How to drop a pin on Google Maps: Mobile and desktop
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(Pocket-lint) – Google Maps, we’d literally be lost without it. But, apart from navigating from one destination to another, the application has many practical functions.
One of them is the ability to drop a pin. This is extremely useful when trying to direct someone to a remote location that doesn’t have a street address, or when an address listed in the app isn’t quite correct.
Here’s how it works on desktop, Android, and iOS.
How do I drop a pin in Google Maps on desktop?
To drop a Pin from your computer’s browser:
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- Open your browser and then navigate to the Google Maps homepage.
- Find the location where you want to place a pin, then long left click on that location.
- A small gray pin icon appears on the map and a window appears at the bottom of the screen.
- Click on the coordinates in the information box and a new panel will appear on the left side of the screen.
- You can share the pin there, save it, get directions, or send it to your phone.
How to drop a pin in Google Maps on Android?
To drop a pin on Google Maps when using an Android device:
- Open your Google Maps app
- Search for an address or swipe the map until you find the location you want.
- Long press the location to drop a pin.
- The address or contact information should appear at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the location to share it, save it, get directions, or add a tag.
How to drop a pin in Google Maps on iOS?
On an iPhone or iPad, the process is very similar.
- Open your Google Maps app
- Search for an address or swipe the map until you find the location you want.
- Long press the location to drop a pin.
- The address or contact information is displayed at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap the location to share it, save it, get directions, or add a tag.
What can you do with a dropped pin?
Now that you’ve mastered the art of dropping pins, it’s time to use them. Here are some examples of what you can do with thumbtacks.
Instructions
It’s easy to get directions to an address with Google Maps, but when you need to get to a more distant location, things get a little more complicated.
For example, suppose you found a great site while browsing in the satellite view, but it is not near any roads or businesses. Just drop a pin and Google Maps will help you get there, whether by car, on foot, by bike or by public transport.
Share a Dropped Pin
Sharing a dropped pin is exactly what it sounds like: it lets you share a location with friends so they can find it too.
On a mobile device, you’ll use the operating system’s share menu, similar to tapping the share icon on an image or video.
On a desktop computer, you have four options:
- Share an automatically generated short link
- Post to Facebook with the Facebook icon
- Post to Twitter using the Twitter icon
- Copy the HTML code to embed the map on your website.
Save a location
If you’re signed in to a Google account, you can save pinned locations for easy access in the future. You can then find this location on all devices connected to your account.
You can also organize saved Pins into lists, making it easier to navigate if you save a lot of locations.
We’ve used this feature for a number of reasons, such as when we find a great free parking spot or a cool place to mountain bike in the woods and want to come back.
Tag a fallen pin
Tagging a dropped pin works very similarly to saving a pin. You can choose a custom word or phrase to indicate what the pin is for.
You can also add these tagged pins to lists, which is like saving the pin.
Written by Luke Baker.
