How to Get Alternate Routes on Google Maps iPhone

This video shows you how to find alternate routes to your chosen destination when using Google Maps on iPhone.

Video Transcript:
Google Maps works great on the iPhone, and is much more accurate than Apple Maps -- by a long shot. However, one thing that isn't so obvious in Google Maps is how to see alternate routes to your destination. This is important so you can understand what other routes are available, so that you can at least consider them.

And now, let's talk through the steps to get alternate routes on Google Maps on your iPhone.

Step 1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone. The Google Maps home screen appears.

Step 2. Tap the blue "Directions" icon to the right of the Search bar. The Directions screen appears, where you can input your starting location and your destination.

Step 3. Enter your starting location in the field on the left, and your destination location in the field on the right. The map appears, displaying a dark blue line associated with the fastest point between your starting location and your destination. However, look for other blocks on the screen that say "X" number of minutes slower. Tapping any of those blocks will highlight other possible routes.

Step 4. After the route you want to take to your destination is selected, tap the blue "Start" button in the lower right corner of the Google Maps app to begin the navigation to your destination using your chosen route.

[davelevi]

What I was looking for was for me to be able to establish the routes...not just the routes that were offered by Google. Do you have a way of doing that?

[extraemily]

What if I wanna take a route but it doesn’t show it on my laptop I can just drag it but I can’t on my phone what do I do

[lisaaddress]

Want to be able to drag to a different route. I use to be able to do it years ago on android

[globalcitizen]

You are wasting my time as much as google maps does with no route options.

[jakefromsf]

Yeah, this isn't what people want. People want to be able to fully customize their routes. Maybe instead of taking the highway i want to take back roads, but my destination is too long for me to remember all the roads. So, i want to be able to choose my entire route road by road while im stationary and can actually disect the map. Not while driving.

[KeseyDesigns]

They always give the little roads, that take forever, how do you default to oy large highways, very poor designed app. I can remember about 5or 6 years ago, I could tap on any road or drag the blue line to the roads I wanted to take. Is there an alternate app, that will allow you to choose any road.

[svajys]

Omg, are you crazy ? is this video for disabled? Yeah, how to get alternate routes, take one or other which suggest google, it's very hard job to understand. Tell me how to take alternate route, not by google, but up to yourself.

[playingmantis]

This isn't what anyone waned its not very helpful

[GuidedWithLight]

This didn’t answer what I was looking for. I’m trying to find an alternate route to the ones suggested by Google. I basically want to drag the route to a different street, but it won’t let me do that

[cau]

This doesn’t help. Of course we know how to choose an alternate route ON our current route. But if a road is backed up or something how to we choose a route in the opposite direction or just a completely different route

[timothyschott]

Once I select Start it changes back to the faster route

[DrFinglas]

What if the app only shows you one route ?!

[goleylla]

Useless. The offered alternative routes are obvious but I want to know how to change the route when it only offers 1 route without alternatives????

[wendym.]

That works for short trips but not for longer ones.

[TheBuddy]

Using the iPhone you cannot click on. ?? Explain how you do it

[lewis]

This screen looks nothing like mine.
It's terrible on mine. No discernable way of changing transport method.

[Oddball]

Utter rubbish! You CAN’T adjust the route, you can only select Google alternatives. If you are in a traffic jam and you want to go around it - tough! The only way to do it is to add a stop - remember to pull over in the traffic jam to re-program your route - good luck trying that manoeuvre!

[alloutofdonuts]

Does anyone know of a way to turn off the ‘feature’ of default to fastest route? The only info I’ve found is many people complaining about it, and that it can’t be turned off, or at least default to stay in the route you chose.

Maybe another recommendation for a map app
that doesn’t do this??

I’m talking about when you’ve already chosen a route, but at some point it asks if you would like to take the fast route(which you don’t always hear, and it’s only in the screen for 10seconds? if you don’t hit ‘NO’ it will automatically reroute you. I find this extremely annoying to the point of almost being dangerous.

Why would they offer an alternate route(or 2) if they’re just going to change it on you anyway lol. It took me over an hour to get home tonight, because it kept trying to route me a different direction. Not one time did I catch the ‘switch to faster route?’ option, until I saw the signs for the interstate(which I was trying to avoid!). This is on a trip that has been taking about 25-30 minutes. I recently moved to a new location I’m not yet familiar with.

[kennethlucas]

This is all desktop stuff. None of this is accurate for iphone.

[Kezito]

road trip on monday for around 300 miles aprox 480 km, you just saved me navigating my way through some areas i wanted to avoid. tyvm!!