Many times you want to know where you are and the shortest route to get to your destination. Not only can your iPad show you the fastest driving directions, but it can also show you public transportation options or directions for walking. All you need to know is your current location and your destination.
If you know a specific address that you want to go to, you can type that address into the Maps app and get driving, mass transit, or walking directions to your destination by following these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Directions tab in the upper-left corner of the screen. The upper-right corner of the screen displays Start and End text fields, as shown in Figure 25-12.
Tap the End text field. If you tap the Reverse icon (the squiggly arrow between the Start and End fields), you can reverse your starting and ending points.
Type an address, and tap the Search key on the virtual keyboard. The map displays your ending destination and shows how long it will take to drive there from your current location, as shown in Figure 25-13.
(Optional) Tap the Bus icon that appears at the bottom of the screen. Mass transit directions appear.
(Optional) Tap the Person icon that appears at the bottom of the screen. Walking directions appear.
Tap Start to get directions. To view step-by-step directions, tap the Left or Right arrow icons that appear on the blue bar, as shown in Figure 25-14. The map will zoom to each turn.
To get a list of all directions, as shown in Figure 25-15, tap the List icon at the far left of the blue bar (shown in Figure 25-14).
Rather than type an address, it’s often easier to take advantage of an address stored in your Contacts app. To get driving directions to an address stored in the Contacts app, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Directions button in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Tap the Bookmark icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. A window pops up.
Tap Contacts at the bottom of this window. A list of names stored in the Contacts app appears.
Tap a name that has a street address stored. A window appears, displaying buttons labeled Directions To Here, Directions From Here, and Cancel, as shown in Figure 25-16.
Tap Directions To Here. A blue bar appears at the bottom of the map, letting you choose driving, mass transit, or walking directions. Tap one of these choices, and tap Start.
When the map displays a location with a red pin (such as after searching for a specific type of business like a pizza place or supermarket, as explained in Searching for Types of Places on page 210), you can get directions to that location by tapping the location’s Information icon, which appears as a lowercase letter i inside a blue circle.
To get directions using the Information icon, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Bookmarks icon, tap Contacts at the bottom of the window, and tap a name. Or tap the Search field, and type a business that you want to find, such as supermarket or gas. A red pin appears on the map, along with the name of a person or business, and the blue Information icon. Tap the Information icon.
Tap Directions To Here. A blue bar appears at the bottom of the map, letting you choose driving, mass transit, or walking directions. Tap one of these choices, and tap Start.