How to use Google Maps on your smartphone

This guide is for anyone who has heard that Google Maps is useful but has never quite got to grips with it. By the end, you'll know how to get turn-by-turn directions, see a satellite photo of any street or field, save the places you visit regularly, and download a map so it works even when your mobile signal disappears. No previous experience needed.

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Step 1: Download and open Google Maps

Google Maps is free. On an iPhone or iPad, open the App Store (the blue icon with a white letter A). On an Android phone or tablet, open Google Play (the colourful triangle). Type "Google Maps" into the search bar, tap the result, and tap Install or Get. The download usually takes under a minute on a decent Wi-Fi connection.

Once it's installed, tap the app to open it. You'll see a map of your current area, assuming you've allowed the app to use your location. If it asks for permission, tap "Allow while using the app." This is what lets it show your position as a blue dot, which makes navigation far easier.

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Step 2: Search for a destination and get directions

Tap the white search bar at the top of the screen and type the address or name of the place you're looking for. A garden centre, a hospital, a friend's street, anything will work. As you type, suggestions appear below; tap the right one when you see it.

The map will zoom to that location and show a red pin. At the bottom of the screen you'll see a panel with the name and address. Tap the blue Directions button.

Now choose how you're travelling. The icons at the top of the directions screen represent driving (a car), walking (a person), public transport (a bus), cycling (a bicycle) and taxi (a car with a person). Tap the one that suits you.

Google Maps will show you one or more routes. Each one displays the estimated time and distance. Tap a route to select it, then tap the blue Start button. The app will now guide you with spoken instructions through your phone's speaker. You don't need to keep looking at the screen.

A few things worth knowing: the voice can be made louder or quieter by pressing the volume buttons on the side of your phone while Maps is open. If you miss a turn, don't worry. Maps recalculates automatically within a few seconds.

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Step 3: Switch to satellite view

The standard map view shows roads, place names and coloured areas for parks and water. Satellite view swaps all of that for real aerial photography, which is particularly useful for identifying landmarks, checking what a car park looks like, or simply satisfying curiosity about a place before you visit.

To switch, look for a small square icon in the upper-right area of the map screen (it looks like a stack of layers). Tap it. A menu appears with options including Default, Satellite and Terrain. Tap Satellite.

The map will reload with photographic imagery. You can still search and get directions in satellite view; the blue route line will appear on top of the photography. To go back to the normal map, tap the layers icon again and choose Default.

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Step 4: Save a favourite place

If you visit somewhere regularly, such as a GP surgery, a supermarket, a relative's house, or a favourite pub, you can save it so you never have to type the address again.

Search for the place as described in Step 2. Tap its name in the panel that appears at the bottom of the screen to open its full details page. Scroll down slightly and you'll see a row of buttons: Directions, Save, Share and possibly others. Tap Save.

Google Maps will ask which list to save it to. There are two ready-made options: "Favourites" (marked with a star) and "Want to go" (marked with a flag). You can also tap New list to create your own, so you might have one called "Family" or "Medical" or whatever makes sense to you.

To use a saved place later, tap the search bar and then look for the Saved option at the bottom of the screen (on some Android phones) or tap your profile picture and then Your places (on iPhone and most Android devices). Your lists will be there, and tapping any saved place takes you straight to directions.

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Step 5: Download an offline map

Mobile signal in the UK is patchier than the coverage maps suggest. Rural areas, underground car parks, the inside of large buildings and many stretches of motorway can all leave you without data at the exact moment you need it. Offline maps solve this: you download a section of the map while you're on Wi-Fi, and it works without any signal at all.

Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner of the main map screen. Tap Offline maps. Then tap Select your own map.

A box appears over the map. Move the map beneath it (drag with your finger) and pinch or spread your fingers to zoom in or out until the box covers the area you want. A note at the bottom tells you how much storage the download will use; most regions of the UK fit easily within 100 to 500 megabytes, which is manageable on most modern phones.

Tap Download. The process takes a few minutes on Wi-Fi. Once complete, your offline map is stored on the phone and available even in a signal dead zone.

In my experience, it's worth downloading your home region as a matter of course, even if you rarely leave it. Signal outages happen, and having the map already there removes a surprising amount of stress.

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A few extra things worth knowing

Google Maps has a feature called Street View, which lets you see a 360-degree photo taken from street level. Search for any address, open its details page, and look for a small rectangular photo near the top of the panel. Tap it. You can then drag your finger to look in any direction. This is particularly useful for checking what the entrance to a clinic or hotel looks like before you arrive.

You can also ask the app to avoid motorways, toll roads or ferries when getting driving directions. After you tap Directions but before you tap Start, look for three dots or a settings cog at the top-right of the directions screen. Tap it and you'll find route options.

One last thing: if someone else needs to find you, and you'd rather not read out your whole address, tap the blue dot on the map (your current location), then tap Share your location. You can send a link by text message that shows your real-time position. Useful for meeting family at a large venue or letting a friend know you've arrived safely.

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