Surprising Google Maps Tricks That Don t Involve Navigation

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Wherever you're headed, Google Maps can give you a snapshot of what you'll find when you get there, from real-time crowd numbers to menus, prices and contact information. Angela Lang/CNET I use Google Maps practically every day, even though I rarely actually use it to get directions. It's not obvious at first glance, but Google Maps can do a lot more than just navigate you from Point A to Point B.

Beneath all those high-res satellite images and color-coded routes hides a powerful search tool, chock-full of crowdsourced real-time data on scores of retail stores, Mod APK restaurants, game cheats professional offices and public parks -- and practically anywhere else you want to go. Turn-by-turn directions are so last decade compared with some of Google Maps' more recent updates, which include AI-powered language translation and incognito mode to prevent leaving a paper trail.

If you're already familiar with Google Maps as a navigation tool, next-level powers like these are only a tap, press or swipe away. To unleash the hidden power of the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet, take a look at the top four ways I use Google Maps every day that have nothing to do with getting directions. Now playing: Watch this: Google updates Maps with AR, Facebook tests new video... 1:30 See how long the line is everywhere from Walmart to the DMV In the Google Maps app, real-time information on lines, crowds and wait times is in red, but you can tap any other hour of day to see what you can probably expect then.

Screenshot by Dale Smith/CNET Before I walk out the door, whether I'm heading to Walmart, the grocery store, the doctor's office or to renew my driver's license, I almost always check Google Maps to see exactly how busy I can expect my destination to be. Here's how you can look up that information too. In the Google Maps app, tap on the business or location you want to visit and scroll down until you see a graph labeled Popular times. Tap the day of the week if you're planning a trip for later that week.

Tap on the red column to see current foot-traffic data, or one of the blue columns to get a summary of how busy you can expect it to be at another time: Not busy, Not too busy, A little busy or As busy as it gets. Next, under the heading Plan your visit, you'll find general information like peak wait times ("up to 5 min from 6 a.m -- 12 a.m") and game cheats length of average visit ("People typically spend 20 min here"). Now you know whether you'll be in and out in a flash or if you need to pack a good book or just plan your visit for another day when wait times aren't as long.

Want to wait until a restaurant has room before heading out? Look under "Popular times" to see when the crowds usually die down. James Martin/CNET Check out menus, photos and customer reviews In addition to its navigation tools, APKX Google Maps is also a full-blown crowdsourced review app, much like Yelp or TripAdvisor, so you can get a good idea of what sorts of options your destination offers, as well as price, presentation and whether you'll need to take out a loan to afford it.

This feature is especially useful if your destination is a restaurant, hotel or bar, where previewing menu options and game review cheats (http://dev.ultratechweb.com/) prices -- not to mention getting a good look at the dishes and decor -- might make or Mod APK break your decision to try someplace new. For those who trust the wisdom of crowds, [value%22%0D%0A%0D%0APeru%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22changed%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22form_build_id%22%0D%0A%0D%0Aform-5018cb8f0671b65ae3ae7c87d3550ad3%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22form_id%22%0D%0A%0D%0Alivredor_node_form%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22field_ville[0][value]%22%0D%0A%0D%0AAlexandria%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22field_email[0][email]%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A---------------------------457267457%0D%0AContent-Disposition:%20form-data;%20name=%22op%22%0D%0A%0D%0AEnregistrer%0D%0A---------------------------457267457-- game review] cheats it also shows the restaurants' five-star average as well as individual reviews to weigh in your decision.