Andy Walker / Android Authority
Did you know that Google Maps has a robust custom map creation tool? I don’t blame you if you don’t; Google doesn’t exactly make it easy to discover or use. Nevertheless, My Maps allows users to create custom maps with defined pins, highlighted routes, annotations, and more. When used correctly, it can transform how you plan trips, navigate, or discover new destinations within Google Maps.
It took me many moons to realize how adaptable and useful the feature is, and now I want to share this discovery with you. If you’re looking for ideas on using custom maps in Google Maps, you’re in the right place. Below, I explain how and where to create these maps, how to find your created maps in the Google Maps Android app, and how you can use custom maps to enhance your Maps experience in various scenarios.
Do you use Google My Maps? 956 votes Yes, I use it often! 29 % Yes, I've used it a few times. 28 % Yes, but ages ago. I didn't know that it still exists. 18 % No, but I would if it were more accessible on mobile. 15 % No, I have no need for it. 9 % No, I prefer using an alternative (let us know which in the comments). 2 %
How to create custom maps with Google My Maps
Andy Walker / Android Authority
There was once a time when Google offered users an app to create custom maps, but those days are long gone. Now, Google limits its My Map tool to web browsers. While you can view custom maps via the Google Maps app on Android, you can only create and edit maps via its web portal. It’s clunky and makes custom map creation a little more tedious than it really should be. Google really is wasting a clear opportunity to reinvent My Maps within the Google Maps framework.
So, how can you create a custom map? Follow the steps below: To create a custom map, open your favorite web browser and visit mymaps.google.com.
Google will prompt you to log in with your account details.
Once logged in, you’ll see a tiled display of the maps you have accessed. To create a new map, click the three-line menu button at the top left of the screen, then select Create a new map . Click Create again in the alert box that appears.
. Click again in the alert box that appears. You should now see a page with a map as the main feature, a box of tools, and a search bar, similar to the screenshot above. As you can see on the left-hand side of the screenshot, the core feature of custom maps is the layer function. Each layer can include markers, routes, and shapes drawn on the map, while custom maps can consist of multiple layers that can be hidden or revealed as desired. My Maps also supports info uploads drawn from spreadsheets, KML, or GPX files. You can also adjust the base map style, which enhances the visual appeal when viewing the data on a phone. There are loads of options!
How to find and use your custom maps in Google Maps
While your custom map files are stored on your Google Drive, they are accessible from the Google Maps Android app. To find them: Open the Maps app and tap the You tab at the bottom of the screen.
tab at the bottom of the screen. Scroll to the bottom and tap the Maps icon. This page lists all the custom maps you’ve opened or saved on Google Maps, including the last modified date.
Tapping a map will load it into Google Maps as an overlay, which displays any points, routes, or information saved to the custom map. If you can’t remember which icons or colors correlate with which institution, tap View map legend. This opens a page highlighting the subsections and points on the map in list form. Here, you can control which points and details you see on the map.
Note that any custom map you select will remain on the map indefinitely. To remove the custom map overlay, tap the Layer button and select the map under the Explore section. This returns Google Maps to its original state.
The best ways to use custom maps in Google Maps
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Right, now that you know how to create custom maps and find them within Google Maps, why would you want to? Well, the beauty of Google My Maps is the freedom it gives creators. With patience, you can craft a map to suit almost any requirement. I’ve seen people create educational maps detailing the flags of all the countries in the world, maps of famous crimes, or functional maps of points of interest in a city or country. Some creators share their maps with others, and you’ll find plenty of the latter on various forums.
Of course, creating custom maps is part of the fun, so I implore you to give it a go yourself. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start with My Maps, here are some of my favorite ideas, some of which I have already implemented myself:
Pinpoint critical emergency services around me I’m an anxious human being, so knowing exactly where emergency services are located in my city is hugely important. I save all these details in a custom map that includes various layers for police stations, hospitals, clinics, dentists, gas stations, and 24/7 convenience stores. Each is earmarked with a corresponding icon and color to simplify identification. You can also upload custom icons to help these points stand out even more.
Notably, depending on your location, you can create more specific custom maps to prepare for specific natural disruptions or seasonal risks.
Highlight potential stops on a road trip
Andy Walker / Android Authority
I usually rely on Google Maps’ Lists feature to save potential stops along a route, but I’ve found that viewing these stops plotted on a custom map make it simpler to view distances from various points. The Maps app allows users to toggle points on and off relatively easily, too, so I can zero in on the type of stop I’d like to see. Points of interest can be categorized based on the kind of stop, distance deviation from the original route, and more.
I think it’s essential to highlight medical facilities and police stations on these maps too. Still, these maps put items like gas stations, other roadside attractions like farmstalls, photo opportunities, or tolls first. Notably, as My Maps lets you include a brief textual snippet for each entry, I can detail operating times, menu highlights, and other textual details in this field for each — something that I cannot do using Lists.
Chart a driving route bucket list If you like combining exploration with driving, this idea is for you. Think of this as a road travel bucket list. South Africa has some incredible driving roads, so I keep a tab of scenic routes and mountain passes I’d like to traverse in the future. As I leave these in the dust, I migrate the driven routes I’ve listed to the Completed layer from the To Drive layer, and offer a few thoughts on each road. There’s no reason why you couldn’t create a similar custom map for your town or country, for driving, cycling, or walking.
Do note that this custom map can get a little complicated depending on how you structure it. As each direction set needs a separate layer, I generally use a marker to highlight the starting point and ending point of a single road. Again, if you can think of a more elegant solution to this, I’m all ears!
Plan entire holidays from arrival to departure
Andy Walker / Android Authority
This is how many My Maps users utilize the tool, and it’s rather brilliant for this purpose. I prefer to do my own research, but you could easily craft a custom map using local recommendations from outside sources, Google Maps reviews, or plot suggestions from friends or family who are tagging along or have visited your intended destination. A custom map makes it far easier to track all these potential plans.
Notably, the custom map layer system comes in clutch here. You can decide how you’d like to structure this custom map using this. Perhaps you’d like to include a new layer for each day of your holiday or break them down by activity, price, or destination. The choice is yours here. You can include textual details or even upload a photo or a video for inspiration or, as I enjoy doing for my hiking maps, a visual starting point or a viewpoint that’s a little deviation from the proven trail.
Additionally, you can plot directions from various points within the map, including driving, cycling, or walking routes around a city or country.
Create a digital scratch map I’ve always wanted a physical scratch map to chart the countries I’ve visited, but they grow old and stale quickly if you aren’t racking up stamps in that passport. In the meantime, I’ve turned to My Maps to create a digital scratch map of sorts, plotting points on the cities, attractions, restaurants, and other points of interest I’ve visited and loved.
Notably, this can also be used to good effect for local travel. My partner and I plan to visit every town in my province by car at least once, and a custom map helps us to keep track of the towns, restaurants, and accommodations we’ve ticked off the list. This is a great way to create a manual copy of your Google Maps timeline that contains only the greatest hits. There are various ways to use Google My Maps, and I’ve only covered a brief slice of what’s possible. If you’re a custom map creator, I want to know how you’ve used the My Maps tool in the past and present. Drop a comment down below with your best use cases.
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