There are applications that users are connected to and use all the time, and the Google Maps app may be the only app that people cannot imagine life without, whether to discover places at any point on the planet, or to find directions while traveling by driving, public transportation, walking, or even cycling. However, like most applications, there are problems that can hinder the experience, and one of the most common problems that can occur when using Google Maps is providing inaccurate directions. Sometimes, the phone struggles to determine your actual location, and you may find yourself being directed by Google Maps to a restaurant or hotel and end up being behind it for some reason!
Fortunately, this problem can be overcome in a quick step that we will explain in the following lines. If you are on vacation in a new unfamiliar city and have no idea about its street details, follow the following steps to improve the accuracy of Google Maps on your phone.
Any smartphone has what is called a Magnetometer or Magnetic Scale in order for the default compass function to work. This function is used in conjunction with GPS technology to determine the direction you are heading. Due to the frequent random movement of our phones, this “sensitive” scale may experience a malfunction that leads to the compass losing its accuracy, and therefore navigation apps like Google Maps are unable to accurately determine directions. Therefore, one of the most important things to do to improve the accuracy of your phone’s location is to calibrate the compass. You may find it somewhat silly and you may need to do it several times, but the end result will amaze you if you are someone who always relies on Google Maps while traveling.
To make sure that your phone’s compass needs calibration, open the Google Maps app and take a close look at the blue circle that indicates your current location. If you do not see it, tap on the location icon in the lower left corner. Now, notice the beam in front of the blue dot, as this beam reflects the direction your phone is facing, and as you move the phone, the beam representing the compass signal moves. If you find that this beam is too wide or pointing in the wrong direction, opposite to your phone’s orientation, you will need to calibrate the compass.
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We have already mentioned in a topic how to improve the accuracy of your device’s location by calibrating the compass on Android phones, so we recommend reviewing it for more information. Quickly, to calibrate your phone’s compass, open Google Maps and tap on the blue circle that specifies your location on the map, then from the window that appears, click on the “Calibrate” option.
The application will now start explaining the illustration of the method to follow to calibrate the compass, where you must move the phone in a figure-eight shape several times (refer to this video to see how) until your compass is calibrated. Also, note that the window that appears shows the current compass accuracy at the bottom, either low, medium, or high. After calibrating the compass, the beam should become narrow and point in the right direction, meaning that Google Maps will display more accurate directions in future trips.
In addition to calibrating the compass, make sure to activate the “Improve Accuracy” or “High Accuracy Mode” option on your Android phone, which allows Google Maps to locate you not only based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) but also using nearby Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth-enabled devices to determine your location accurately.
All you have to do is open the Google Maps app, then click on the profile picture at the top and select “Settings,” and from the settings page, click on “Location Settings,” which will open the location settings page on your Android phone, whether it’s Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei…anything. Look for the “Improve Accuracy” option or “Mode” section, and select “High Accuracy” from it. Once you do that, the app should provide more accurate details when displaying directions, but on the other hand, this high accuracy mode may drain the battery quickly, so it is preferable to activate it only before starting the journey.
This step should significantly improve the accuracy of Google Maps, at least that’s what we noticed according to our experience. We also recommend checking out this list provided by Google, which includes a range of other tips aimed at improving the accuracy and making directions more convenient for you when using Google Maps.
