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Basics of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet’s Navigator

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Updated:  
2016-03-26 13:23:58
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Finding something is only half the job. The other half is getting there. Your Samsung Galaxy tablet is ever-ready, thanks to the various direction and navigation features nestled in the Maps app.

How to get directions on your Samsung Galaxy Tablet

One command associated with locations on the map is getting directions. In the Maps app, the command is called Route. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Touch the Route icon in a location’s card.

    The Route icon appears as a set of split arrows. When a location is found on the same screen as your current location, you may see a car icon instead.

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  2. Choose a method of transportation.

    The available options vary, depending on your location. The items are (from left to right) Car, Public Transportation, Bicycle, and On Foot.

  3. Set a starting location.

    You can type a location or select one of the locations shown on the screen, such as your current location, your home location, or any location you’ve previously searched. Touch the Starting Location item to choose another location.

  4. Ensure that the starting location and destination are what you want.

    To reverse them, touch the Swap icon.

  5. Peruse the results.

The map shows your route, highlighted as a blue line on the screen.

To see a list of directions, touch the Results card. A scrolling list appears on the screen.

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To interactively follow your journey, touch the Preview icon.

  • The Maps app alerts you to any toll roads on the specified route. As you travel, you can choose alternative, non-toll routes if available. You’re prompted to switch routes during navigation.

  • You may not get perfect directions from the Maps app, but it's a useful tool for finding places you’ve never visited.

How to add a navigation Home screen widget to your Samsung Galaxy Tablet

When you visit certain places often — such as the liquor store or the parole office — you can save yourself the time you would spend repeatedly inputting navigation information. All you need to do is create a navigation shortcut on the Home screen. Here’s how:

  1. Touch the Apps button to visit the Apps screen.

  2. Select the Widgets tab from the top of the Apps screen.

  3. Long-press the Directions widget and, keeping your finger down, drag it to a spot on the Home screen.

  4. Choose a traveling method.

    Your options are car, public transportation, bicycle, and on foot.

  5. In the Choose Destination text box, type a destination, a contact name, an address, or a business.

  6. Type a shortcut name.

    The name appears below the icon on the Home screen.

  7. Touch the Save button.

    The navigation shortcut is placed on the Home screen.

To use the shortcut, simply touch it on the Home screen. Instantly, the Maps app starts and enters Navigation mode, steering you from wherever you are to the location referenced by the shortcut.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

About the book author:

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for 20 years. He has contributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate.
He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work.
Perhaps Dan’s most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times number-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the NYT best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.
Dan’s most recent titles include PCs For Dummies, 9th Edition; Buying a Computer For Dummies, 2005 Edition; Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies; Dan Gookin’s Naked Windows XP; and Dan Gookin’s Naked Office. He publishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” and also maintains the vast and helpful Web site www.wambooli.com.