % Road surface information 19 % Weather alerts and overlay 5 % A comprehensive voice assistant 10 % Something else entirely (comment with your idea) 5 %
A distance calculator I love spontaneous road trips, but I also enjoy planning. I’m the type who likes to prepare for various scenarios or at least have a backup plan. I do this by studying routes in advance, noting distances between towns or attractions, fuel stops, farm stalls, grocery stores, restaurants, and other key points of interest. Currently, it’s far too cumbersome to calculate theoretical travel distances on Google Maps. A simple solution would be to introduce a radius tool. This would allow me to easily gauge travel times and distances from a central position by highlighting the area within the given travel parameters.
A radius tool would allow me to gauge travel times and distances from a central position more easily.
Considering travel speed and usual traffic, a radius tool would be handy if my partner and I want to stay overnight in a town no more than three hours or 150 km away, for instance. It would help plan day trips or view attractions within 30 minutes of our lodging. Currently, I have to zoom out and tap each nearby point of interest to check distances and travel times from my original position, but a radius tool would streamline this process.
Maps could even include a “distance in X hours” feature that appears during a navigation session, which calculates and displays the likely position of the vehicle within a given time based on the average speed and route. This would allow more precise on-road planning.
Smarter custom maps integration
Andy Walker / Android Authority
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