To view maps on your iPad, you need to use the following:

If you’re planning to visit another city, you can use a map to show the roads so you’ll know the best way to get out of the airport. If you’re in your own area, you can turn to a map if you get lost or need to know which roads will lead you to a new shopping mall or park.

Manipulating a Map

Unlike a paper map, the Maps app can show you a dynamic map that can change, move, or expand so you can see finer details or zoom out to see a larger overview of a particular area.

Besides showing you a map, the Maps screen also displays various controls around the screen to help you use the Maps app as shown in Figure 32-1.

Figure 32-1. The default appearance of a map, known as the Classic appearance, displays a cartoon view of an area.

These controls are:

• Search/Directions tab Lets you either search for an address or get directions between two points such as your current location and a street address.

• Current Location icon Identifies your position on a map.

• Contacts icon Opens a list of names stored in the Contacts app.

• Search field Lets you type in an address or type of business to find such as supermarket or gas.

• Flap Displays several options for customizing the appearance of the Maps screen.

To view and manipulate a map, follow these steps:

1. From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears (see Figure 32-1).

2. Place two fingers on the Map screen, and spread them apart and close together. The map shrinks and expands to show you a detailed or larger view of the map.

3. Press your finger on the map screen and slide it around. The map moves so you can see other parts of the map. By scrolling, you essentially have an endless map.

Changing the Appearance of a Map

Depending on how you like looking at maps, you can change a map’s appearance in one of four ways:

• Classic Displays the map as a graphic image

• Satellite Displays an actual photograph of an area

• Hybrid Displays an actual photograph with cartoon streets drawn over it

• Terrain Displays a graphic map with elevation levels included

To see the four different ways to display a map, follow these steps:

1. While using Maps, tap the gray area in the bottom-right corner of the screen where the corner of the map looks like it’s folded back. A list of map appearance options appears, as shown in Figure 32-2.

2. Change your map’s appearance by tapping Classic, Satellite, Hybrid, or Terrain. The map now displays its new look, as shown in Figure 32-3.

3. (Optional) Tap the flap in the corner of the Maps screen again. Press the Traffic overlay on/off button to display congested roads in red and yellow.

Figure 32-2. Options for changing the appearance of your map

Figure 32-3. Different map types can be useful in different situations.

Every map is useless if you can’t find where you are. That’s why shopping center maps always have a big “You Are Here” arrow. To identify your current location, your iPad needs an Internet connection.

To find your current location on a map, follow these steps:

A map can be handy to help you find your way around, but if you don’t know which direction you’re facing, you may not know whether you’re heading the right way. To help you find your direction, the Maps app offers a compass feature so you can see which direction you’re heading.

To use the compass, follow these steps:

Maps can be interesting to study, especially when viewing maps of unusual places such as other countries. If you enjoy foreign travel, study maps of exotic locations before you visit them. That way you’ll be familiar with the area when you arrive.

If you have children, let them play with the Maps app so they can see where they live and where their favorite stores and playgrounds might be. Children can have fun pinching the screen to zoom a map in and out or scrolling the map to see different parts of the world.

Before taking off for work, check the traffic patterns on your map. By spotting heavy congestion ahead of time, you can find a detour around traffic jams and wind up getting to your destination much faster, just by using your iPad. With an Internet connection and your iPad, you’ll never need to rely on outdated, limited, and hard-to-fold paper maps ever again. You’ll learn how to get driving directions next.