Google makes it easier to give precise directions with its new feature for Maps: Plus Codes.
Plus Codes are a shorter, simpler, more precise way to give directions over the usual “brown gate” or “by the corner.” Conventional addresses or directions are not always easy to understand. With so many streets named Kalayaan alone, it’s easy to get confused or lost. Google’s latest innovation makes it easy for delivery riders to find you or give directions to your friends.
Plus Codes, launched in 2015, are simple, easy to use digital addresses derived from latitude and longitude coordinates. The short alphanumeric combination can be used to quickly identify any location, from a rural home along a long, featureless national highway, to a small shop stall on a nameless street.
A Plus Code is a simple alphanumeric code which can be combined with a locality (for example: J86Q+68 Tanay, Rizal). Instead of a regular address with lot number and street name, it’s a simple six-digit code plus the city or province. You can find the Plus Code for a location by tapping and holding the map to drop a pin at a location you want a Plus Code for. Plus Codes are searchable on Google Maps and even Google Search, meaning everywhere on the planet can now be uniquely identified.
These digital location identifiers are free to use, available offline and can be printed on paper, posters and signs. The technology to generate Plus Codes is also open source, which means it is easy and free to use, so anyone can see how the technology works and develop their own applications for any use case.
Plus Codes are especially useful when giving out directions. Need a package delivered but don’t know the address? Meeting up with your riding buddies on the side of the road? Got motorcycle trouble while out of town? Open up Google Maps and tap on the blue dot to view, copy and share your Plus Code location. Plus Codes let you share your location quickly even without an address. This information can be sent via text message so you don’t spend on mobile data. They're accurate to within 13 meters.
Since Plus Codes are based on latitude and longitude coordinates, every point in the world already has a Plus Code. Download the latest version of the Google Maps on Android to try out the new update. Plus Codes are coming to IOS devices soon.