Group texts are often the default way of making plans, but anyone in an overactive chat knows how quickly they can become a headache. The nonstop notifications, derailed conversations, and missed messages sometimes make group chats a less-than-idea place to coordinate. But a new feature on Google Maps is offering an alternative, allowing users to collaborate with others to make plans and decide activities with less opportunity for going off-map. Here’s how to use it.
How to use Google Maps to make plans with a group
In a Nov. 15 blog post, Amanda Leicht Moore, director of product for Google Maps, shared some tips for using the app. While most of them highlight existing functions—like searching for the cheapest gas and opting to take a route that avoids tolls—there’s an update to Google Maps’s list feature that allows multiple people to collaborate on a shared list to make plans, instead of relying on a group text.
To start the shared list, pick a starting point in Google Maps, then hit Save to add it to a list. Choose (+) New list, then give it a name (“Saturday road trip”), then hit Invite Collaborators to share it with a group. Invited users will see the collaborative list link on their end, and, when they tap on it, can tap Join to hop in.
Once in the list, anyone in the group can suggest activities and places to visit by adding them in Google Maps. Each suggestion shows who added it, and you can add a note if you want people to understand why you chose this location.
From here, the other members can express their opinion on each location by voting with an emoji. (Google suggests a heart in support of a particular spot, and a thumbs-down against it.) If everything works as intended, you’ll end up with a solid plan that at least some people are excited about, all without sending a single group text.
According to Moore, the new and improved list feature is rolling out, and will be available globally on iOS and Android over the next few weeks.
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