And if you’ve wasted as much time as I have taking virtual strolls around the streets of New York, London, Paris, and San Francisco, bad news: there’s a new, time-warping feature that’s sure to deepen your Street View addiction.

Ready to give it a try?

Just click and drag the slider to go time traveling in Street View.

• Go to any Street View-enhanced address in Google Maps, then look up at the translucent gray module the top-left corner of the page. Just below the street address, you should see a little clock labeled with a recent date, plus a red “New!” tag.
• Click the date and the module will expand, revealing a slider with a range of dates. Click one of the dates, and the inset window will display the Street View photo for that particular snippet of time.
• Now, go ahead and click the smaller Street View image to make it fill the screen, then use your mouse to look about and wander around—in the past.

The range of available dates will vary depending on the location, and don’t expect to find any Street View images pre-2006 or so.

For example, I was able to travel all the way back to 2007 on my block here in Brooklyn, with snapshots available for almost every year up to October 2013. But on my old street in Sacramento, California, only two dates were clickable: March 2008 and August 2011.

Even if the available dates are somewhat limited, it’s still pretty heady to jump back in time five years and watch, say, the building across the street morph from two stories to five, or witness how today’s trendy restaurant was once a boarded-up eyesore (see the larger image above).

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With a simple command, you can save (or “cache”) a street, neighborhood, or even an entire city to your phone’s memory, perfect for navigating the twisty streets of Paris, London, Hong Kong, or just about anywhere else, no Internet connection required.

Just tap “ok maps” into the search box to save the on-screen map to your phone’s memory.

Here’s the trick…

• First, while your iPhone or Android phone is still online, open Google Maps and then search, swipe and pinch until the map you want to save offline is on the screen—and yes, you can go ahead and save an entire city, if you wish. (You’ll get an error message if you try to save a map that’s too large.)
• Tap “ok maps” into the search box and tap the Search button. If you’re using an Android phone, you can also tap the microphone in the search box and say “OK maps.”
• Next, your phone will start “caching” the on-screen map to its memory. Saving a map of Paris to my iPhone 5, for example, took about a minute.
• All done? Go ahead and turn on airplane mode and zoom in anywhere on the map you just saved—and when you do, the streets, blocks and avenues will appear, just as if your phone was online. The only bummer is that search will be disabled while you’re in offline mode.

Bonus tip

Even if your iPhone or Android phone isn’t connected to a cellular or Wi-Fi network, it can still pinpoint its approximate location if there are nearby Wi-Fi hotspots around. Just make sure “airplane” mode and Wi-Fi are turned on at the same time.

Click here for more Android tips, or click here for help with your iPhone.

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Read on for six Google Maps gestures you need to know, starting with…

1. Pinch the screen…

…then open and close your fingertips to zoom in and out of the map, or twirl your fingertips to spin the map around on the screen.

2. Swipe down with two fingers

Want to see the world from a 3D perspective rather than flat? Tap and hold the screen with two fingertips, then swipe down to add a little depth (as well as 3D buildings, depending on the location) to the map.

Swipe in from the left side of the screen to access traffic conditions, bike routes, Google Maps settings, and more.

You can fine-tune the angle from which you’re viewing the map as you drag your fingertips, or you can swipe back up again to go back to a straight-from-above view.

3. Swipe in from the left side of the screen

Doing so opens the Google Maps sidebar, complete with shortcuts for adding traffic information, bike paths, satellite imagery, and more.

The sidebar also lets you jump to the Google Maps settings and online Help pages.

Want to close the sidebar? Just swipe it back into the left side of the display.

4. Swipe up on a location caption

Whenever you select a “point of interest” on Google Maps—such as, say, a restaurant, a movie theater, or a specific street address—a little caption with details about the location will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Swipe up on the caption to get more options, such as a 360-degree “Street View,” sharing links, reviews, a Call button (if there’s a phone number associated with the location), additional photos, and more. You can also save a location as a favorite by tapping the “star” button.

Swipe up on a location caption for Street View, reviews, sharing links, photos, and more.

Ready to go back to the standard map view? Tap and hold the top of the screen, then swipe down.

5. Swipe left or right on a location caption

If you’ve searched on a broad category of places in Google Maps—like “mexican restaurants,” for instance—you can cycle through all your local search results by swiping through the location captions at the bottom of the screen.

Want to see a list of your search results rather than cycling through them? Tap the “list” button (it looks like three little horizontal lines stacked up together) on the right side of the search box.

6. Tap and hold…

…to drop a “pin” anywhere on the map.

A location caption for the dropped pin will appear at the bottom of the screen; swipe up on the caption to “star” it, share it with a friend, get a Street View, pull up driving directions, and more.

Looking for more Android tips? Click here!

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You can download Google Maps for iPhone right here; a version for iPad is coming soon, Google promises.

The eagerly awaited Google Maps app brings with it a pair of key features missing in Apple’s maps app: the eye-popping Street View mode, and public transit directions.

And with Google Maps on your iPhone, you’re more likely to steer clear of the spotty directions that have plagued Apple’s troubled mapping app.

But while it’s certainly a relief to have Google Maps back on the iPhone as an actual application (as opposed to a basic mobile-web version), the app does have its fair share of oddities and quirks, and it doesn’t always play nice with the other apps on your iPhone.

Here’s seven things you need to know about the new Google Maps app for iOS, starting with…

Google Maps for iPhone will remember all your previous searches, including those from the web.

1. It remembers all your Google Maps searches from the web

Did you sign in to your Google account when you first launched the app? If so, tap the search box at the top of the Google Maps interface to see all your most recent searches, including those you made on the web.

Google Maps for iPhone will also remember any addresses, businesses or other locations you’ve “starred”; to access them, tap the profile icon (it’s the one that looks like a human profile, just to the right of the search box.

2. It won’t access your contacts

While Google Maps can find practically any location on the planet through the search box, it won’t be able to look up the addresses of friends, colleagues and loved ones saved in your iPhone’s address book. For that, you’ll have to go back to Apple’s Maps app.

3. Apple Maps will hand you off to Google Maps for public transit directions

While Apple’s new Maps app will dial up turn-by-turn driving and walking directions, it’s no help when it comes to buses, subways, or other public transit systems.

Apple’s Maps app will hand you off to Google Maps if you’re looking for transit directions.

The good news, though, is that Apple Maps will now send you straight to Google Maps if transit directions are what you’re after.

Just search for an address in Apple Maps, tap the blue arrow next to its name, tap “Directions to Here,” select the public transit tab (it’s marked with a bus icon), and tap the blue Route button.

Once you do, Apple Maps will show you a list of apps that support public transit directions, including Google Maps.

Tap the Route button next to Google Maps, and the Google Maps app will open with its own set of directions; tap the bus icon at the top of the screen for public transit options. You can also get walking directions or voiced, turn-by-turn driving directions, just like in the Apple Maps app.

4. You can access Street View, complete with “compass” mode

Yes, Google’s interactive, 360-degree “Street View” panoramas are back on your iPhone thanks to the new Google Maps app.

Google’s fabulous Street View mode: back at last.

Just tap and hold a location, business, or point of interest, tap the info ribbon that appears at the bottom of the screen, then tap the Street View image to launch Street View proper. (Keep in mind that Street View isn’t available in all areas.)

Also, here’s a nifty trick while using Street View: see the button with the curly arrows in the bottom-right corner of the screen?

Tap it, and you’ll activate “compass” mode, which uses the iPhone’s internal motion sensors to orient Street View’s vantage point in the direction you’re facing. If you’re facing north, for example, your Street View image will face north, as well. Neat.

5. Your other apps won’t access Google Maps for directions

Even if Google Maps becomes your mapping app of choice for the iPhone, Apple Maps will remain the iPhone’s default maps app.

So, what does that mean? Well, if you find a restaurant in Yelp and tap its address, your iPhone will open Apple Maps, not Google Maps.

Of course, it’s always possible Apple will let us change the iPhone’s default mapping app in a future version of iOS; for now, though, no dice.

Swipe down with two fingers for a 3D-like map view, complete with 3D buildings.

6. You can swipe your way to some of Google Maps’ best features

Swipe from right to left with two fingers to reveal a hidden panel of options, including adding “layers” of map info for traffic conditions, satellite imagery, and public transit maps.

Or, try this: swipe down with two fingers to tilt the map for a 3D-type view, including 3D buildings of metropolitan areas in cities like New York and San Francisco.

7. You can shake bad directions away

Did Google Maps point you in the wrong directions? If so, shake your iPhone; when you do, a pop-up will appear with links for sending feedback to Google.

Got more questions about Google Maps for iPhone, or a tip you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

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1. Zoom in with one finger

Want to zoom in on a location, but don’t have an extra hand free for “pinching” the screen? Try this…

• Double-tap the screen, and keep your fingertip pressed on the display after the second tap.
• Now, slide your fingertip up and down the screen; as you do, the map will zoom in and out.

Another option: add “+” and “-” zoom buttons in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

• Tap the “overflow menu” key (the column of three dots in the bottom-right corner of the screen) and tap the Settings, Display.
• Check the box next to “Zoom Buttons.”
• Go back to Maps, and you’ll see two little “+” and “-” buttons in the bottom corner of the display.

2. Save a map for offline use

Update: The method for saving an offline map via Google Maps has completely changed since this article was published. Click here for the details.

The Google Maps app won’t do you much good when your Android phone doesn’t have a signal. If you think ahead, though, you can have a saved, “offline” map ready for times when you know you’ll be out of network range—say, while you’re travelling abroad, or whenever you’re in an area with a weak wireless signal.

Once you save a map to your phone, you can access it from your Offline list, even without a wireless signal.

The “offline” feature in Google Maps has plenty of limitations; for example, you can’t search for a place in offline mode, nor can you call up point-to-point directions.

If you’re stuck in a signal-free zone, though, having an offline map saved in your phone’s memory is better than nothing.

• Navigate to a location, neighborhood, or even an entire city that you’d like to save to your phone.
• Tap the “overflow menu” button (those three little dots again), then tap the “Make Available Offline” option.
• Next, select an area of the map to save by fitting it into the highlighted square. At the bottom of the map, you’ll see how much space the “offline” map will take up in your phone’s memory; the bigger the map, the more storage space it will require.
• All set? Tap “Done.”
• To access your offline maps, tap Maps in the top-left corner of the screen, select My Places, then swipe left to the Offline tab. Tap a map in the list to load it onto the screen, or tap the little downward arrow to rename or delete the map.

3. Add some depth to your maps

By default, Google Maps gives you a view of your maps from directly overhead. If you like, though, you can view your maps from a slight angle for a nifty 3D perspective—an effect that’s especially striking wherever 3D outlines of buildings and skyscrapers are available.

To change your Google Maps perspective, just tap and hold two fingertips on the display, then drag ’em both down at the same time. To tilt your maps back “up,” swipe up with two fingertips.

Also, don’t forget that you can twirl the map by “pinching” the screen and rotating your fingertips.

4. Send a map to your phone from your desktop

So, you just looked up driving directions to your summer rental using Google Maps on your PC. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simply send the map directly to Google Maps your phone?

You can pull up any saved maps from Google Maps on your desktop from the My Maps menu on your Android phone.

No problem.

• First, make sure you’re signed into your Google account on your desktop browser, search for a location on Google Maps, click its “pin,” then click the “Directions” link.
• Scroll to the bottom of the directions in the left-hand column of your browser, then click the “Save to My Maps” link.
• Next, a pull-down menu of saved maps will appear. Select “Create a new map” and click the Save button.
• The list of directions will disappear, and the name of your newly-saved map will appear at the top of the left-hand column. Click the red Edit button to rename the map, add a description, draw a line or add a pin (click the buttons in the top-left corner of the map).
• Now, open Google Maps on your Android phone, tap the “Layers” button at the bottom of the screen (it’s the icon with three small, stacked rectangles), tap My Maps, then select the map you just created on the web.
• Your saved map, complete with directions and any pins or lines you added, will pop up on the screen.

5. Change the “action” button in your location bubbles

Whenever you tap a pin, a business name, or any other “point of interest” in Google Maps, a little “bubble” with the name of the location will pop up on the screen; just tap the name to jump to a menu of information and options. Go back to that bubble, through, and you’ll see a secondary button to the left of the name.

Want the “Action” button in a location bubble to pull up Street View rather than driving directions? Done.

By default, that “Action” button should launch the Get Directions menu, but you can also swap it out for a few other choices, including Street View (a street-level, 360-degree panorama) and Call (which automatically dials the number of the location you tapped).

• Tap the “overload menu” button (yep, the three dots) in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap Settings, then tap Display.
• Tap Bubble Action, then choose a new option from the menu.
• Go back to the map, tap a location, and you’ll see your new “Action” button in the location bubble; keep in mind, though, that the button may be grayed-out if the option you selected (such as Street View) isn’t available for the location you tapped.

Looking for more Android tips? Click here!

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Well, good news: Street View just landed on the mobile-friendly version of Google Maps, and it works just fine on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Update [12/13/12]: And here’s even better news: Google Maps with Street View is now available in the App Store.

You can launch Google Maps by clicking on this link on your iPhone or iPad. Once Google Maps loads, search on an address and then tap its “pin” on the map, or tap on any labeled business or landmark.

Just tap the third button in the bottom-right corner of the screen to launch Street View in the iPhone’s Safari browser.

When you do, a little white ribbon should appear along the bottom of the screen, complete with the name and details on the location you tapped and one, two, or three buttons to the right.

The button with the arrow is for turn-by-turn directions, while an icon with the phone handset will appear if there’s a phone number to dial.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll see a third button stamped with a little human figure—and yes, that’s the Street View button. (If you don’t see a Street View button, that’s probably because the location you tapped hasn’t been shot by Google’s roaming army of Street View cars yet.)

Tap it, and a new tab will launch in Safari, complete with a 360-degree image of the street. Swipe left, right, up or down to pan the image, or tap one of the white arrows to take a virtual stroll down the lane.

Street View looks particularly striking in “landscape” mode on the iPhone, especially if you turn on Safari’s new full-screen mode. (Tap the arrows in the bottom-right corner of Safari to go the full-screen way.)

Finished looking around? Just close the Street View tab, then return to the original Google Maps tab.

Unfortunately, Street View on Safari won’t let you double-tap to zoom in as you could on the iPhone’s old Google-powered Maps app, or as you can right now on Google Maps for Android.

Still, though, Google Maps with Street view on Safari should be able to tide us over until Google comes out with a full-fledged Google Maps app for iPhone/iPad—sooner rather than later, I hope.

Bonus tip

 
Rather use Street View in an app than on Safari? There are a few options available, although none of them are from Google yet. Click here for more details.

Looking for more iOS 6 tips? Click here!

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Wondering what happened to Google Maps and those tremendous “Street View” panoramas now that you’ve installed iOS 6 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch?

You’re not the only one.

Sure, the iPhone and iPad still have a Maps app under iOS 6, but it’s no longer pulling its maps from Google’s massive, comprehensive mapping service.

Instead, Apple has replaced Google Maps with its own, snazzy-looking digital maps, which boast true turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D “flyovers” of major metropolitan areas.

All well and good, but a few key Google Maps features are missing. For example, you can’t get public transportation directions from the iOS 6 Maps app (or at least, not without downloading some third-party apps first), nor can you pull up Google’s eye-popping, 360-degree “Street View” panoramas.

Related: How to launch iPhone-friendly Street View in Google Maps for Safari

Making matters worse, some users are already complaining that the search engine for Apple’s new Maps app isn’t nearly as good as Google’s, with the New York Times noting that Maps on iOS 6 is far less forgiving of misspellings and abbreviations.

So, what to do? Well, one option is to stick with iOS 5 on your iPhone or iPad—a perfectly workable solution, although you’d be giving up all the other handy new features in iOS 6.

An alternative, however, is to access Google Maps on the web, or try some apps from the App Store that replace Google Maps’s best features.

(In case you’re wondering, there’s no official Google Maps app in the App Store—or at least, not yet.)

Let’s start with…

Getting Google Maps through Safari

Google offers a reasonably good version of Google Maps for mobile browsers, including Safari on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

You can still get public transit, walking, and even biking directions through the mobile web version of Google Maps.

To access it, just visit maps.google.com, and you’ll instantly jump to the mobile version of Google Maps—complete with the same digital maps you know and love, plus a large search form at the top of the screen.

Tap the compass icon at the top to jump to your current location (a pop-up will ask for permission to access your location data), while the street sign icon will draw up directions for drivers, public transit, walking, and even biking.

A little menu button in the top-right corner of the screen reveals even more options, including “places” that you’ve starred on searched on in the past, plus the ability to view map overlays with traffic, satellite imagery, and more.

Want to make it easier to access the web version of Google Maps without digging through your bookmarks? Just add Google Maps to your iPhone or iPad home screen:

• Visit Google Maps on the web, then tap Safari’s “sharing” button. On the iPhone and iPod Touch, the icon looks like a box with a little arrow snaking out, and you’ll find it near the bottom of the screen. On the iPad, the sharing button sits near the top of the screen, just to the left of the Safari address bar.
• Tap the “Add to Home Screen” button, label your new icon however you wish, then tap the blue Add button.
• Presto! The Google Maps button will appear on your home screen. Go ahead and drag it wherever you like or add it to a folder.

With just a few taps, you can add a home-screen icon for Google Maps on the web to your iPhone or iPad.

Nice, but what about Street View? Unfortunately, there’s no Street View feature in the mobile web version of Google Maps (Update [10/4/12]: Well, now there is; click here for details!), but you could always…

Grab a Google Maps-friendly app from the App Store

Several third-party navigation apps gather their mapping data from Google Maps, and a portion of them also offer Google’s impressive Street View feature.

Do a quick search in the App Store and you’ll find dozens of options, ranging from free (and often somewhat sketchy) mapping apps to pricey, full-on navigations packages.

I eventually found a 99-cent app called Live Street View (pictured above) that did a reasonably good job at replicating the Street View experience.

Just fire up the app, tap a location, and within a few seconds, you’ll get a Street View image that you can swipe and rotate (provided Street View is available for the location you tapped, of course). Live Street View is a bit sluggish compared to Street View on the old Maps app, but hey—it’s better than nothing.

Also, don’t forget the official (and free) Google Earth app on the App Store, which lacks Street View and turn-by-turn directions but boasts beautiful 3D maps and Google search.

Got more suggestions?

Happen to know other favorite mapping apps or online services that help bring Google Maps back to the iPhone or iPad? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Post your suggestions—or questions, of course—in the comments below.

Correction: In the original version of this post, I wrote that walking directions aren’t available in Apple’s new Maps app; as it turns out, turn-by-turn walking directions are available. Sorry for the goof.

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A feature in the latest version of Google Maps for Android lets you tilt the map view for a 3D-like perspective, complete with 3D buildings for more than a dozen major cities.

Just drag down with two fingertips to tilt Google Maps for a 3D-like perspective.

The 3D feature is well hidden—indeed, digging around the various menus on the Google Maps app for Android won’t do you much good.

But here’s the trick: just drag down on the screen with two fingertips.

As you do, Google Maps will tilt down to about 45 degrees or so.

And if you zoom in close enough (just “pinch” with your fingertips), you’ll see 3D outlines of buildings and skyscrapers in cities like Boston, New York, Vancouver, Chicago, San Francisco, and Paris.

Want to go back to the usual flat view? Just drag your two fingertips back “up” on the screen.

Note: Keep in mind that older Android phones may not support the 3D feature in Google Maps.

Bonus tip

Want to change the direction in which the map is facing? Easy. Just get your two fingertips ready again, touch the screen, and rotate them one way or the other.

Looking for more Android tips? Click here!

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