3D view in Google Maps not working

Google Maps has changed how we navigate the world. Its desktop and mobile apps have become not just a way to get from point A to B via car, public transportation, or on foot. The ubiquitous Google service is also a geospatial search engine for the world around us.

Google continues to revamp and improve its map product, but there are a ton of customizable tools and hidden functions already baked into Google Maps that you may not know about, such as Incognito Mode. Check out our tips for how to maximize your Google Maps power.

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If you're short of change in your car, you can feed the parking meter right from Maps. Open the app as you approach a stop and you'll see Pay for Parking pop up. Select it, type in your meter number and how long you'll be at the spot, and you can pay right from your phone.

16. Remember Where You Parked

Remember that episode ofSeinfeldwhere the gang spent the whole time wandering around a parking garage looking for their parked car? That episode (and many others) would not work in 2022, thanks to Google Maps.

On Android, tap the blue location dot and select Save Your Parking, which will add a label to the Maps app, identifying where you parked. Tap that to add details like parking garage level and spot or the amount of time left before a meter expires. You can also set meter reminders, add a photo of where you parked, and send your parking location to friends. To find it later, tap the search bar up top and select Parking location. Or tap Driving down below, and look for Saved parking. To delete, tap Driving > Clear. Or tap "You parked here" on the map, select More Info on the bottom left, and tap Clear.

On iOS (above), tap the little blue location dot within the app when you arrive at a location. In the pop-up, tap Set as parking location. In the app, a P icon will appear alongside a note that says "You parked near here." To get rid of it, tap the P and select Clear.

17. What's the Parking Sitch?

Google Maps can provide turn-by-turn directions based on live-ish traffic data, but it can also provide you with a glimpse of the parking situation. When you search for driving directions to a location on iOS or Android, you may see a P logo at the bottom of the screen, along with one of three designations: limited, medium, and easy. This can help you decide how long to allocate for parking, or even if another form of transportation may be a better option.

18. View (and Delete) Your Google Maps History

Google maintains a very detailed record of your digital activities. If you'd rather it lose your Maps data, you can erase it on desktop or mobile. On a desktop, go to maps.google.com. Click the hamburger menu and select Your Data in Maps. You'll end up on a Google-wide Controls page, where you can go to Location History > See & Delete Activity. You'll get a map with a timeline of your activity. On the bottom right of the map, you can click the trash can icon to permanently delete all of your location history.

On mobile, go to Settings > Maps History > Search Your Activity > [three-dot menu] > Delete Activity By, where you can delete by date or just choose to delete everything at once. Hit Delete. Weirded out by Google's oversight? Here's amore detailed guide for how to get Google to stop tracking you.

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19. Go Incognito

For a quick way to poke around Google Maps without leaving any obvious footprints, go incognito. With this enabled, Google Maps won't save your browser or search history in your account, or send notifications. Your searches or movement won't be added to location history or shared location. And Google won't use your activity while in Incognito Mode to personalize Maps. It has its advantages if you want to peep a location without having it tangled up with your search history, but just like on web browsers, it doesn't make you invisible on the app. To turn it on, tap your avatar and select Turn on Incognito mode; the incognito icon will appear in the search bar. Tap it and select Turn off Incognito mode to switch it off.

20. Auto-Delete Your Google Maps Location History

Google lets you periodically auto-delete your location history from the company's servers. Set the data to erase every three months, 18 months, 36 months or keep the data until you delete it manually. Navigate to myactivity.google.com and click Location History > Choose an auto-delete option, where you can choose how often to delete your data, including where you've been on Google Maps. To delete everything it's captured until now, click Manage History > [gear icon] > Delete all Location History.

21. Share Your Location

Google Maps now lets you share your current location with people for specific periods of time. If you share your location with a specific contact, they'll see your icon moving in real time on their map. On Android or iOS, tap your profile icon on the top right and select Location sharing. Choose who you want to share with and for how long, and they'll be able to see where you are.

22. Time Travel With Google Maps

Street View has amassed a huge collection of street imagery over the years. In 2014, Google introduced Time Travel, a way for users to see how Street View has changed over time. Access this four-dimensional cartographic experience in Street View by clicking the little stopwatch icon in the top-left corner where available, which prompts a sliding scale that allows you to jump through Street Views over time. (For a deeper dive on changes to the Earth's surface between 1994 and 2018, check out Google Earth Engine.)

23. Add Your Own Street View Images

Google doesn't rent out its Street View cars, but Android users can now add their pics to the street-level mapping feature. All that's required to start contributing is the latest version of the Street View app on Android and a smartphone withsupport for ARCore. Once captured, the images can be published via the app and Google's servers will automatically carry out the required rotation and positioning to create a series of connected photos. After that, they will appear on Street View for all to see for the location you captured.

24. Add Some Music

If you've always got Google Maps navigation open while you're driving (or walking), you canadd musicto your trip without leaving the app. Sync music apps such as Spotify or Apple Music by opening the menu and navigating toSettings > Navigationand then eitherMusic Playback Controlson iOS orShow Media Playback Controlson Android to sync a music app. Once you do, a pop-up to your app of choice should appear as you're driving for a quick tap to get your music started. Be sure to make your playlists beforehand so you can keep your eyes on the road.

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25. Find Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

The makeup of cars on the road is changing, and Google Maps is changing with it. You can now search "EV charging" or "EV charging station" in Google Maps to find the nearest locations tocharge up your electric vehicle.

26. Find Safe Drug Disposal Locations

Google Maps is doing its part to fight the opioid crisis with asearch toolto help users find safe drug disposal locations. Type "drug disposal near me" into the search bar to pull up pharmacies, medical centers, and local authority locations where you can safely dispose of excess pills.

27. Share Your Favorite Places

Google Maps lets you share some of your favorite places with a friend; just tap the share icon on the location's Google Maps card to send it to them via text, email, or your app of choice. And you can save favorite places by tapping the Save icon; they'll show up in the Saved option in the menu bar. But if you want to share more than one location, you can create a Pinterest-like list within Google Maps. When you save a favorite place, tap New List to create a new collection (like "Favorite Thai places in Brooklyn") or add it to an existing one. You'll find them in the Saved tab under Your lists; tap the three-dot menu and then Share List to send a link to friends.

28. Become (or Consult) a Local Guide

Think you know your neighborhood better than Google's algorithm? Then consider becoming aLocal Guide. While anyone can leave reviews and tips in Google Maps, Local Guides allows you to earn points for leaving more insights and data thatas you go up the laddercan result in "rewards and early access to new features," Google says.

29. Street View Into 'Mars On Earth'

Google is making Street View more immersive to give users close-up views of breathtaking locations and landscapes all over the world, including the desertedDevon Islandin Northern Canada near the North Pole, which is the closest terrain to Mars that can be found on Earth. It really hits home when you look at it in Street View panorama.