Google Drive Is Now The New Home Of Google’s “My Maps” Tool

That epic moment when two become one. Google has now made their custom map creation tool, “My Maps,” a part of Google Drive; their cozy and convenient online storage space. According to TechCrunch, this means you can build custom maps just as easily as you can new documents, slideshows, and spreadsheets. This also means that maps can be accessed and shared with others in much the same way as Google documents.

According to Google Lat Long Blog, when creating a new map in Google Drive, just select “New,” then “More,” then “Google My Maps” to tap into your inner cartographer. Google Lat Long Blog also advised that over the next week, all the maps that users have already created will also be accessible in Google Drive.

But, though many of the underlying functions remain the same, Google says it has added more interesting features to the “My Maps” tool in Google Drive.

“You can now add more layers and points of interest to your map, import bigger spreadsheets and include more details in each info box. Whether you’re mapping out the best surf spots down under or campgrounds in California, you can add all your favorite areas with more details across even more layers.”

Tech sites have already been praising Google for this new update. TechCrunch says Google has made the right choice by merging My Maps with Google Drive.

“…this helps distance its offering from others including Office 365, giving it a broader feature set for users looking to do just more than get business done.”

SlashGear said Google has found a way to keep users inside its ecosystem of services and help make their vacation planning a lot easier this holiday season.

“…even if you’re not dreaming of your remote island getaway, getting Google’s My Maps creation tool inside Google Drive is still a convenience for any traveler, or even just a digital surveyor, as it puts all your custom-made maps in a single location, stored on Google’s cloud, of course.”

Although there is praise and reported advantages for Google’s new move to make My Maps a part of Google Drive, there is a sour disadvantage.

The My Maps tool is a browser-based one, and according to SlashGear, this means that integration with Google Drive only works on the browser interface. The My Maps files appear in the Drive mobile app, but can only be viewed from a web browser.

But despite that drawback (which may soon be addressed by Google), Google may have just decided it is time to pay some attention to their custom “My Maps” tool since all their attention was being focused on the regular Google Maps feature.

Back in November Google updated Google Maps with Google Maps 9.1, which adds more details about searched locations, and this was made available to Android users.

[Image via PC Mag]