I changed these 5 Google Maps settings, and my commute is actually faster now

Google Maps has been my default navigation service for years now, and for the most part (except for one day when it literally guided me to someone’s backyard), it’s been reliable. While the default settings work for most people, Google Maps has evolved to offer a lot more than just basic navigation.

You can check the traffic status before leaving, use navigation gestures for one-handed use, and even navigate in incognito mode, but only if you know where to look. These aren’t groundbreaking changes on their own, but together, they’ve made my daily commute noticeably faster during peak hours.

Using Street View to find parking

A virtual drive-through before the real one

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