Successes of 2022: Google Maps helped me get out and explore more

I was able to use a lot of incredible new phones that were packed with the latest hardware and capable of amazing performance. When I was using each of those devices, I used the same app again and again, but it was far from new or cutting-edge.

Over the course of the year, I found myself with more opportunities to leave the house. When it was time to go somewhere, I opened up the app on my phone to find out how to navigate the transit system. Beyond that, the service has become more than just a way to get from one point to another. Over the past year it has become a kind of everything app for me and I have taken full advantage of its features.

It has become more than just a service for getting from point A to pointB.

I used the app a lot when I was on the road. I got walking directions, found the right train to get to SFO, and looked for coffee shops all over the place. I have an app on my phone that is configured to look for nearby coffee shops so I don't have to leave my house.

In more unusual situations, the app has been used. When I missed a turn on a recent hike outside of Seattle and realized I was wandering up a dry creek bed instead of a trail, I used my phone's gps to figure out which way I was supposed to go. I used it in a pinch, but I wouldn't use it further off the grid.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

I use it to travel off the beaten path to my house. I always look for new places to shoot when I take pictures with a lot of different phones. When I ran out of places to go, I turned to the internet and found a greenway in Seattle with views of the murals. Maps helps me find new places I haven't been before.

It's kind of an archive when it comes to the maps. If I want to remember the name of the restaurant I went to in another city, I have to look in my bookmarks. The address book has become a defacto address book. When I send a package to my sister, I type her name into the search bar on my phone and it shows up in my contacts.

Sometimes I don't have a specific agenda when opening up the maps. I might check out a neighborhood I'm interested in. I will use Street View to get an idea of what it is like to walk through the streets of the northernmost city in the US.

It has become as essential to me as email or chat.

There are things about the maps that I don't like. I agree. Sometimes I will have a map that is centered on a particular neighborhood and will show me every brewery in the Seattle area. I have been begging for a navigation option to stick to the simplest route instead of taking me on a series of tricky turns to shave 30 seconds off my arrival time. When I use the app to chart my every move, I should be more concerned about the data I have on me.

No matter which phone I am using at the time, I can't afford not to use the maps. It helps me get to know my own city better. I know I will use it to plan my moves through the next year because it was the app that helped me navigate life in 2022.