The Smartest Way to Use Google Maps When You’re Walking Alone
Walking in an unfamiliar city can be exciting. It can also be intimidating, especially when you are alone, especially after dark. Nobody wants to look like they have no idea where they’re going, and looking at Google Maps on your smartphone is often useless. If you want to confidently get where you want to go without drawing attention to yourself, Google Maps has a great solution.
When using walking directions, Google Maps can tell you aloud which turn to take next, but if you don’t want your phone to blurt out what you need to do next, or drown out your surroundings with your headphones, there’s another way: Google Maps can also navigate you silently using vibration. Depending on which next turn you have to make, different types of vibration are used. Tap the volume icon and select Mute . Then just put it in your pocket and wait until one of the following vibrations helps you:
Left turn : long horn, short buzz, short buzz
Right turn : Short buzz, long buzz, long buzz
That’s all! Memorize these vibration patterns and you’ll never have to look at the app to know when and how you should turn next. This feature works on both Android and iOS, and should work by default if you’ve selected ” Silent ” mode.
Reddit user u/plzbubblewrapmy highlighted this particularly useful feature for us , but there are other useful suggestions in this thread. If you’re comfortable wearing headphones while walking, Google Maps can give you audio guidance. However, you will need to switch from ” Mute ” to ” Alerts Only ” or “Enabled” . And smartwatches can also help you solve the problem: looking at your wrist is much less noticeable than looking at your phone.