What you need to know
- Plus Codes are a new addition to Maps that use latitude and longitude coordinates to create "digital" addresses, even in areas without a traditional address.
- Plus Codes are searchable in Google Maps, just like a regular address.
- Google is making its digital address technology open source for developers to use as they see fit.
Your address is just as much a part of your identity as your phone number, and makes it easy to order packages, invite friends over, or navigate home from an unfamiliar area. But throughout the world, many people live in remote areas or off of nameless streets, making it hard to pinpoint an exact address.
Google is making it easier to identify your exact location, regardless of a traditional address, with its rollout today of a new feature in Google Maps called Plus Codes. Plus Codes are a new form of alphanumeric "digital" address generated using latitude and longitude information rather than street names and numbers, eg. P34G+FV, Brooklyn, NY.
Plus Codes make it easier to share precise locations, even when there are no cross streets available — this can be particularly useful when, say, communicating with a first responder in the event of an accident. Just like a traditional address, you can search with a Plus Code in Google Maps or even Google Search.
You can quickly access the Plus Code for your current location by tapping on the blue dot pin in Google Maps, or view the Plus Code of other places by either adding a pin to a particular location or viewing the details of a point of interest.
Plus Codes will be rolling out to the Google Maps Android app over the coming weeks, though the feature is already available for many users as of today.
Hayato was a product reviewer and video editor for Android Central.
