A look back at Google Maps in 2015

2016 is just around the corner. Before we pop champagne and ring in the New Year, let’s take a look back at the enhancements we’ve made to Google Maps over the past year. From using Google Maps offline to discovering new places with Explore, we’re proud to not only get you from point A to point B quickly and easily, but to also help you explore the world around you with confidence.

Below is a list of the new features you might’ve missed, along with a handy chart showing you where you’ll find them. If you got a new phone this holiday season, now’s the time to give the Google Maps app a go.

2015 Google Maps New Features

1. 2015 is ticking away, but you can take a look back at the places you’ve traveled with Your Timeline.
2. Always know when your favorite stores are open with up-to-date holiday hours and alerts.
3. Whether you’re in a parking garage with no signal or traveling in country with expensive data, search for places, get directions, and turn-by-turn navigation–all offline.
4. Always stay on the fastest route and beat bumper-to-bumper traffic with real-time traffic updates and dynamic re-routing.
5. Never run low on fuel with up-to-date gas prices in search results and on the map.
6. Make quick pit stops without long detours–search for places along your route without leaving navigation mode.
7. Find the best local spots to eat and drink with curated recommendations.
8. Get all your travel options and compare ETAs across driving, walking, biking and transit–all on one screen.
9. Get the scoop on when the lines are shortest and shops least crowded by checking businesses’ most popular times–by day, by hour.
10. Get the lay of the land before you arrive by using Street View thumbnail.
11. Never miss a bus or train with real-time transit information (schedules, fares, updates) in more than 18,000 cities across 64 countries.
12. Get directions, turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates from your wrist with the Google Maps app on Android Wear and Apple Watch.

To see these new features in action, take a look back at our Maps Minutes Holiday Hacks series.

2015 New Features by iOS and Android Availability

Feature	Android	iOS
Up-to-Date Holiday Business Hours and Warnings	X	X
Location Search and Turn-by-Turn Navigation While Offline	X	X
A Look Back at the Places You’ve Visited through “Your Timeline”	X
Real-time Spoken Traffic Alerts	X	X
Gas Prices on Map	X	X
Location Search Without Leaving Navigation Mode	X
Updated “Explore” Experience with New Curated Content	X	X
Compare ETAs on One Screen	X	X
The Most Popular Times to Visit a Business	X	X
Street View Thumbnails	X	X
Real-time Traffic View of Your Route	X	X
Directions and Turn-by-Turn Navigation on Wearables	X (Android Wear)	X (Apple Watch)

Join us in a virtual toast to a New Year of helping you explore and navigate your far away travels as well as your everyday life.

Posted by the Google Maps team

Maps Minutes Hack #9: Get home quickly and safely on New Year’s Eve

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

Whether you’re heading to a friend’s house for a cozy gathering, going to watch the ball drop in Times Square or attending an extravagant masquerade ball, the last thing you want to worry about on New Year’s Eve is driving.

With the Google Maps app, you can get where you’re going without ever getting behind the wheel. Earlier this year we launched a new feature that allows you to see various transportation options and compare travel times–all on one screen.

Once you enter your destination in the Google Maps app, you’ll see four options to get there: driving, walking, biking or transit (bus/train). You can quickly compare ETAs and switch between the transportation modes for more details and up-to-date information for each option.

If you’re heading to a casual celebration not so far from home, walking or public transit might be your best option. The Google Maps app will give your walk time ETA along with a few transit route options with real-time schedules, updates and fares.

Google Maps can also help you grab an Uber, if arriving by bus or train isn’t your holiday style. You can see the estimated trip duration, pickup time and estimated cost once you scroll down to the bottom of the app's transit option screen.

Stay safe with Maps Minutes Hacks and enjoy your New Year’s celebrations wherever they take you.

Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing

‘Tis the season for Santa Tracker

‘Tis the night before Christmas, at our northernmost pole
And all through Santa’s Village it’s almost time to roll!
The elves have been working hard for this night
Santa’s village is abuzz—tonight’s the big flight!

Google’s Santa Tracker launches today—
And it’s time to follow the jolly man's sleigh.
He’s off on his trip ‘round the world
Delivering toys to all good boys and girls.

You’ve got a front-row seat to the show
Just fire up Google Maps to see where he goes.
Thanks to the elves’ precisely coded route
Santa and his reindeer will fly swiftly—look out!

Now the sleigh tuning’s done,
Tales of global traditions spun,
Every gift in the sleigh gently placed,
Wrapped with care, without haste.

The reindeer are prancing and eager to fly,
Ready for Santa’s trip through the sky.
With so little time to get their job done—
They may need your help on this gift-giving run.

So keep the translation tool handy;
Geography trivia would also be dandy.
There’s no telling what Santa might need
Traveling from Brisbane to Lima to Leeds.

Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
Join in on the fun—find out what you’re missin’!
On Maps! On Android, Chromecast and Google.com!
There’s something for everyone, from kids to mom.

So watch that sleigh as it takes to the air,
And wherever you are, St. Nick will soon be there.
To borrow a phrase, as Santa takes flight—
"Happy holidays to all, and to all a good-night!"


Posted by Luke Mahé, Chief Excitement Officer

Maps Minutes Hack #8: Set your home and work addresses for easy navigation

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

It’s crunch time. There are holiday parties to attend and last-minute gifts to be bought and wrapped. When the holidays are only days away even the small things can make a difference. So here’s another helpful trick for how you can save a few extra minutes every time you use Google Maps for directions or navigation.

You can save your home and work addresses in Google Maps, and then select “home” or “work” rather than typing the locations every single time. Just go to “your places” on the side menu and you’ll see “home” and “work” under “labeled places”. Enter the address for each and next time you’re navigating to or from home or work, you can get your directions a little quicker and easier than before.

Every minute matters. Save more every day with Maps Minutes Hacks. Next up: how to get home fast and safe on New Year’s Eve.

Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Maps Minutes Hack #7: No signal, no problem. Navigate your holiday travels with Google Maps offline

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

This time of year, millions take a road trip home for the holidays or adventure to faraway places all over the world. Whether you’re traveling abroad or rediscovering your own hometown, it helps to be able to navigate quickly and easily, even with limited mobile data or a spotty internet connection.

Google Maps offline, now available on iOS and Android, can help you get the most out of your holiday travels. You can browse pre-downloaded map areas, search for places, get directions and turn-by-turn navigation–all offline. Because exploring the world shouldn’t require a data connection or excessive roaming charges.

To navigate offline, simply open the Google Maps app and save any area on the map while you have a connection. Search for a place like San Francisco or Mexico City, open the place card and tap the download button. You can adjust the size of the map area you want to download and name it. Once downloaded, that area will be automatically added to your Offline areas in the side menu.

Once you’ve saved a map area, you can search for places and get directions offline. Looking for that famous art gallery or a neighborhood watering hole? You can check out addresses, opening hours, phone numbers and even navigate there–all without internet access.

To explore and navigate the world offline, install the Google Maps app on your iPhone before your holiday journey, or open it on Android along the way.

Get the most of your holiday time with Maps Minutes Hacks. Next up: how to get around faster and safer.

Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing

Maps Minutes Hack #6: Find holiday hot spots with Explore on Google Maps

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

If you're headed out on vacation, visiting friends and family in a new city or re-discovering your old favorite places over the holidays, this one's for you. With the Explore feature, available on both Android and iOS, you’ll feel like a local no matter where you are this holiday season.

Android experience
Android users in the U.S. can simply open Google Maps and tap “Explore food & drinks near you” at the bottom of the screen to see local recommendations. You can get results for breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner and drinks among curated lists like “Where the locals go” or “Best spots for dinner with kids.” Once you’ve tapped on a list, you can swipe through place cards with more details like ratings, review snippets and distance from your location. Pick a place to see the address, up-to-date open hours, popular times, Street View imagery and more.

iOS experience
On iOS, just open the Google Maps app and tap on “Explore around you” at the bottom of the map to see recommendations of places to indulge and imbibe along with places to see and things to do. iPhone users can sort their options by how long it would take to walk or drive to the destinations as well as time of day. Curated lists range from “Local favorites” to “Quick bites” to a special “Featured by Zagat” option. The “Play & see” list will show you places to go like museums, historical monuments, live music venues and more. Simply scroll through the place cards to see abbreviated info and tap on your favorite to get more details.

Whether you’re using Android or iOS, save time this holiday season by checking the up-to-date open hours to make sure you don’t arrive to find a closed sign in the window and reviewing the popular times to avoid holiday crowds.

Make the most of your time with Maps Minutes hacks. Next up: searching for places and getting turn-by-turn directions—all while offline.

Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Maps Minutes Hack #5: Make your holiday detours easier with Google Maps

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

Forget the eggnog for a holiday party? On the road to grandma's and need to gas up along the way? Or maybe you need to pick up a last-minute gift on the way to your in-laws’ house?

One poorly planned pit stop can add a lot of time to your trip – especially during the holidays when crowds can be bigger and traffic heavier. The good news is that Google Maps can help you make quick pit stops without long detours.

On Google Maps for Android, you can now search for places like a gas station, grocery store or coffee shop, navigate there, and then pick back up on your original route—all without leaving navigation mode (coming soon to iOS).

Here’s how it works: When you’re in navigation mode, simply tap the magnifying glass at the top right corner in the app. Pick a category from the drop down menu and you'll see a few options, along with ratings of businesses, prices at gas stations, and how much time the detour will add to your trip. Once you choose a place, the stop is automatically incorporated into your route. Can’t type and tap while driving? You can use voice commands instead.

Every minute counts. Save more time with Google Maps hacks. Next up: turn-by-turn navigation even when you’re offline.

Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing

Maps Minutes Hack #4: Get a Street View snapshot of your holiday travel and shopping destinations

You may have used Street View to tour the canals of Venice, gazed in wonder at the ice fjords in Greenland, or gone on a virtual safari in Samburu. But did you know Street View can also be a useful sidekick for travel and shopping this holiday season? Now, airports and shopping malls may not be as dramatic to look at as the Pyramids of Giza, but using Street View in your Google Maps app for Android or iOS, gives you a preview of your journey or shopping destination before you head out, reducing some holiday season anxiety. Just check out this map of global airports, transit stations and shopping malls so you can know before you go.

Whether you’re hopping on a flight in Mexico City, managing a tight layover in Madrid, navigating through check-in in San Jose, experiencing a delay in Osaka, or trying to find the quickest exit route to bask in the glorious sun in Bali, Street View gives you a look at the corridors, check-in counters, baggage claims, airport terminals and shops before you land. Pro tip: it’s also a great way to scope out nearby bathrooms if you’re traveling with kids!

Mexico City International Airport, Mexico

If you’re planning to take the train, navigate through Victoria Station in London, Keikyu Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, Milano Centrale in Italy, and Seoul Station in Korea (to name a few!), so you can be one step ahead, whether you’re with a group of friends, family or a baby stroller.

Victoria Station, London, England

Navigating holiday shopping crowds is never easy. Getting a preview of your shopping destination can save you some time. See the shops before you hit the road, and decide which end of the mall you want to visit, whether you’re picking up gifts at the Strand Arcade in Sydney, Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi or Westgate Center in San Jose, California.

Strand Arcade, Sydney, Australia

Don’t let seasonal stress get you down during holidays. With Street View in Google Maps on your Android or iOS device, whether you’re trying to navigate smooth travels or tackling shopping madness, you can see how to get where you’re going faster and easier, and hopefully save a little time. Happy holidays!

  Posted by Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager

Maps Minutes Hack #3: Save time with up-to-date holiday business hours

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

Whether you’re looking for restaurants open on Christmas Eve, trying to avoid crowds at the gym for a year-end workout, or wondering if you’ll make it before the store closes to grab that last minute gift–Google Maps has you covered.

This year we launched a few updates to the Google Maps app on both Android and iOS that give you up-to-date information about millions of businesses, saving you time both on your holiday to-do list and in your everyday tasks.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Holiday hours. Not only does Google Maps provide up-to-date open hours for businesses, but it also now shows special holiday hours. When you search for a place and a major holiday is within the next seven days, Google Maps tells you whether it has a special schedule.

• Popular times. Avoid long lines at the store by checking out how busy it is before you leave. For many businesses–from restaurants to shops to museums–you can scroll down on the business information page to find the days a place is most popular, and the busiest times on those days.

• “Closing soon” alerts. Google Maps can help save you a wasted trip. When you search for and navigate to a place, Google Maps will show an alert if your destination is closed, or will be by the time you arrive.

Make the most of your time with Maps Minutes hacks. Next up: finding your way through the crowds with Street View by just dropping a pin.

Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Take a snowmobile with Google Maps to the sea ice habitats of the Arctic Eider duck

Editor’s note: Today’s post is guest authored by Joel Heath, Executive Director of the Arctic Eider Society.

The Arctic Eider isn’t just any duck. The feather of this sea-ice dweller is the warmest in the world—a marvel of nature that allows the Eider duck to spend its winters in one of the most remote and frozen habitats on the planet. And now—thanks to Google Maps, the Inuit community of Sanikiluaq and our small environmental charity the Arctic Eider Society—people from around the world can explore this extraordinary and fragile part of Canadian geography that the Arctic Eider calls home.

The Trekker collects Street View imagery of a Polynya

Last winter, in -50 degree celsius winds, the Google Maps team traveled to the Belcher Islands in Hudson’s Bay and helped the Arctic Eider Society mount the Trekker on a snowmobile to collect stunning Street View imagery from nearby “polynyas”—bodies of open water that form in the sea ice. The polynyas act as an oasis of sorts, providing a habitat for wildlife like eiders who dive under the ice to feed on shellfish and sea urchins.

You’ll see from the images that it’s not just ducks up here in the cold. The Inuit of the Belcher Islands have also lived here for centuries. This community, a hamlet of just 850 people, has an important relationship with the eider duck—aside from providing them a traditional source of warmth and food, the bird’s feathers are ingrained in their history, used to create traditional parkas unique to the Inuit of this region.

The Arctic Eider duck takes flight in Street View

But this is an ecosystem under threat. The region has suffered from a lack of environmental stewardship, and the sensitive sea-ice—critical to the eiders and Inuit– is suffering as a result of hydroelectric development around Hudson Bay. Large die-off events of eiders and beluga whales have been occurring as changing ice conditions trap the animals until they starve or run out of air.

Our partnership with Google Maps is helping to support research programs designed to preserve these winter sea ice habitats. We’re combining imagery captured by the Trekker with data and knowledge from the local Inuit and Cree communities and mapping by the Arctic Eider Society to create a platform where we can all track and report on the local wildlife, together. This mix of new and old, combining indigenous knowledge with Google Street View and the Arctic Eider Society’s mapping, may be just what’s needed to address the impacts hydroelectricity heating is having on the bird that produces winter’s warmest feather.

Take a moment to visit Google Maps to better understand this amazing bird and the community who relies on it. Take an icy walk down the streets of Sanikiluaq, climb onto a snowmobile and explore the amazing sea-ice the Arctic Eider calls home. Eider down parka not required.

Posted by Joel Heath, Arctic Eider Society

To learn more about the unique relationship between the community of Sanikiluaq and the Arctic Eider, be sure to watch the critically acclaimed award winning film People of a Feather that started it all.

Maps Minutes Hack #2: Save time navigating inside, not just outside

Part of our series on how to save time this holiday season with Google Maps.

The holiday season often means rushing around—both out on the roads and inside malls, airports and stores. Did you know that Google Maps can help you navigate both? Many malls, airports, museums and stadiums have indoor maps and floorplans in Google Maps so you can quickly find your way around and get to where you want to go.

Whether you want to locate that toy store in the mall, find the men's shoe section in a department store, or track down a coffee shop on the way to your gate at the airport, indoor maps can help save you precious minutes.

Just zoom in to see the indoor floor plan of a building and search for places inside. Use the level switcher in the bottom left-hand corner to move from floor to floor.

During the hectic holiday season, indoor Google Maps can help you get the lay of the land and save time and hassle inside airports, malls, museums and sports venues. Check out locations with indoor floor plans, available on Android and iOS.

Minutes count. Save more with Google Maps hacks. Next up: running errands in no time with up-to-date information about businesses.

Posted by Dai Pham, Head of Geo and Google Maps Marketing

Walk the ruins of Peru’s most historic site: Machu Picchu

Take a train ride through the Andes, above the sacred valley and atop the mist of the mountains, to the most historic site of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, is one of the most famous, mythical and spiritual sites in the world. Now for the first time, in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, people across the globe can go on a journey to Machu Picchu directly in Google Maps, uncovering its temples, terraces and plazas that have remained intact since the 15th century. People can also explore rare Inca artifacts and expert insights on the Google Cultural Institute.

Gazing at the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu more than 2,400 meters above sea level, the site below is a lasting tribute to the power of the Inca Empire. It’s still unclear how the structure composed of behemoth stones was so precisely built without the use of mortar or modern day machinery, but its walls, terraces and stairways weave effortlessly into the mountainside and natural landscape.

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Peru

Standing in the Templo Principal, you can imagine how many people have stood at this central gathering place before you. Located at the highest position of the city, this site holds great spiritual meaning to the people of the Citadel. And touring the vast Plaza Principal allows you to virtually walk one of the most sacred ceremonial grounds on the site, which once hosted social and religious celebrations for the Inca.

Plaza Principal of Machu Picchu

Within the long and narrow compounds, called kanchas, you can also explore the Observatorio Astronómico (Intiwatana), Templo del Sol, and Templo de las Tres Ventanas—sites dedicated to Inti, the Inca Sun god—or marvel at the architectural complexity of structures like the Grupo de las Tres Puertas, whose doors lead to the main square.

Grupo de las Tres Puertas, Machu Picchu, Peru

After virtually touring these sacred and ceremonial spaces, discover more Wonders of Machu Picchu on the Google Cultural Institute. You can explore more than 130 Inca artifacts online thanks to the Museo Macchupicchu at Casa Concha. In three new online exhibits, the museum's curators share their expert insights on the Inca's daily life and rituals - which are still a subject of great mystery and fascination over 500 years later.

Highlights include a perfectly preserved pair of plates decorated with butterflies, and an ingenious device of strings and cords used for record keeping and accounting. We invite you to see these rare objects in the context of the museum by taking a virtual tour.

Inca accounting device

Whether you visit Machu Picchu via a train or hike up the Inca Trail, we’d be honored to be your virtual guide through this sacred space. And while in the area, enjoy exploring still more archaeological treasures from this ancient civilization at the Museo Machupicchu at Casa Concha, which holds the largest collection of Inca artifacts in the world.

Machu Picchu, a true wonder of the world, is now just a click away.

Posted by Daniel Filip, Google Maps Tech Lead

Jingle all the way to Santa's Village

Santa doesn't spread cheer across the globe all by himself. As soon as the first frost is on the mistletoe, hundreds of helpful elves work day and night to make sure jolly old St. Nick is ready for flight. Santa’s Village is a hub of activity as the elves code algorithms to tune Santa’s sleigh, translate “Happy Holidays” into Elvish and Danish, and practice their cartography with Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Vixen... all to get Santa ready for his trip around the world on December 24.

And you can join in. Visit the brand-new Santa’s Village every day to prep alongside the elves, test weather conditions with Rudolph, skydive with Santa, learn about holiday traditions like kallikántzari—little creatures from Greece that eat Christmas cookies—and much more. A new experience will appear each morning leading up to December 24. Here’s a peek at what you’ll unwrap in Santa’s Village:

Join the elves on all screens as they get ready for Santa’s big night—with Chromecast, Wear, App for Android, and more

Brush up on your computer skills with new coding games throughout the month

Get into the spirit of giving - learn about charitable organizations and discover how SolarAid is working to make the season brighter with renewable energy

Take a study break to jam out with friends to elf-made holiday tunes

For those on the ho-ho-go, get the Santa Tracker App for Android to check out new games on the phone or through Cardboard

Now before Santa flies like the dawn of a thistle, pay his village a visit—and help him and his elves get ready for the day Santa hits the clouds.


Posted by Sandy Russell, Santa Launch Strategist

Holiday Maps Minutes Hack #1: Save time beating bumper-to-bumper traffic

This post is the first in a series about how you can use Google Maps to save time this holiday season.

Your time is finite. But what if you could save all the minutes you waste in traffic, standing in lines, or shopping and spend them on what you love?

In December when things sometimes get a tad bit crazier, make the most of the time you do have. In the next few weeks we’ll share simple Google Maps hacks you can use to save time during the holidays.

We’re starting with…traffic. Why? Because no one likes traffic. Whether you’re driving to your once-a-year family gathering or trying to get to the mall in time for last-minute shopping, beating bumper-to-bumper traffic just might be one of the best holiday gifts you receive this year.



Google Maps gives you the best route, based on real-time traffic and historic traffic information. All you need to do is hit the navigation button and Google Maps takes care of the rest. You’ll even get an explanation for why it's the fastest route and updates when your ETA changes.

If you find yourself in a jam caused by an accident or construction, Google Maps lets you know how long you'll be at a standstill and automatically re-routes you if there’s a faster path.

Every minute counts, so hit the road and enjoy the ride—Google Maps has your back this holiday season.

Stay tuned for more Maps Minutes hacks. Next up: flying through airports with indoor Google Maps.

Posted by Olga Suvorova, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps