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Google Maps is great for many things. You can get directions, explore different countries or landmarks, check out a new area with Street View, advertise your business, and even find out what the traffic will be like on your way to or from work. This tutorial will guide you through checking traffic in Google Maps on your desktop and phone.
Google Maps is quite easy to use on any device. But GPS maps are useless if you can’t estimate how long it will take you to get somewhere or what routes to take. Let’s start teaching you how to check traffic using Google Maps.
How to check traffic on Google Maps
Before some recent updates, checking traffic used to be a bit of a hassle. Traffic has now been placed front and center in the map view, providing plenty of detail about the traffic conditions on your route. It will also display road closures and provide a color guide to traffic levels in a given area.
Traffic has been given a much higher priority on Google Maps and that’s for the better.
Fortunately, it’s easy to see real-time traffic on Google Maps. This is what you should do:
Check traffic on Google Maps using a computer
- Go to the Google Maps websitetype the location you want to travel to and then click Addresses.
- Preview the route for yellow or red breaks on the line.
Checking traffic on Google Maps using the app
- Open Google Maps on your smartphone or tablet.
- Enter the location you would like to travel to.
- Click Addresses at the end of the page.
- Route preview.
Note: Note the warning at the bottom of the map. Google Maps automatically provides information that can make traveling in a certain area difficult, such as the weather.
You will see a detailed traffic analysis of the current time and location in the main map view. There is a color legend at the bottom, but essentially, green the roads are fine for traffic while orange and red show congestion or heavy traffic. If you set a start and destination, your route options will also display these colors to give you an idea of what to expect. However, Google automatically chooses the fastest route.
Checking traffic patterns using Google Maps
Another great feature for hassle-free travel is knowing when you should travel. Back in the days of Rand McNally’s and MapQuest, we pretty much knew to avoid major cities during morning and evening rush hours. But today, Google will give you the peak traffic times for almost any road based on an average congestion.
- All you need to do is enter your destination just like we did above and click Addresses then tap Steps.
- From here, you can see the busiest times to travel on the roads that Google Maps suggests to safely reach your destination.
Check future traffic with Google Maps
This feature is ideal for planning a trip that you know will leave at a certain time. If you don’t plan to go out for a while, you can specify a travel time and Google Maps will do its best to predict what the traffic will be like. This is a prediction, so it won’t be exactly correct, but it seems pretty accurate.
On the desk:
- Set a start point and destination in Google Maps and then click the drop-down menu with Leave now appears and select Leave at to set a leave time or arrive by to set your desired arrival time.
- Allow the map to update.
On Android:
- Set a starting point and destination in the Google Maps app, tap the three-dot menu icon, and then tap Set departure or arrival time.
- Set your time and allow the map to update.
This feature is also available on iOS but you select Set reminder to leave instead of prediction.
Just remember, Google Maps predicts traffic based on past behavior and cannot predict accidents, road closures, or the usual unexpected events we see on our commute. Allow the map to update during your trip to receive alerts about any changes to your route. You can then reroute the app or fix any serious lags.
Send directions from Google Maps Desktop to your phone
Did you know you can plan a route on your desktop and then have Google send it to your phone? As long as you’re signed in to Google on your phone, you can plan your route on the desktop and then stream it to your phone like magic. It’s a very cool feature that allows you to plan it on the big screen and then use it on the laptop.
- Plan your route in Google Maps on your desktop.
- Select Send directions to your phone from the menu on the left.
- Wait a bit for it to appear on your phone.
You should receive a notification on your phone when the route arrives and it should appear when you open the Maps app. Great huh?
Frequent questions
Does Google Maps report traffic accurately?
Google Maps is generally very reliable when it comes to traffic patterns. In recent years, the app has become incredibly responsive to changing road conditions. The app will constantly update changing arrival times, accidents and delays depending on what other Google Maps users are experiencing along your intended route.
You may have noticed that it is becoming more difficult to shorten your driving time (if you are competitive), this is due to the excellent Google Maps algorithm. And, if Google Maps tells you to take an alternate route (like getting off the interstate and traveling a bit on back roads), you might want to listen to avoid sitting still for a while.
Does Google Maps show road conditions?
Although Google Maps doesn’t alert you to specific road conditions, it will let you know if there are any special weather statements or anything that could affect your travel time. If you need to know whether the roads are safe or not, it is best to contact your local Department of Transportation for updates on road conditions.
