Maps can be fun to study just to see unusual locations or better understand your own local area. However, most people will likely use a map to help them find their way around. If you're in an unfamiliar area, just load the Maps app, find your current location, and then figure out how to get back to a freeway or which roads you need to take to head in a certain direction.
To view maps on your iPad, you need to use the following:
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 27-1.
Figure 27-1. The default appearance of a map, known as the Standard appearance, displays a cartoon view of an area. This map is in Search mode.
Search/Directions tab The Maps app can be in one of two modes, Search or Directions. Search lets you find an address or a kind of store. Directions provide driving, walking, or transit directions between two points. The top bar of the Maps app changes depending on which mode you use.
Current Location/Compass icon Tapping here shows your position on the map.
Bookmarks icon Your bookmarked locations include those stored in the Contacts app and any location you've used recently.
Search field Type an address or kind of business to find, such as supermarket or gas.
Flap Tap here to display several options for customizing the appearance of the Maps screen.
To view and manipulate a map, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears (see Figure 27-1).
Place two fingers on the Map screen, and spread them apart and move them together. The map expands and shrinks to show you a detailed or broader view of the map.
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.
Depending on how you like looking at maps, you can change a map's appearance in one of four ways:
To see the four different ways to display a map, follow these steps:
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 27-2.
Change your map's appearance by tapping Standard, Satellite, Hybrid, or Terrain. The map now displays its new look, as shown in Figure 27-3.
(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.
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:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Current Location/Compass icon. Your current location appears as a blue dot and a circle, as shown in Figure 27-4.
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.
To use the compass, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Current Location/Compass icon twice. A compass appears in the upper-right corner, as shown in Figure 27-5. (Note how the Current Location icon changes when you turn on the compass.)
Rotate the iPad. The compass shows you the direction of north, while a triangular area on the blue dot shows which direction you're currently facing. Try moving your iPad around—notice that as you change directions, the iPad's indicator moves with you.
Tap the Current Location/Compass icon once to make the compass disappear. You can also just drag the map.
Sometimes you know exactly where you want to go. Other times you may be searching for something you need, such as the nearest pizza restaurant, gas station, supermarket, or coffeehouse. Whether you want to find a specific address or need to find a certain kind of place, your iPad can show you the way.
If you know the exact address you want to find, you can locate it on your iPad by following these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Search tab in the upper-left corner of the screen. (It may already be selected.)
Tap the Search field in the upper-right corner of the screen. The virtual keyboard appears at the bottom of the screen.
Type an address and city. Then tap the Search key on the virtual keyboard. The map displays a red pin to identify the address, as shown in Figure 27-6.
Tap the orange circle with the white silhouette of a person in it. (Not all addresses will display this orange circle icon.) The screen shows you a photograph of the area around the address, as shown in Figure 27-7.
Tap the screen once, and tap the Done button that appears in the upper-right corner of the screen. Or tap the viewing circle that appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen to return to the map.
Note
After you have searched for one or more addresses, the Maps app stores those addresses in a Recents list, as shown in Figure 27-8. The Recents window appears automatically when you tap the Search field. You can clear this list by tapping the Clear button in the upper-left corner of the Recents window.
If you're looking for pizza or a supermarket, the Maps app is smart enough to figure out what you want and display multiple pins identifying locations of businesses that match your search. You can also use the Search feature to find particular cities, towns, and even well-known landmarks like the Empire State Building or Golden Gate Park.
To search for places, follow these steps:
Figure 27-9. The Results window lists the names and addresses of businesses that match your search criteria.
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Search tab in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Tap the Location icon, or simply scroll the map to an area that you want to investigate.
Tap the Search field in the upper-right corner of the screen. The virtual keyboard appears at the bottom of the screen.
Type a description of the place you want to find, such as pizza or gas. Red pins appear on the map to identify locations that match your search criteria.
Tap the Results icon (it looks like three white horizontal lines inside a gray circle) at the far right of the Search field. A list of names and addresses of places that match your search criteria appears, as shown in Figure 27-9.
Tap a name, and the map highlights the location of that business on the map.
When you find a location on a map, you can bookmark it. That way, if you find a great restaurant, bookstore, or bar that you know you'll want to return to, you can save this location for future use or send an email message to a friend so they'll be able to find that place too.
To save a location or email it to a friend, follow these steps:
Search for a location using one of the instructions in “Finding Places on a Map” on page 234. Your chosen location appears on the map, marked by a red pin.
Tap the Information icon that appears (it looks like a white lowercase i in a blue circle). A window pops up, listing information about that location, as shown in Figure 27-10.
(Optional) Tap Add to Bookmarks. The Add Bookmark window appears. Type or edit a descriptive name, and tap Save.
(Optional) Tap Add to Contacts. The Create New Contact, Add to Existing Contact, and Cancel buttons appear. Tap Create New Contact, Add to Existing Contact, or Cancel. If you tap Create New Contact, you can edit any information before tapping the Done button. If you tap Add to Existing Contact, you'll need to pick a name in your Contacts list to store the location information.
(Optional) Tap Share Location. An Email, Message, Tweet, and Cancel button appears. Tap one of these buttons to send the contact information.
Rather than looking for an address or place and then creating a bookmark, the Maps app also gives you the option of placing a purple pin on a map to identify any location you want. This can be handy for identifying a particular area without caring what that street address might be.
To place a bookmark on a map, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the flap in the lower-right corner of the screen. A list of options appears.
Tap Drop Pin. A purple pin appears on the map, as shown in Figure 27-11.
Tap and slide the purple pin anywhere on the map. Lift your finger when the purple pin appears where you want it.
Tap the Information icon that appears (it looks like a white lowercase i in a blue circle). A window pops up, listing information about that location. (You can remove the pin by tapping Remove Pin.)
Type or edit a descriptive name, and tap Save.
If you have already stored someone's street address in the Contacts app, you don't need to retype this address into the Maps app to find its location. Instead, you can just tap that person's name, and the Maps app will find that location for you.
To see how to find an address from the Contacts app, make sure you have stored someone's street address and then follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Maps. The Maps screen appears.
Tap the Bookmarks icon. A Contacts window appears.
Tap Contacts at the bottom of this window. Your list of Contacts appears.
Tap a name. The map displays a red pin identifying the location of the address stored with that name. (If you choose a name that doesn't have a street address stored with it, you'll see a “No Street Addresses” message.)
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. Start and End text fields appear in the upper-right corner, as shown in Figure 27-12.
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 27-13.
(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 27-14. The map will zoom to each turn.
To get a list of all directions, as shown in Figure 27-15, tap the List icon at the far left of the blue bar (shown in Figure 27-14).
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 236), 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 and tap a name in the Contacts window. 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.
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 Bookmarks icon. An All Contacts window pops up.
Tap a name that has a street address stored. A window appears that displays buttons labeled Directions To Here, Directions From Here, and Cancel, as shown in Figure 27-16.
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.
Before you go to a location that you've never been to, locate it on the Maps app, and then look at its picture so you can see the surrounding area. If you're looking for something to eat, just type in the food you want in the Maps search field, such as pizza, Thai food, or seafood. When you see all the nearby restaurants, just tap on a name, get directions (driving, mass transit, or walking), and find a new restaurant where you can enjoy your meal.
The Maps app acts like an interactive guide to help you find your location and find nearby businesses. If you travel often, take your iPad, and you may never be lost again (unless you lose your iPad).