How I use Google Maps to time travel, avoid bad air, and survive zero service

Google Maps has become one of life’s essentials thanks to a host of features that make navigation feel effortless. I use it as a matter of routine when I’m driving, even if I know where I’m going — it flags up problems, offers alternative routes, and gives an accurate ETA. But Google Maps does so much more than basic directions.The more I use and explore the app, the more impressed I become (and I love checking out the hidden tricks uncovered by the Tom’s Guide team!). While it’s packed with tools, there’s a handful of features I rely on above all others because they’ve proven, time after time, to save my trips.Here are five of my absolute favorites. I hope they help you out, too. 1. Go back in time Think time travel is confined to the land of make-believe? It’s actually possible in Google Maps if you use Street View. This feature lets you see how an area has changed over time, making it easy to check a property's history, monitor construction projects, or simply reminisce. As long as Google has historical imagery available, you can go back years, if not decades.To activate it, search for a location or hold your finger on the map to drop a pin. Next, tap the preview image that appears on the screen.Now click on See more dates and you’ll be able to swipe through the timeline carousel and select a past year. 2. Check out a location When traveling somewhere unfamiliar, I always like to check out the destination before I arrive. Scouting out parking lots and getting a visual on the building beforehand ensures the final leg of the journey is far less stressful, and saves a chunk of time once you get there.For this, alongside Street View, I make use of Immersive View. It’s not available everywhere just yet, but it’s always a treat when you can use it.Enter the name of a city such as London, Tokyo, or New York, and tap a landmark icon.Then look in the photos section and select Immersive View, if it's available. This allows you to swipe left and right to explore the area or zoom in and out.You can get a birds eye view of an area, find the entrance to buildings and amenities with ease and see what’s nearby with clear labels. It’s really quick to navigate and certainly worth checking out. 3. Monitor air quality If I’m going to spend a lot of time outdoors, especially if I’m going for a run, I like to know the quality of the air I'm breathing.With Google Maps, just search a destination and tap the Layers icon near the top right. Selecting Air Quality gives you an instant, color-coded map with an easy-to-read scale based on real-time station measurements. Tap any area to see specific health concerns, who might be at risk, and what precautions you should take. 4. Create lists Google Maps is a great tool to plan an entire trip. There’s loads of information about locations of interest with reviews, prices, images and more. By creating your own lists, you’re able to bring relevant information together and they don’t take very long to put together, either.Simply tap a location of interest and select the bookmark icon. You’ll have the option to start a new list but you can also use a pre-made list such as ‘Want to go’, ‘Favorites’ and ‘Starred places’. Whenever you add a location to a list, you can add a note.When you view your list (select the You tab at the bottom of the screen and select the list), you’ll find your selected locations are highlighted on the map, so you can easily identify them. 5. Access Google Maps offline It can be frustrating, and a little unnerving, to lose cellular coverage right when you need directions. If I know an area is going to be patchy, I always plan ahead and download offline access to Google Maps. It does require sufficient phone storage (something I’m rapidly running out of!), but for total peace of mind on the road, it’s a trade-off I’m always willing to make.Anyway, offline access is easy. Enter an address then swipe up to view the card. Swipe left and you should see an option to tap Download offline map. If not, keep swiping, select More and the option will be there.To use that map, just use Google Maps as you normally would. The app will detect if its needs the download and use it automatically. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow Tom's Guide Entertainment on TikTok and Instagram. More from Tom's Guide Google Maps actually defaults to the slowest route now — here's how to fix itThe one Google Maps tip everyone should know — how to blur your home in Street ViewGoogle has been hiding a flight simulator for 20 years and now it's free on the web — here's how to use itGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.